Didn't We Almost Have It All

• Released : August 1987
• Tracks: I Wanna Dance Acapella, Shock Me, For The Love Of You

• Worldwide sales : 1,000,000
• Peak Position : US No. 1, UK No. 14

• Song Info : "Didn't We Almost Have It All" has lush symphonic background and amazing, over-the-top vocals that only a singer like Whitney could provide. The song starts out with a haunting keyboard melody played by the ubiquituous session musician Robbie Buchanan. The keyboard melody is repeated throughtout the song as the thick string background swells. Despite the loudness and thickness of the backing instrumental track, Whitney amazingly breaks through it as no other singer (besides Celine Dion) could possibly accomplish.

  This song was written by Michael Masser, who first gained success writing and producing for Diana Ross at Motown under the direction of Berry Gordy. At Motown, Masser wrote such songs as "It's My Turn", "Do You Know Where You're Going To", and "Touch Me in the Morning." Michael Masser has also written several songs for Teddy Pendergrass, Jeffrey Osborne, Natalie Cole, Dionne Warwick, and his pen has also managed to touch Judy Collins "Home Again", Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow.

  Michael Masser will often recycle songs he has written when producing for different artists, for example, he wrote Whitney's hit "The Greatest Love of All", a song he originally wrote for George Benson. However, to my knowledge, no other singer has covered "Didn't We Almost Have It All." The mushy lyrics to "Didn't We Almost Have It All" were written by Will Jennings, who has - surprise - collarborated with shlockmeister Barry Manilow, as well as Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton "Tears in Heaven" and Celine Dion for the Titanic song "My Heart Will Go On". To my knowledge, this is the only song Masser wrote with Jennings, for usually Gerry Goffin (Carole King's ex-husband) would write the lyrics to Masser's songs.

  If you liked the production on this song, while there is no official website for Michael Masser, there is one for Robbie Buchanan www.robbiebuchanan.com which has a list of songs he has played on.

  If you like Whitney's voice, try Oleta Adams, Regina Belle, and Dionne Warwick (her cousin, NOT her aunt as many people think). Also try Peabo Bryson and Carl Anderson.

  Other songs I would recommend, if you like over-dramatic ones :)
  "License to Kill" Gladys Knight
  "Color of the Night" Lauren Christy
  "You're Not From Here" Lara Fabian
  "All by Myself" Celine Dion

  songs written by Michael Masser:
  "Someone I Used To Love" performed by both Natalie Cole and Barbra Streisand
  "Miss You Like Crazy" Natalie Cole
  "Now We're Starting Over Again" performed by Natalie Cole and Dionne Warwick
  "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" performed by Glenn Medeiros and George Benson
  

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