Thinking About You (Whitney Houston song)

"Thinking About You" is the fifth single by American singer Whitney Houston. It was written by Kashif Saleem and La Forrest "La La" Cope for Houston's debut studio album Whitney Houston (1985), while production was helmed by the former, released in October 1985.^[2] Even though it was not promoted as a single to top 40 radio stations, "Thinking About You" became a top 10 hit on the Hot Black Singles chart in the United States. It later appeared as the B-side to Houston's 1986 single, "Greatest Love of All".

"Thinking About You"
Single by Whitney Houston
from the album Whitney Houston
B-side	"Someone for Me"
Released	October 1985
Recorded	1984
Genre	Dance R&B[1] post-disco funk
Length	5:24
Label	Arista
Songwriter(s)	Kashif La La
Producer(s)	Kashif
Whitney Houston singles chronology
"Saving All My Love for You" (1985) "Thinking About You" (1985) "How Will I Know" (1985)
Licensed audio
"Thinking About You" on YouTube

Chart performance

The song debuted at number 76 on the Hot Black Singles chart on October 19, 1985.^[3] On December 14, 1985, the song reached its peak position of number 10. It spent 15 weeks on the chart.^[4] It was Houston's fourth consecutive top ten single on the R&B chart and her fourth R&B hit from her self-titled debut album.

The same song debuted at number 50 on the Hot Dance/Disco Club Play chart on November 16, 1985.^[5] On December 7, 1985, the song reached its peak position of number 24, becoming her first top 40 entry. It spent 6 weeks on the chart.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the track "unheralded" and one of the lighter songs on the album, as well as "a dance/R&B hit [...] that remains one of Whitney's purest pop pleasures".^[6]

Formats and track listings

• US 7" vinyl single

A: "Thinking About You" – 5:24

B: "Someone for Me" – 4:58

• US 12" vinyl maxi single^[7]

A: "Thinking About You" (extended dance version) – 7:19

B1: "Thinking About You" (single version) – 4:03

B2: "Thinking About You" (dub version) – 8:04

• UK 12" vinyl single^[8]

A: "Thinking About You" (club side) – 5:24

B: "You Give Good Love" (radio side) – 4:33

Credits and personnel

"Thinking About You"[9] Kashif – writer, producer La La – writer Bruce Forest – remix producer Michael Hutchinson – engineer

"Someone for Me"[9] Freddie Washington – writer Raymond Jones – writer Jermaine Jackson – producer Bill Schnee – mixer

Charts

Chart (1985)	Peak position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[4]	10
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[10] Remix	24

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (January 26, 2010). "Whitney Houston: The Deluxe 25th Anniversary Edition". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2017. and the unheralded "Thinking About You," a dance/R&B hit co-written by Kashif
2. Billboard October 19, 1985, page 92
3. "Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Week of October 19, 1985". Billboard. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
4. "Whitney Houston Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
5. "Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs - Week of November 16, 1985". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
6. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Whitney Houston – Whitney Houston | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
7. "Whitney Houston - Thinking About You (Vinyl, Single)". discogs.com.
8. "Whitney Houston - Thinking About You (Vinyl)". discogs.com.
9. Whitney Houston (CD). Whitney Houston. United States: Arista. 1985.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. "Whitney Houston Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2022.