Format CD single Genre R&B, pop Label Arista | Recorded Fall 1998 Length 4:20
3:56 (radio edit) | |
Released November 29, 1999 (UK)
February 22, 2000 (US) | ||
"I Learned from the Best" is a 1999 single from American R&B/Pop singer Whitney Houston. The ballad was the fifth and final single from Houston's multi-platinum 1998 album My Love Is Your Love. When released, it became a moderate hit, peaking at number 27 on the US Hot 100. Dance remixes of the song by Hex Hector and Junior Vasquez topped the US dance chart for three weeks. Houston gained another top 20 hit on the UK Singles Chart with this song, where it peaked at number 19. The song was written by Diane Warren.
Contents
Critical reception
Billboard wrote that it is "a song that has most-added stamped all over it. Written by the ultimate pop/R&B scribe of the 1990s, Diane Warren, this gorgeous ballad will take fans old and new to that sacred territory that Whitney established back in the years of classics like "Saving All My Love For You" and "All The Man That I Need." But make no mistake; the Houston of today is a fully seasoned, well-traveled diva, leaving the wannabes in scattered remains with this spine-chilling performance. You'll be throwing your hands in the air over the wisdom she's gained in this tale of the strong woman who's breaking bad with her lessons about heartbreak. Producer/arranger David Foster, meanwhile, puts forth all that he's learned in the past two decades with a forceful instrumental package that borrows from his days of commandeering the horns-heavy Chicago through its comeback in the early 1980s. The three together—Houston, Warren, and Foster—simply can't miss in this stellar effort that brings together the best of their talents"
Chart performance
"I Learned from the Best" became the fifth and final single to be released from the album in late November 1999 in UK and February 2000 in US. The song debuted at number eighty-three on the Hot 100 and peaked at number twenty-seven. It reached the number thirteen on the Hot R&B Singles & Tracks. According to the Nielsen SoundScan, the single sold 500,000 units in the United States and certified Gold. Outside the US, it was not as successful as the previous singles from the album. The single reached the number six in Finland, the number eight in Spain, and the number nineteen in the United Kingdom with 95,000 copies sold. Besides, it went to the top forty in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Music video
The music video, directed by Kevin Bray, features Houston giving a concert performance of the song to a small intimate audience, as a man—presumably the ex-lover referenced in the song—watches with regret. It was filmed in Cologne, Germany, and was featured in the first season of MTV's Making the Video.
Formats and track listings
- "I Learned from the Best" (Radio Edit) – 3:55
- "I Will Always Love You" (Hex Hector Club Mix) – 9:52
- "It's Not Right, But It's Okay" (Thunderpuss Radio Mix) – 4:26
- "I Learned from the Best" (Album Version) – 4:20
- "I Learned from the Best" (HQ2 Uptempo Radio Mix) – 4:23
- "I Learned from the Best" (Junior Vasquez UK Club Mix) – 11:37
- "I Learned from the Best" (HQ2 Uptempo Radio Mix) – 4:23
- "I Learned from the Best" (Junior Vasquez Disco Radio Mix) – 4:22
- "I Learned from the Best" (HQ2 Club Mix) – 10:37
- "I Learned from the Best" (Junior Vasquez USA Millennium Mix) – 11:37
- "I Learned from the Best" (Junior Vasquez Disco Club Mix) – 9:21
- "I Learned from the Best" (HQ2 Dub) – 8:56
- "I Learned from the Best" (Junior Vasquez UK Radio Mix) – 4:59
- "I Learned from the Best" (Original Version) – 4:09