Whitney Houston vs. Sam Smith | Head 2 Head 🗣️

On the 23^rd edition of Head 2 Head (2022), Whitney Houston and Sam Smith contend for the best rendition of “How Will I Know.” 

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1. Whitney Houston, “How Will I Know”

💿 Whitney Houston • 🏷 Arista • 📅 1985 

“There’s a boy I know, he’s the one I dream of /… When I wake from dreaming, tell me, is it really love?” ‘Boy, oh, boy’ did 🎙 Janet Jackson pass up an awesome record! No problem as 🎙 Whitney Houston earned a no. 1 hit with 🎵 “How Will I Know”.  “How Will I Know,” written by 🎼 ✍ George Merrill, 🎼 ✍ Shannon Rubicam, and 🎼 ✍ 🎛 Narada Michael Walden (who also produces) is the quintessential 1980s record.  It successfully straddles pop and R&B, a place where Houston would often find tremendous success as well as an identity crisis.

This innocent record appears as the sixth track on Houston’s 1985 debut album, 💿Whitney Houston.  It commences with an inescapable, electrifying groove. Bright and exuberant, this major key joint never grows old. The chorus is incredibly memorable, including Whitney’s own background vocals:

“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?”

Houston sings like an angel, owning this memorable gem from the start. Also, like so many of the 80s songs, “How Will I Know” gives us a modulation – aka a key change.  Also, shout out to the music video – #ICONIC!!!

Appears in 🔻:

• Whitney Houston, “How Will I Know”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 48 (2022)
• 13 Ultra Compelling HOW Songs

2. Sam Smith, “How Will I Know”

💿 In the Lonely Hour (Drowning Shadows) • 🏷 Capitol • 📅 2015 

Covering 🎙 Whitney Houston is a tall, tall task.  That’s a gargantuan overstatement.  Many have tried, and many have also failed.  🏆 Academy and Grammy award winner 🎙 Sam Smith bravely tackles one of Houston’s earliest no. 1 hits, 🎵 “How Will I Know”.  One of the most fun Houston records, Smith makes “How Will I Know” completely his own. How, you ask? 

Smith reinterprets “How Will I Know” as a piano ballad.  In their hands, “How Will I Know” is a stark contrast to the original, which isn’t a bad thing.  The original is fun, innocent, lighthearted, and up-tempo.  The Smith version is slower, more restrained, and less enthusiastic (not in a negative way, of course). Smith delivers a stupendous vocal, one filled with expression and no shortage of personality.  Listening to this ballad version, it’s easy to lean on every word and every note that Smith sings.  Honestly, it was a smart choice for them NOT to copycat the original, which is considered to be among Whitney Houston’s very, very best.  No one outduels Whitney Houston, but Smith shines in this more vulnerable, emotional take of this 🎼 ✍ George Merrill, 🎼 ✍ Shannon Rubicam, and 🎼 ✍ Narada Michael Walden –penned classic.

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️

🎙 Whitney Houston or 🎙 Sam Smith?  Remember how I said, “no one out-duels Whitney Houston?” Well, that’s the case on 🎵 “How Will I Know”, too.  Sorry Sam! They do a magnificent job with the piano ballad makeover, but that’s not enough to even hope to best the beloved Whitney Houston juggernaut.  We will heart that fast, innocent, quintessential 80s original for years and years to come, period.

Whitney Houston vs. Sam Smith: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 23 (2022) [📷: Arista, Brent Faulkner, Capitol, Layers, The Musical Hype, Pexels, Pixabay, RODNAE Productions, Valentin Tikhonov]