Summary

• Houston shines as both star and singer in The Bodyguard, with her powerful vocals elevating the soundtrack.
• The album sold over 45 million copies worldwide, certified 17x Platinum, and won Grammy's Album of the Year.
• Costner's suggestion led to Houston's iconic cover of "I Will Always Love You" in the film, a standout moment.

Whitney Houston pulls double duty in The Bodyguard as both the starring character and performer on the award-winning album. The Bodyguard stars Kevin Costner as the titular bodyguard, Frank Farmer, who is assigned to protect Rachel Marron (Whitney Houston in her acting debut). The film ended up earning $411 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo) and Houston was roundly celebrated for her unexpected turn as a movie lead. It wasn't even supposed to be Houston in the role, as Steve McQueen and Diana Ross were originally cast when Lawrence Kasdan wrote the script in the '70s.

But it's a good thing Houston was cast because the movie's hit soundtrack is one of the best of the 1990s. Houston's participation on The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album has elevated the movie's music past the film itself. The album ended up selling 1 million copies in its first week and has since sold more than 45 million copies worldwide (via Ebony). It's certified 17x Platinum by the RIAA and the album won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and two songs on the album were nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards.

When Every Whitney Houston Song On The Bodyguard Soundtrack Plays In The Movie

Houston Sings Six Songs On The Bodyguard: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

"I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston - Rachel performs this song on stage at the end of The Bodyguard as the film shows scenes of Rachel running off the plane to kiss Frank. It then continues as Frank is shown keeping an eye on another client and Reverend Hardy (Donald Hotton) fiddling with a cross-shaped necklace similar to the one he gave Rachel earlier in the film. Kevin Costner is partially to thank for "I Will Always Love You", being the one to suggest Dolly Parton's original song to Houston to cover in the film.

"I Will Always Love You" is also heard playing over the speakers at a restaurant when Rachel and Frank begin dancing together. This version is sung by John Doe and does not appear on the soundtrack.

"I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston - Rachel sings "I Have Nothing" on stage after Frank breaks off their affair. The scene leads into Rachel flirting with Greg (Tomas Arana) to make Frank angry.

"I Have Nothing" and "Run to You" were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to "A Whole New World" from Aladdin, by Alan Menken.

"I'm Every Woman" by Whitney Houston - "I'm Every Woman" is sung by Rachel at the beginning of the film while she's performing on stage before Frank agrees to be her bodyguard.

"Run to You" by Whitney Houston - While staying at Rachel's mansion, Frank sees a music video of Rachel performing "Run to You", one of the reasons he eventually falls in love with her.

"Queen of the Night" by Whitney Houston - Rachel performs "Queen of the Night" towards the beginning of the film, during the concert where she's wearing an Egyptian pharaoh's outfit. A riot breaks out and Frank rescues Rachel, leading to the famous image of Costner carrying Rachel through the crowd.

"Jesus Loves Me" by Whitney Houston - Rachel and her older sister Nicki Marron (Michele Lamar Richards) perform "Jesus Loves Me" together outside of Frank's father's cabin. It's reprised during the funeral scene for Nicki. The first six songs on The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album are sung by Houston.

Every Other Song In The Bodyguard Soundtrack

A Handful Of Notable Performers Also Appear On The Soundtrack

Whitney Houston Hoston performs nearly half of the songs on The Bodyguard soundtrack, but the album includes seven more songs by some notable performers. In its original LP and cassette format, the first side of the soundtrack is Houston songs, while the second consists of various artists. The German Special Edition of the soundtrack includes two bonus tracks: "I'm Every Woman" (Clivillés & Cole House Mix) and "Queen of the Night" (CJ's Master Mix).

Where To Listen To The Bodyguard Soundtrack

The Soundtrack Is Available On Most Music Streaming Services

The Bodyguard: Original Movie Soundtrack is available on most music streaming platforms, including Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, and Apple Music. Physical copies of The Bodyguard: Original Movie Soundtrack are also available on Amazon, as a CD, vinyl, and cassette. Each song on The Bodyguard soundtrack can also be streamed individually on each of the platforms that has the album available.