Throwback Thursday: Aaliyah – “The One I Gave My Heart To”
When she’s not being shady on Twitter, Diane Warren can write a hell of a song.
Ms. Warren wrote “The One I Gave My Heart To,” the fifth and final single from Aaliyah’s sophomore set, One in a Million. She sought out the then-17-year-old singer, reaching out to an exec at Atlantic Records to make the collaboration happen. Her intent was to showcase a side of Aaliyah that audiences were not used to seeing, and that she did.
“The One I Gave My Heart To” is a lavish, ‘90s-style power ballad, and its heartfelt lyrics are peak Diane Warren. Babyface was initially tapped to handle production, but he ended up having to abandon the project. He recruited Daryl Simmons and Guy Roche in his place.
The song was sharp departure from the R. Kelly productions of Aaliyah’s debut album, and the Missy Elliott and Timbaland productions of her sophomore album. We got to experience Aaliyah in her Whitney & Mariah bag, and she showed that she was a very capable vocalist even though she generally showed restraint.
Many describe “The One I Gave My Heart To” as Aaliyah’s finest vocal performance, but that isn’t quite true. However, it was the biggest hit from One in a Million, peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Today marks 21 years since we lost Aaliyah, so in her honor, let us enjoy this spectacular song from a star we lost far too soon.
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