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'90s Survivor: 1993 - Winner Revealed!


TwistedElegance™

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Writer(s): Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson

Producer(s): Narada Michael Walden, Clivillés & Cole

Label: Arista

Claiming sixth spot for 1993 is the incomparable Whitney Houston with 'I'm Every Woman'. Released by Chaka Khan in the late-'70s, the original version of 'I'm Every Woman' actually features backing vocals by Whitney's mother, Cissy Houston. Re-imagined as a sweaty house track at the hands of C+C Music Factory, 'I'm Every Woman' was released during the monster reign of Whitney's previous single, 'I Will Always Love You', also a cover. And like 'I Will Always Love You', Whitney's version of 'I'm Every Woman' would become a bigger hit than the original, peaking at No. 4 on Billboard's Hot 100, besting the No. 21 position reached by Chaka in 1978. Whitney was heavily pregnant during production of the song's video and as such shared the screen with fellow famous women. Making appearances were her mother Cissy, Chaka Khan, Martha Wash, Valerie Simpson and labelmates TLC. The song equalled its US peak on the UK chart and reached No. 11 in Australia.

Songs remaining (in alphabetical order):

Again - Janet Jackson

I Have Nothing - Whitney Houston

If - Janet Jackson

Right Here - SWV

That's The Way Love Goes - Janet Jackson

____________________

Again

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Writer(s): Janet Jackson, James Harris III, Terry Lewis

Producer(s): Janet Jackson, Jam & Lewis

Label: Virgin

Taking fifth spot for 1993 is the legendary Janet Jackson with her stirring ballad, 'Again'. Released as the third single from the chart-busting janet., 'Again' ruled the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, becoming her seventh No. 1 single. 'Again' was included in the closing credits of Janet's box office debut, Poetic Justice. While not included on its soundtrack, the song earned the icon an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song at the 66th Academy Awards, where she performed the song live. The song's video was directed by then-husband René Elizondo, Jr and features actor Gary Dourdan who would later find fame on CSI. 'Again' didn't mirror its US success worldwide, but was a modest hit, peaking at No. 6 in the UK, No. 2 in Canada, and No. 19 in Australia. The song was sampled by singer Iyaz for his 2010 single, 'Solo', which reached the Top 40 on the Hot 100 and No. 3 in the UK.

Songs remaining (in alphabetical order):

I Have Nothing - Whitney Houston

If - Janet Jackson

Right Here - SWV

That's The Way Love Goes - Janet Jackson

____________________

Right Here

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Writer(s): Brian Alexander Morgan, Tamara Johnson

Producer(s): Brian Alexander Morgan, Teddy Riley, Sahpreem A. King, Pharrell Williams

Label: RCA

Bowing out of the competition at No. 4 is 'Right Here', the second Top 10 placement for SWV in our 1993 Survivor. The original version of 'Right Here' was released in late-1992, peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles Chart. A remixed version, commonly referred to as 'Right Here/Human Nature' features a very prominent sample of Michael Jackson's 1983 hit 'Human Nature', and became a No. 1 R&B single spending a total of 54 weeks on the R&B chart. The 'Human Nature' remix of the song appears in the film Free Willy and features a young Pharrell Williams, whose line, "S... the double... the U... the V!" became a catchphrase of sorts for the group. Both versions of 'Right Here' had accompanying videos, with the latter and more famous featuring the group fishing and riding horses, and spliced with scenes from Free Willy and of Jackson performing 'Human Nature' on the 1992 Dangerous Tour.

And so we have reached our final three! Remember to cast your vote for who you want to win in my PM with the results announced in roughly 24 hours. May the best song win!

I Have Nothing - Whitney Houston

If - Janet Jackson

That's The Way Love Goes - Janet Jackson

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My apologies for the late announcement.

In third place we have...

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Writer(s): David Foster, Linda Thompson

Producer(s): David Foster

Label: Arista

Claiming third spot for 1993 is the voice, Whitney Houston. The incredible 'I Have Nothing' was the third single lifted from the soundtrack to Whitney's feature film debut, The Bodyguard, and shortly after release became one of three singles by Houston inside the Hot 100's Top 11 in the same chart week. The song peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100, bringing Whitney's total number of Top 5 hits to fourteen and spending 20 weeks on the chart. Whilst not the biggest hit from The Bodyguard, 'I Have Nothing' has certainly emerged as a signature tune of Whitney's over the course of her career, establishing itself as a talent show staple, having been covered on American Idol alone an astounding eight times. Elsewhere the song became a chart-topper in Canada, while reaching No. 3 in the UK and No. 28 in Australia.

Voted for by: Reyna

In second place we have...

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Writer(s): Janet Jackson, James Harris III, Terry Lewis, James Brown, Fred Wesley, Charles Bobbit, John Starks

Producer(s): Janet Jackson, Jam & Lewis

Label: Virgin

Touching down in second place for 1993 is megastar Janet Jackson with the R&B classic, 'That's The Way Love Goes'. Released as the lead single from Janet's (singular) self-titled album, 'That's The Way Love Goes' was an instant worldwide hit, rocketing to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in only its third week on the countdown where it went on to reign for two months. It remains the most successful Hot 100 single of not just Janet's career, but that of all in the Jackson family. Around the world the song also reached No. 1 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, as well as Top 5 in several more. As well as ruling charts, 'That's The Way Love Goes' was a resounding critical success. Rolling Stone described the song as, "a warm bed of soul sounds", while the L.A. Times said it was, "one of the most endearing pieces of romantic pop confection of the '90s." The song's memorable video featured Janet and friends casually enjoying themselves as they experienced 'That's The Way...' for the first time. The video is a key talking point among fans of Janet and R&B as it featured a pre-fame Jennifer Lopez who would later credit Janet as her inspiration to be a singer and performer. "I can (also) never forget the magnificent Janet Jackson as she is a big inspiration for all my dance and music videos." The song's legacy proves everlasting with its inclusion in countless "best of" and "greatest songs" compilations even today. Blender ranked it as one of their "500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born", while VH1 ranked it as one of the "Greatest Songs of the '90s" in 2012. British producer and 2014 Grammy nominee MNEK released a cover of the song in 2013, noting that, "Janet Jackson is just the queen, and it requires no debate. All rights go to Janet, Jam & Lewis and anyone else who was involved. Whoever else is probably irrelevant simply cos Janet Jackson and Jam & Lewis are just better than everything and everyone. That's all." Indeed.

Voted for by: Escapade, HollyHood, RedSimba

And taking the crown is...

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Writer(s): Janet Jackson, James Harris III, Terry Lewis, Harvey Fuqua, John Bristol, Jackey Beavers

Producer(s): Janet Jackson, Jam & Lewis

Label: Virgin

Victory for 1993 belongs again to the iconic Janet Jackson as 'If' comes in at number one. Following on from the groundbreaking 'That's The Way Love Goes', 'If' served as the second single from janet., and is infamous for its heavily and intricately choreographed music video. Another favourite among critics, Entertainment Weekly's account of 'If' exclaimed that the song, "takes Jackson into exciting new terrain, setting her voice against what sounds like a traffic jam in a city of cyborgs." Billboard noted the song's rock influence, while Idolator called it an, "industrial dance/sex epic." 'If' remains a favourite of music lovers for its innovation and blending of genres. Just last year Rakesh Satwell of New York Magazine praised 'If' for the song's futuristic qualities still being intact twenty years after its release, noting that, "Many contenders for best pop song of the past twenty years make glorious musical silk of the past — Outkast’s “Hey Ya!” comes most readily to my mind, but it applies to (Robin Thicke's) "Blurred Lines" as well — but it is an altogether more impressive feat to make a song that sounds as if it’s from the future." 'If' reached No. 3 in Canada, while peaking at No. 14 in the UK and No. 18 in Australia.

Voted for by: JoeJoe, Selz, Game, J. Weezy, TE

Thanks so much to all who played. I understand and apologise for the fact that this was such a bumpy series. I'll endeavour to be better at the next!

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You voted for Crackney Houston above if and TTWLG.. Janet's best songs.. :umm: you have a poor taste in music.. And you will deal with that assessment

Your dislike of Whitney doesn't mean that I can't vote for her songs regardless of who is competing. Even Janet. Nowhere have I ever said that I don't love those songs and while I wouldn't call them her best I do agree they are in the running. Also, your "assessment" of my taste in music doesn't mean a thing to me. The only thing my vote for Whitney means is that my taste is slightly different than yours. No more, no less. Have a good day, love.

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