Fine (Whitney Houston song)

"Fine"

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"Fine" is a mid-tempo R&B tune, written and produced by Raphael Saadiq and Q-Tip. According to Billboard, it features "languid retro-funk guitars" and a "sneaky hook", brought to life by "richly layered harmonies".^[1] It was described by The Star-Ledger as having "a sleek lite-funk sound".^[2]

Billboard wrote that "Fine" is "perhaps her most convincing crack at urbanized pop music to date. [Houston] seems to have eased into the chilled soul that propels a street-wise track. She wisely does not give into the temptation to belt and wail her way through the song [...]. Instead, Houston works the more sultry lower register of her voice, saving the big, beautiful notes as a dramatic accent toward the end of the cut."^[1] LA Weekly in its review for Whitney: The Greatest Hits wrote that "Only on the stellar R&B track 'Fine' does Whitney stand out. [...] 'Fine' is soulful, funky and tight as hell. And the vocal performance ranks among Whitney's best."^[3] The Baltimore Sun wrote that of the new tracks on Whitney: The Greatest Hits, "only the sultry, soulful 'Fine' manages to convey any of the strengths that made Houston a star", and that, "hearing [Houston] work the tune's insistent, retro-funk groove, there's no doubting that she still has what it takes to make hits".^[4] CANOE reviewer Jane Stevenson felt that the song "falls flat".^[5] The Star-Ledger wrote that the song "grows tiresomely repetitious".^[2] According to New Nation the song takes Houston "to even greater heights, changing [her] vocals to a much lower tone, with an added hip-hop bassline".^[6] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch called it "a wonderful composition".^[7]

"Fine" appeared on the singles charts only in the United States, Sweden, and Canada.^[8][9][10] The song peaked at number 51 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.^[8] On the magazine's component Adult R&B Songs chart, it reached number 17.^[11] In Sweden, it debuted and peaked at number 50, but spent only one week on the chart.^[9] In Canada, it peaked at number 39 the week after it debuted and spent a total of four weeks on Nielsen SoundScan's Canadian Singles Chart.^[12]

The music video, directed by Kevin Bray, features Houston at a rooftop cocktail party. In the US, a DVD single was released. It includes the videos for "Fine" and the Houston-George Michael duet "If I Told You That", plus behind-the-scenes footage from the "Fine" video shoot. Houston's then-husband Bobby Brown also appears in the video.

• US CD promo single^[13]

1. "Fine" (radio mix) – 3:34
2. "Fine" (instrumental) – 3:34
3. "Fine" (call out hook) – 0:40

• Europe CD maxi single^[14]

1. "Fine" (album version) – 3:34
2. "Love to Infinity Megamix" (edit) – 5:17
3. "Heartbreak Hotel" (R.I.P. mix) – 3:40
4. "Love to Infinity Megamix" – 9:22

• Europe CD single^[15]

1. "Fine" (radio edit) – 3:34
2. "Same Script, Different Cast" (Jonathan Peters radio edit) – 4:20
3. "Same Script, Different Cast" (Friburn & Urik Cover Your Ears mix) – 10:49
4. "Fine" (instrumental) – 3:34

• Europe CD single card sleeve^[16]

1. "Fine" (album version) – 3:34
2. "Love to Infinity Megamix" (edit) – 5:17

• DVD single^[17]

1. "Fine" (video)
2. "If I Told You That" (video)
3. Behind-the-scenes footage of the "Fine" video shoot