Many people love Whitney Houston‘s song “Saving All My Love for You,” but they may not know about the 1985 hit song’s potential connection to Jermaine Jackson and the secret relationship they were reportedly having when the song was released.
Yes, you read that right. Houston’s song about a woman having an affair with a man who was married may have been inspired by a real-life affair she allegedly had with Jackson back in the 1980s. While the song was originally performed by the husband-and-wife duo Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. in 1978, it received new life thanks to Houston’s rendition seven years later.
At the time, Houston was rumored to be romantically involved with the “Let’s Get Serious” singer, although he was married to Hazel Gordy, daughter of Motown founder Berry Gordy. In her biography, “Whitney Houston 1963-2012: We Will Always Love You,” published months after her death, she confirmed that the song’s subject matter was relatable as she had previously been involved in a “terrible affair”—though she stopped shy of naming Jackson.
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“I was going through a terrible love affair. He was married, and that will never work out for anybody,” she said at the time.
To add even more fuel to the fire, Houston and Jackson spent a lot of time working together in the studio before the song came out, with Jackson serving as one of her producers. In the song’s music video, Houston portrays a fictional singer who falls in love with her very married producer, which then develops into a secret romantic affair.
(Fun fact: that producer was played by actor Ricco Ross, from Tyler Perry’s “Beauty in Black,” who resembled Jackson). Despite her hopes that he would leave his wife and family for her, the man ultimately returns home, leaving Houston’s character heartbroken and alone.
Although Houston didn’t name him, Jackson would later confirm their romantic connection in his own 2011 memoir, “You Are Not Alone: Michael Through a Brother’s Eye,” writing of his time working with Houston and spending time with her: “These were turning into duets between temptation and forbidden love […] I arrived on those days with butterflies, because the whole experience of being around Whitney was intoxicating […] it became increasingly hard to sing love songs with all that emotion and unspoken passion between us.”
What’s more, in 2012, a friend of Houston’s also opened up to The New York Post about their love, describing how Jackson would often get “smuggled” into her hotel room and how they’d often work late into the night together at the studio. Jermaine’s sister LaToya also appeared to confirm the affair during a 2012 appearance on “The Talk.”
