whitney houston do you hear what i hear?

Whitney Houston’s version of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” is a highly acclaimed Christmas recording originally released in 1987 for the charity compilation album A Very Special Christmas , and it remains one of her most celebrated holiday performances.

Song basics

• The song “Do You Hear What I Hear?” was written in 1962 by Noël Regney (lyrics) and Gloria Shayne Baker (music) as a plea for peace during the tense period of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

• It later became a Christmas standard, covered by many artists before Houston recorded her own rendition.

Whitney’s 1987 recording

• Whitney Houston recorded “Do You Hear What I Hear?” for the first A Very Special Christmas album in 1987, with proceeds supporting the Special Olympics.

• Her version is known for its powerful gospel-pop vocal delivery and for omitting the original first verse, starting instead with a later section of the lyric.

Releases and chart impact

• After its initial 1987 appearance on A Very Special Christmas , the track was later included on U.S. maxi-singles for her 1995 hit “Exhale (Shoop Shoop),” which helped reintroduce it to listeners in the mid‑1990s.

• Houston’s rendition went on to top Billboard ’s Gospel Digital Songs and Gospel Streaming Songs charts in the 2010s and again around 2020, giving her number-one entries on gospel charts across four and then five different decades.

Performances and legacy

• Commentary from producers and writers highlights how quickly and powerfully she recorded the song in the studio, emphasizing the strength and control of her voice even on a charity project.

• Fans and commentators often credit her 1987 recording and later televised performances, such as a 1990 appearance on The Tonight Show , with helping carry the song into the modern pop and R&B Christmas canon.

TL;DR: Whitney Houston’s “Do You Hear What I Hear?” is her 1987 charity recording of the 1962 peace-themed Christmas song, first released on A Very Special Christmas , later tied to her “Exhale” single, and now regarded as a powerhouse holiday classic with notable chart success decades after its release.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.