Fine (song)

For other songs, see Fine.
"Fine"
Single by Whitney Houston
from the album Whitney: The Greatest Hits
B-side "Love to Infinity Megamix"
Released November 14, 2000 (2000-11-14)
Format
Recorded The Record Plant
(Los Angeles, California)
Genre R&B
Length 3:34
Label Arista
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Whitney Houston singles chronology
"Same Script, Different Cast"
(2000)		 "Fine"
(2000)		 "The Star Spangled Banner"
(2001)
Music video
"Fine" on YouTube

"Fine" is a song by American R&B singer Whitney Houston, and was the fourth single from her 2000 compilation album, Whitney: The Greatest Hits.

Composition

"Fine"
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"Fine" is a mid-tempo R&B tune, written and produced by Raphael Saadiq and Kamaal Fareed. According to Billboard, it features "languid retro-funk guitars" and a "sneaky hook", brought to life by "richly layered harmonies".[1] It was described as having "a sleek lite-funk sound" by The Star-Ledger.[2]

Critical reception

Billboard wrote that "Fine" is "perhaps her most convincing crack at urbanized pop music to date. [Houston] seems to have eased into the chilled soul that propels a street-wise track. She wisely does not give into the temptation to belt and wail her way through the song [...]. Instead, Houston works the more sultry lower register of her voice, saving the big, beautiful notes as a dramatic accent toward the end of the cut".[1] LA Weekly in its review for Whitney: The Greatest Hits wrote that "Only on the stellar R&B track “Fine” does Whitney stand out. [...] “Fine” is soulful, funky and tight as hell. And the vocal performance ranks among Whitney’s best."[3] The Baltimore Sun wrote that "Of the new tracks [on Whitney: The Greatest Hits], only the sultry, soulful "Fine" manages to convey any of the strengths that made Houston a star." and "hearing [Houston] work the tune's insistent, retro-funk groove, there's no doubting that she still has what it takes to make hits".[4] CANOE reviewer Jane Stevenson felt that the song "falls flat".[5] The Star-Ledger wrote that the song "grows tiresomely repetitious".[2] According to New Nation the song takes Houston "to even greater heights, changing [her] vocals to a much lower tone, with an added hip-hop bassline".[6] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch called it "a wonderful composition".[7]

Chart performance

"Fine" appeared on the singles charts only in the United States and in Sweden.[8][9] The song peaked at number 51 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.[8] In Sweden, it debuted and peaked at number 50, but spent only one week on the chart.[9]

Music video

The music video features Houston at a rooftop cocktail party. In the U.S., a DVD single was released. It includes the videos for "Fine" and the Houston-George Michael duet "If I Told You That," plus behind-the-scenes footage from the "Fine" video shoot. Houston's then-husband Bobby Brown also appears in the video.

Track listings and formats

Maxi-single[10]
No. Title Length
1. "Fine" (Album version) 3:34
2. "Love to Infinity Megamix" (Edit) 5:17
3. "Hearbreak Hotel" (R.I.P. Mix) 3:40
4. "Love to Infinity Megamix"   9:22
CD-single[11]
No. Title Length
1. "Fine"   3:34
2. "Same Script, Different Cast" (Jonathan Peters Radio Edit) 4:20
3. "Same Script, Different Cast" (Friburn & Urik Cover Your Ears Mix) 10:49
4. "Fine" (Instrumental) 3:34
Fine / If I Told You That DVD Single[12]
No. Title Length
1. "Fine" (Music video) 3:35
2. "If I Told You That" (Music video) 4:12
3. "Behind-the-scenes footage of the "Fine" video shoot"    

Personnel

Credits[13]
  • Produced by Raphael Saadiq & Q-Tip for The Ummah
  • Orchestra arranged by Raphael Saadiq & Charles Veal, Jr.
  • Orchestra recorded by Gerry "The Gov" Brown at Capitol Studios, LA, CA
  • Orchestra conducted by Charles Veal, Jr. & performed by The South Central Chamber Orchestra
  • Vocal Arrangement: Whitney Houston
Recording and mixing[13]
  • Recorded by Jason Stasium & Danny Romero at The Record Plant, LA, CA
  • Mixed by DJ Quik at Skip Saylor Studios, LA, CA

Charts

Chart (2001) Peak
position
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[9] 50
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[8] 51

References

  1. 1 2 "Billboard magazine – Reviews & Previews – p.24". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 2, 2000. Retrieved August 13, 2012. (Transcription of original at Classic-Whitney.com)
  2. 1 2 Lustig, Jay (May 16, 2000). "The greatest hits of all, but the remix is just so-so". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 18 April 2014. (Full review available at Classic-Whitney.com)
  3. ↑ Hardy, Ernest (Jun 28, 2000). "Saving It". LA Weekly. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  4. ↑ J. D. Considine (May 25, 2000). "Whitney Houston The Greatest Hits". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  5. ↑ Stevenson, Jane. "Album Review: Whitney's greatest hits and misses". CANOE - JAM!. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
  6. ↑ http://whfan.free.fr/rv00cd.htm
  7. ↑ Johnson, Kevin C. (June 25, 2000). "Whitney Houston "The Greatest Hits," Arista Records.". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 19 April 2014. (Full review available at Classic-Whitney.com)
  8. 1 2 3 "Whitney Houston – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Whitney Houston. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 "Swedishcharts.com – Whitney Houston – Fine". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  10. ↑ Fine (Maxi-Single). Whitney Houston. EU: Arista. 2000. 74321 82188 2.
  11. ↑ Fine (CD-Single). Whitney Houston. EU: Arista. 2001. 74321-84665-2.
  12. ↑ Fine (DVD). Whitney Houston. US: Arista. 2000. 13920-9.
  13. 1 2 Whitney: The Greatest Hits (Album). Whitney Houston. Europe: Arista, BMG. 2000. 74321 75895 2.
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