Readers of That Grape Juice know what avid music lovers we are – especially of hits past.
So, as our retrospective features ‘From the Vault’ and ‘TGJ Replay’ allow us the chance to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday of one artist, our newest feature Chart Rewind – a variation of our current Retro Rewind assay – accedes salutes to an entire era of music history.
This week we’ll reflect on the hits found aboard the ‘Waiting To Exhale’ soundtrack [click here to read our ode to the full album]. A diva-filled, star-studded affair featuring the likes of the film’s star Whitney Houston, Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle, and many more, the set – completely comprised of tunes written by Babyface (barring ‘My Funny Valentine’) – is easily one of the most successful soundtracks of all time. That point was driven home by the Hot 100 successes of its singles.
As if spawning two #1 singles wasn’t enough (courtesy of Houston’s ‘Exhale (Shoop Shoop)’ and Braxton’s ‘Let It Flow’), the album also boasted two top 5 singles (Blige’s ‘Not Gon’ Cry’ and Brandy’s ‘Sittin Up In My Room’) and the top 10 hit ‘Count On Me’ (Houston & gospel legend Cece Winans). Three of the aforementioned occupied the top 10 concurrently, as seen below on the Hot 100 snapshot from this week in 1996.
Proof of the soundtrack’s enduring success some months after its release, ‘Waiting To Exhale’ would go on to sell 12 million albums worldwide and nab 11 nominations (including ‘Album of the Year’) at the 1997 Grammy Awards. Look inside to relive it all.
Hot 100 This Week in 1996
Hot 100 This Week
Such a BRILLIANT soundtrack in every aspect of the word and music. I wish there were more movies and soundtracks like this today.
The ONE problem with this soundtrack is that Babyface didn’t tap MARIAH CAREY to add one of her brilliant 1990 classic ballads to this soundtrack; it would have been one of the album’s top singles I’m sure. Perhaps Babyface didn’t’ want to give up any writing credits to the MC, as everyone knows she writes all her music herself. Although Melt Away was a great collabo between MC and Babyface during this era.
Or Mariah’s sugar daddy Tommy didn’t allow her to join.
Tommy loved Babyface and had/has great respect for him. Mariah wasn’t just asked period.
Whitney gave Babyface a list of people she didn’t want on that soundtrack. He has hinted that Mariah was one of them and understandably so.
Maybe he didn’t think she was black enough
My favorite was the TLC song, that song would’ve smashed if it was released as single
It was just a radio single only, and the group was in litigation with Laface and Arista at the time.
Agree with you. That TLC Song “ This is how it works” would have been huge. Top 10
Wow just look at that Top 25, it was perfect almost from beginning to end, so many good songs…..@JOHNVIDAL I know you will comment on this post, TGJ just exposed Jasmine, she was the one impersonating all of us ?
S****** I did not impersonate you or JOHNVIDAL. That was you or TGJ staff who did that. I have proof too. I also believe you are behind that vile “Latina chick” account. You both use the same verbiage and emojies so the proof is very obvious. You are indeed a racist bully and you have hatred in your heart against black women. I will not tolerate your lies or bullying.
@S****** feces..You tried it you racist clown , because you’re the one who’s doing the impersonating.
Great soundtrack! Btw……….we all know Mariah writes just as much as Beyonce and Rihanna. Funny the things we choose to believe.
Tried it!!!
This is my childhood right here! This chart is everything! I remember coming home from school and hearing my mother play this soundtrack on cassette tape for the first time. First I heard Whitney, then Toni, then Aretha but I was sold when I heard Brandy. My mother kept playing Mary’s song over and over and it was decided in that moment that we were all gonna have to go see the movie lol. This had to be the best r&b album of the 90’s.
I loved how Bran’s song comes on during the party scene to liven things up in the movie! While there we’re so many heavy ballads on the soundtrack, you can always count on Brandy to add a little spunk to things! The music was so flawless! Every mood was captured wonderfully on that soundtrack!
I agree 100%
This will always be a very special album for me, it was the first I ever owned! … well, along with Janet’s DOAD album (which was gifted to me by an aunt for Christmas on the same day)! I treasured my WTE soundtrack! “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”, “Why Does it Hurt so Bad”, “Sittin’ Up in my Room”, “Not Gon’ Cry”, “Let it Flow”, “Wey U”, “Kissing You”, “This is how it works” — it was all magic! Just a truly superb soundtrack!
I got my first albums that year too except mine were Brandy’s and R. Kelly’s albums. Until then, I didn’t even realize artists made whole albums. I thought they only made singles one at a time lol.
Seems like that’s what they’re doing now.
Nice! Now that I think about it, I’m almost certain Brandy’s debut was the next thing I got my hands on that year after my first two! Toni, Aaliyah and Usher followed shortly afterwards! I actually remember getting that same R. Kelly album too (but it was the only one I ever got from him)! I loved “You Remind me of something”!
My first albums on CD were TLC Crazy S*** Cool and Toni Braxton Secrets. My next 2 were Aaliyah’s One In A Million and Quincy Jones’s Q Jook Joint. I wore those CD’s out lol.
BAck when soundtracks were lit!!! This and the soul food soundtrack ??
Can we get a soundtrack like this with the new girls of rb
That would be a dope ass album. Might as well get a movie going too