Whitney Houston - "I’m Your Baby Tonight"

I had the full I'm Your Baby Tonight CD, with a version of 4:58, and my commercial 45 had 5:00 printed on the label, so I just assumed it was the LP version. And I didn't really give it another thought until I found a 4:12 edit on a TM Century CD. Still haven't played the 45, but I recreated the edit.

Here are instructions, based on timings from I'm Your Baby Tonight:

Keep 0:00.0-2:56.1 of the LP version.
The edit point falls between the words "Whatever you" and "want", where the syllables "ever you" all have three snare hits under them. I cut it at the bass drum that starts the word "want" and it sounded fine.
Remove the 32 beats from 2:56.1-3:13.5.
Keep the 67 beats from 3:13.5-3:50.0.
Edit at snare at 3:50; you should hear a whooshy sound effect disappear after the edit (and you'll never hear the song the same way again!)
Remove the 16 beats from 3:50.0-3:58.7.
Keep the 77 beats from 3:58.7-4:40.7. (The end of this portion should be on the word "want".)
Put a 32-beat fade from 4:23.2-4:40.7.

Your mixdown should run 4:14, with edits at 2:56.1 and 3:32.6, and a 32-beat fade from 3:57.1-4:14.5.

(FYI - The true fade on the TM edit version is a second or two quicker than what I described, but I'm a stickler for having fades that fit the measures of the song. 32 beats is aesthetically pleasing; 29 beats, not so much...)

Jim - Do you have the promo CD single info for this song?

the cassingle issued as arista 2108, states no version on the sleeve or cassingle itself, but was the full length cd/lp version running 4:58

Since elcoleccionista's question was never answered, I'm bumping this up. Although I can't supply the answer, the official "sonybmg" account on YouTube has posted a video for the song that most likely is the version mentioned. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFXJ9Vhvgfw

My stock copy has a listed time of 5:00. There was a promo 45, which had the 5:00 version on one side and a 4:15 (listed time) on the other.

my commercial 45 and cassingle issued as arista 2108 states a run time on the label as 5:00 but actually runs 4:58....

It's mentioned above that some import singles contain a remix of this song - though they don't mention if it's the main mix (like track 1) or an extended mix that comes after track 1. I just found something interesting. According to this video, a very different mix was the main mix used for Europe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H-jLOoz-YY

It actually comes from the official Whitney Houston page on YouTube (presumably her estate or record label) and not just some fan's page. And they label it the "European version (Official video)."

The visuals look pretty much the same (from memory) but the mix is very different. It doesn't even have the triplet-y feel that our (US) version has.

My question is - is the mix in this video one of the mixes on US promo singles? Where in the US does this "European version" exist on CD?

EternalStatic wrote: I have never seen either the long or short Turner UK/European mixes on commercial or promo CD in the US, but they are easily found secondhand on import CD singles for pretty cheap.

I imagine the Turner remix would also be on UK pressings of the full album as well. They would probably also be cheap nowadays, although the shipping might jack up the cost.

Both the US Edit on the promo CD Single and UK/European Mix run very close in length, so there could be some confusion as to which version is which (until you actually hear them, of course). I think the US Edit is just a straight edit of the US Album Version.

Edited by thecdguy

Scanner wrote: I bought the UK version of her 2000 "The Greatest Hits" since it had the original versions of the uptempo songs that the US edition did not feature. (Always wondered why Arista did that. The people most likely to buy a compilation are casual fans who want to hear the original versions of the songs!) Is the IYBT featured on this CD different than what was on the IYBT studio album? They sound the same to me.

I have the UK version of GH. I also bought it for the same reason you mentioned. I believe it was the Entertainment Weekly message boards at the time where I saw a few people (I assume from the UK) complaining that they used the US Versions of "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and "So Emotional" on the UK GH, so apparently the US Album Versions were used even though it's a UK Disc/Compilation. If I understand it correctly, the Yvonne Turner remix was issued in the UK on the studio album and commercial single. Here in the US, it was only on the 12" and Cassette Maxi-Singles.

The Greatest Hits compilations in both the US and UK fade "I Will Always Love You" a few seconds early as well.

Scanner wrote: Wow, I never knew there was a remixed version of this song that was the hit version outside the US. (This board both fascinates and flusters me sometimes simultaneously when I learn how many versions of a song exist that I have never been aware of for all these years!) I just listened to the Yvonne Turner remix on YouTube and it is not nearly as distinctive as the version I know best.

When dealing with 90's songs generally expect at least anywhere between 2-7 versions that could have been played. The promos were crazy those years, especially from 1991 on. UK edits and even remixes were the big thing. They had to push those promos somehow.

Hi Eric! The Discogs page for the UK Version of the IYBT CD lists the running time of the song as 4:09 (obviously way shorter than the 5 Minute version on the US CD) and among the credits for the song there is a specific notation that says, "Producer [Additional], Remix - Yvonne Turner". So I'd say it's a safe bet that the Turner remix is what's on the UK CD. The UK CD Singles may still be the only place where you could find the Extended Remix on CD, though (the same Yvonne Turner mix, only longer and running over 6 minutes).

I'm curious about what Arista did for the UK Version of her second album, "Whitney" and what version of "So Emotional" they used on it. I believe there's another thread here somewhere in which it was stated that the "Edited Remix" was the hit version in the UK, but that version runs somewhere around 4:30 and the Discogs listing for the UK CD has the song at 4:53, longer than even the US Album Version.