This was written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam. According to them …
George: “They asked us to write for Janet Jackson’s next record, so Shannon and I went to work and came up with our song How Will I Know, which was sent to Janet Jackson’s people. They passed on it because it wasn’t right for her at the time – she was in the midst of doing her Control album.
Shannon: “It wasn’t right for that, but then our publishing company played it for Gerry Griffith when he was in Los Angeles gathering material for the unknown Whitney Houston. He loved it, sent it to Clive (Davis), and Clive said, ‘We must have it.’ And we said, ‘Whitney who? Clive who?’
George: “Shannon and I had our first record deal, so we were caught up in Boy Meets Girl land, and the idea of writing for other people, this is pre-Whitney Houston and pre- our understanding of songwriting for other people, so it was really a big deal when they wanted to hold onto this for Whitney Houston. Then we started checking into it and thought, well, this could be kind of a neat deal. Our good friends, brother team Alan and Preston Glass, called us where they were working with Narada Michael Walden. They were recording Whitney Houston on ‘How Will I Know’ and they said, ‘Guys, you’ve got to hear this.’ They played it over the phone, and I swear, her voice, hearing the first take of ‘How Will I Know’ on the phone we knew we were on to something special, too.”
Interestingly, the backing vocals are by Whitney’s mother, Cissy Houston.
George and Shannon also wrote Houston’s hit I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me).
How Will I Know
Whitney Houston
There’s a boy I know, he’s the one I dream of
Looks into my eyes, takes me to the clouds above, mmm-hmm
Oh, I lose control, can’t seem to get enough, uh-huh
When I wake from dreaming, tell me is it really love
Ooh, how will I know (don’t trust your feelings)
How will I know
How will I know (love can be deceiving)
How will I know
How will I know if he really loves me?
I say a prayer with every heartbeat
I fall in love whenever we meet
I’m asking you what you know about these things
How will I know if he’s thinking of me
I try to phone but I’m too shy (can’t speak)
Falling in love is so bittersweet
This love is strong, why do I feel weak?
Oh, wake me, I’m shaking, wish I had you near me now, uh-huh
Said there’s no mistaking, what I feel is really love
Ooh, tell me how will I know (don’t trust your feelings)
How will I know
How will I know (love can be deceiving)
How will I know
How will I know if he really loves me?
I say a prayer with every heartbeat
I fall in love whenever we meet
I’m asking you what you know about these things
How will I know if he’s thinking of me
I try to phone but I’m too shy (can’t speak)
Falling in love is so bittersweet
This love is strong, why do I feel weak?
If he loves me
If he loves me not
If he loves me
Ooh, if he loves me not
Hey, if he loves me
If he loves me not
Oh, how will I know, how will I know
How will I know
Hey, how will I know
Ooh, how will I know if he really loves me?
I say a prayer with every heartbeat
I fall in love whenever we meet
I’m asking you ’cause you know about these things
How will I know if he’s thinking of me
I try to phone but I’m too shy (can’t speak)
Falling in love is so bittersweet
This love is strong, why do I feel weak?
How will I know (how will I know)
How will I know
How will I know (I say a prayer)
How will I know
Ooh, how will I know (I fall in love)
How will I love, hey, how will I know?
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: George Robert Merrill / Narada Michael Walden / Shannon Rubicam
How Will I Know lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
I had to LOL when the composers asked, ‘Whitney who? Clive who?’
… only the most amazing, famous female vocalist of our time & biggest record producer ever 🙂
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Thanks for the back story about the song. I love learning these things. Cheers
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I love learning these things, too! It’s half of the delight of doing the music posts! Glad you liked this one!
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Such a talented family.And what a voice she had.
Cwtch
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Quite so … my favourite, I think, is “Greatest Love of All”, but there are many others that run a close second.
Cwtch
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OOh you never can go wrong with Whitney! So sad that she died!
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I’m so happy you liked it!!! Yes, her death was tragic, but she left us a legacy.
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lovely song, I like doing songwriting too
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Glad you enjoyed the song!
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Great song. Such an unhappy ending. Thanks, Jill.
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Indeed, her death was both tragic and preventable. Sigh. Glad you liked this song, anyway!
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I like all her songs. To have someone so beautiful and talented end the way she did is a heartbreaker.
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The one and only ❤
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Glad you liked it!!!
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I so loved this song back in the day and am still sad that she passed away in such tragic circumstances. I never understand how some talented artists manage to tame their demons and some don’t 🙋♀️🐝
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YAY!!! Your comment didn’t go to ‘spam’!!! I’m so happy!
Yes, Whitney’s death was tragic and … preventable. But, it seems that fame and fortune often lead down that path. She did leave a legacy of beautiful music, though. I’m so glad you enjoyed this song! 🙋♀️
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I did very much and it looks like I managed to deal with the spam monster: the link to my Weebly page on my WP profile was the problem. There was one left I hadn’t deleted. So I might be back in full force 🤣😎🙋♀️🐝
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Awesome news! 🙋
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Jill, such a talent. For all her many great songs, her rendition of the difficult to sing “Star Spangled Banner” at a Super Bowl brought chills. This is yet one more great song. Keith
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Agreed on all counts. Glad you enjoyed it!
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Great song. Can’t believe she’s gone eight years now.
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Wow … has it really been that long? Yes, she was a great singer and entertainer … fortunately, she left behind her legacy for us to enjoy.
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