"Fine"
Single by Whitney Houston
from the album Whitney: The Greatest Hits
B-side"Love to Infinity Megamix"
ReleasedSeptember 19, 2000 (2000-09-19)
StudioThe Record Plant (Los Angeles, California)
GenreR&B
Length3:34
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Whitney Houston singles chronology
"If I Told You That"
(2000)		 "Fine"
(2000)		 "The Star Spangled Banner"
(2001)
Music video
"Fine" on YouTube

"Fine" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston, and was released as the fourth single from her 2000 compilation album, Whitney: The Greatest Hits, in September 2000.

Composition

"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 US 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, directed by Kevin Bray, features Houston at a rooftop cocktail party. In the US, 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

  • US CD Promo single[10]
  1. "Fine" (Radio Mix) — 3:34
  2. "Fine" (Instrumental) — 3:34
  3. "Fine" (Call Out Hook) — 0:40
  • Europe CD Maxi single[11]
  1. "Fine" (Album version) — 3:34
  2. "Love to Infinity Megamix" (Edit) — 5:17
  3. "Heartbreak Hotel (R.I.P. Mix) — 3:40
  4. "Love to Infinity Megamix" — 9:22
  • Europe CD single[12]
  1. "Fine" (Radio Edit) — 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
  • Europe CD single card sleeve[13]
  1. "Fine" (Album version) — 3:34
  2. "Love to Infinity Megamix" (Edit) — 5:17
  1. "Fine" (video)
  2. "If I Told You That" (video)
  3. Behind-the-scenes footage of the "Fine" video shoot

Personnel

Charts

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

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United States September 19, 2000 Arista [16]
September 26, 2000 Rhythmic contemporary radio [17][18]
Sweden December 11, 2000 CD
[19]

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. ↑ "allwhitney.com - Whitney Houston album reviews". Whfan.free.fr. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  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 (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 "Whitney Houston – Fine". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  10. ↑ Fine (CD Single). Whitney Houston. US: Arista. 2000. ARPCD-3845.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ↑ Fine (Maxi-Single). Whitney Houston. EU: Arista. 2000. 74321 82188 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ↑ Fine (CD-Single). Whitney Houston. EU: Arista. 2001. 74321-84665-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ↑ Fine (Card Sleeve Single). Whitney Houston. EU: Arista. 2000. 74321 82189 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ↑ Fine (DVD). Whitney Houston. US: Arista. 2000. 13920-9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. 1 2 Whitney: The Greatest Hits (Album). Whitney Houston. Europe: Arista, BMG. 2000. 74321 75895 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ↑ "Going for Adds / Advance Notice". Radio & Records. No. 1368. September 15, 2000. pp. 152, 162.
  17. ↑ "Gavin Top 40/Rhythm Crossover: Impact Dates". Gavin Report. No. 2322. September 15, 2000. p. 10.
  18. ↑ "CHR/Rhythmic: Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1369. September 15, 2000. p. 109.
  19. ↑ "Whitney Houston: Fine". click2music.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on January 13, 2003. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
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