Boy Meets Girl Meet Future Superstar

Do you remember the musical duo Boys Meets Girl? Neither do I, but they had a top 5 single in 1988 named “Waiting for a Star to Fall.” This post is not about that song.

A few years prior to that hit they were signed to A&M Records, for whom they had a top 40 single in 1985 named “Oh Girl.” This post is not about that song.

Also signed to A&M at that time was Janet Jackson, who had released two albums – Janet Jackson in 1982 and Dream Street in 1984. Neither had sold particularly well. A&M asked Boy Meets Girl to write a song for Ms. Jackson. They came up with a ditty they called “How Will I Know.” They sent it off to Janet’s people, who said “No, thank you.”

Someone from the pair’s publishing company sent the demo of “How Will I Know” to Gerry Griffith, who worked at Arista Records’ A&R department and was looking for material for a new teenage artist he signed to the label. Griffith liked the track and presented it to the young singer, along with another song, entitled “You Give Good Love.”

In 1985, “You Give Good Love” was the first single released from the singer’s self-titled debut album. It reached #3 on the pop chart. The follow-up single, “Saving All My Love for You,” went to #1. “How Will I Know” was the third single from the album, and it became the singer’s second #1. This was followed by “Greatest Love of All,” originally the b-side of the “You Give Good Love” 45, which also went to #1. To date, that album, entitled Whitney Houston, has sold approximately 25 million copies.

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For the first single from Whitney’s second album, entitled Whitney, Arista turned to the duo who wrote “How Will I Know.” They came up with “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” another #1 single.

As for Janet Jackson, her 1986 album Control produced six top 40 singles and established her as a superstar.

In observation of Whitney Houston’s birthday, here are ten of her finest moments.

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