"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. It was also included on Houston's first compilation album, Whitney: The Greatest Hits (2000). It achieved chart success in many countries, including Switzerland and the Netherlands, where it reached number one.

Background and release

Houston and Iglesias had never actually met in person, as both of them originally recorded the song in separate studios: Houston in Hamburg, Germany and Iglesias in Los Angeles, California. The two eventually met in the studio when the song was being re-recorded for single release by Metro, resulting in the new version being mid-tempo. The new version was released by Houston's label as the first US single (second UK single) from her greatest hits collection Whitney: The Greatest Hits (2000). For Iglesias, the song was the fourth single (third in the UK) from his album Enrique. It is also available on his Greatest Hits compilation released in 2008. "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. Clive was very nice about letting Whitney sing with me — I'm not even an Arista artist.", Iglesias explained.

Critical reception

In 2012, it was placed at number 1 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".

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. A young Dania Ramirez (LL Cool J’s Hush Music video) (Netflix Series Sweet Tooth) and Krysten Ritter appears as extras in the video.

Chart performance

The song was successful internationally, hitting number one in several countries worldwide, including the Netherlands and Switzerland. It also hit the top ten in many other countries, and attained Gold status in Australia, Germany, and Switzerland. It reached the top ten European chart. It reached number 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100. 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. As of 2012, the song had sold 140 000 copies in the United Kingdom.

Formats and track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history