"Could I Have This Kiss Forever" is a mid-tempo duet performed by American singer Whitney Houston and Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias. It was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling. The song first appeared on Iglesias's debut English-language album Enrique (1999) as a slow Latin-styled ballad. A re-recorded and remixed version of the song was later included on Houston's first compilation album, Whitney: The Greatest Hits (2000) and served as its lead single.
The song received mixed critical reception, with praise for its sensual Latin-influenced production and vocal chemistry, while some criticized its sentimentality and Iglesias' vocal delivery. Commercially, "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" was a major international success, reaching number one in several European countries and the Eurochart Hot 100, while also attaining top-ten positions in numerous other markets and earning gold or platinum certifications in several countries.
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Background and release
"Could I Have This Kiss Forever" was written by Diane Warren and initially produced by David Foster for Iglesias' English-language debut album, Enrique (1999). The song was not originally conceived as a duet. According to Iglesias, he and Clive Davis discussed the song after Iglesias had heard and responded favorably to its demo. Davis subsequently suggested recording it as a duet with Whitney Houston: In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Iglesias recalled: "Clive Davis and I were talking about this song that I'd heard a demo of and loved. And he says, "Why don't you do it with Whitney?" So we did, and it turned out fantastic." Iglesias also noted that Davis had been supportive of the collaboration despite Iglesias not being signed to Davis' label, Arista Records.
Although the song became a duet, Houston and Iglesias initially recorded their vocals separately. Houston recorded her part in Hamburg, Germany, while Iglesias recorded his vocals in Los Angeles, California. This meant that the two singers did not meet during the recording of the original album version. They eventually met in the studio when the song was re-recorded and remixed by Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling from British production duo Metro for its subsequent single release. The new version adopted a more pronounced mid-tempo dance-pop arrangement and was released as the lead single from Houston's compilation album Whitney: The Greatest Hits in 2000.
Critical reception
Critical reception of "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" was mixed, with some critics praising its romantic atmosphere, Latin-influenced production, and the vocal interplay between Houston and Iglesias, while others criticized its sentimental tone and vocal performances. Billboard viewed the pairing of Houston, an established pop and R&B star, with Iglesias, then a rising Latin-pop artist, as initially unexpected but ultimately effective, praising the song's mid-tempo arrangement, Spanish guitar instrumentation, and sensual atmosphere. The magazine particularly noted Iglesias' relaxed and sensual delivery and Houston's restrained performance, which it felt suited the song's romantic character. Michael R. Smith of The Daily Vault similarly praised the duet, arguing that Houston's presence brought out a stronger vocal performance from Iglesias. Elysa Gardner of Vibedescribed the track as "sinuous" and "Latin-flavored", while also arguing that Houston ultimately overshadowed her duet partner.
Other reviews were considerably less favorable. J. D. Considine of The Baltimore Sun felt that Houston appeared to be competing with Iglesias vocally, while LA Weekly criticized Iglesias' delivery as lacking the intended sensuality. Christine Galera of The Orlando Sentinel regarded the duet as a conventional Iglesias-style single and was unimpressed by Houston's contribution. Jim Farber of the New York Daily News interpreted the song as a cynical attempt to capitalize on the Latin crossover trend that was prominent in mainstream pop music at the time. NME gave the song a particularly negative assessment, criticizing its Latin-tinged arrangement, sentimental lyrics, and romantic clichés, Digital Spy later singled it out as one of the weakest of Iglesias' collaborations. In 2012, however, "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" was placed first on Idolator's list of "Whitney Houston's 10 Best Songs That Radio Forgot" because "this slow-burning mid-tempo number brims over with a sexy vibe, thanks to the singer's duet partner Enrique Iglesias and an understated-but-effective remix by then-hot production team Metro."
Chart performance
Commercially, "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" was a major international success, particularly in Europe. The song reached number one in Croatia, the Netherlands and Switzerland, and topped the Eurochart Hot 100, giving Houston her fifth and final number-one single on the pan-European chart. It also hit the top ten in many other countries, and attained gold status in Australia, Germany, and Switzerland. In Finland, it peaked at number 17. In Iceland, it peaked at number two and also in Sweden, where the song spent 19 weeks on the chart. It was certified platinum by the Swedish Recording Industry Association. In Ireland, it peaked at number eight and spent seven weeks on the chart. In Austria, it peaked at number eight and spent 20 weeks on the chart. In Ireland, it debuted and peaked at number 8. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number seven, becoming Houston's 16th top-ten single, and had sold approximately 140,000 copies by 2012.
In North America, the song achieved more moderate chart success. It peaked at number 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it spent 19 cumulative weeks, while reaching number 10 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Singles chart and number 34 on the Mainstream Top 40, becoming Houston's 24th top-ten hit on the former. In Canada, it performed more strongly, reaching number eight on the singles chart and number two on the Adult Contemporary chart. "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" also received gold certifications in Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, New Zealand and Switzerland, in addition to its platinum certification in Sweden.
Music video
The video for "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" was directed by Francis Lawrence. Entertainment Tonight aired the world premiere of the video on June 22, 2000.
Krysten Ritter and a young Dania Ramirez appear as extras in the video. The video was successful upon its release, reaching heavy rotation on both MTV and VH1. It has accumulated 215 million views on YouTube.