With people celebrating The Bodyguard's 30th anniversary, fans of the movie find themselves fully reliving the 90s as they listen to the movie’s music. The Bodyguard soundtrack is the highest-selling movie soundtrack of all time and has a slew of hits that people can recite lyrics from still to this day. Even though there are several tracks that populated the charts, "I Will Always Love" has long been celebrated as the best song from the project.
We won’t pretend that the Dolly Parton-penned number is not a great one. After all, it spent 14 weeks at the top of the Billboard charts, won two Grammys and earned spot 94 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Best Songs of All Time list. However, even with the song’s many accolades, a lot of fans of the soundtrack don’t declare it the best. (In fact, speaking to several moviegoers at the theater prior to an anniversary screening, not one person when asked said "I Will Always Love You" was their favorite.)
Taking all of this into consideration, we decided to make a case for other songs that could be considered better than "I Will Always Love You" and possibly the best from The Bodyguard.
Here’s what we come up with.
I’m Every Woman
"I’m Every Woman" may have originally been recorded by legendary singer Chaka Khan, but when Houston released her version for the soundtrack, the song took on a brand-new identity. Her effortless runs, her unmatched clarity and the extra layer of "funk" that was added to the up-tempo song made it a dance hit in the 90s and continues to be an anthem for women around the world.
By the way, did you notice that super girls group TLC is featured in the music video?
I Have Nothing
Like "I Will Always Love You," "I Have Nothing" is also a ballad. The song was a top 10 Billboard hit and once again saw Houston flexing the incomparable range of her vocal talent. Additionally, the track earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. It was so uniquely performed by Houston that we’ve yet to see any musician be able to release a subsequent iteration of the song reach anywhere near her heights of success.
Run to You
"Run to You" is another Oscar-nominated song from The Bodyguard ("I Will Always Love You" wasn't eligible as it wasn't written specifically for the movie) and is a particular favorite among fans (myself included) because Houston’s powerful vocals are paired with the soft melody, making for quite the soothing track. There is also something quite ethereal about the video. The visuals for the song are quite popular among YouTubers, as the video on the Whitney Houston account has been viewed roughly 202 million times.
Queen of the Night
"Queen of the Night" is the perfect blend of R&B, rock and pop. The opening rift of the song immediately sends a pulse down listeners’ spines that make them want to dance. It’s a track that again takes Houston out of the realm of ballads and sees her almost take on another persona. In fact, this track is arguably the only one from the album where those that have seen The Bodyguard may think they are getting a little of Houston’s character Rachel Marron instead of the real-life singer.
The Bodyguard is now streaming on Netflix and the Whitney Houston-inspired biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody debuts in theaters this December.
