song: How Will I Know
artist: Whitney Houston
album: Whitney Houston (1985)
writers: Boy Meets Girl (George Merrill & Shannon Rubicam), & producer Narada Michael Walden

vocal, lead: Whitney Houston
vocal, background: Emily “Cissy” Houston, Whitney Houston, & Mary Canty
electric guitars: Corrado Rustici
synthesizers + keyboards: Preston Glass / “Tiger Head” & Yvonne Lewis
bass (Minimoog): Randy “The King” Jackson
tenor saxophone: Premik Russell Tubbs

This is a complete transcription of the instruments listed, which includes all of the main parts (except drums). “How Will I Know” was the third single off Whitney Houston’s first album, and its music video in particular was a big hit on MTV during its period of transitioning to R&B and Pop music. The song was originally written for Janet Jackson, who turned it down, but it was picked up by producer Narada Michael Walden, who eventually rearranged the song into its known synth-pop style. I find it safe to say that this song was the musical blueprint for “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”, which became an even bigger hit two years later – scroll down to find my transcription of this song. Enjoy!