Whitney Houston Returns to No. 1 On Billboard’s Gospel Charts More Than a Decade After Her Passing
Written by b87fm on 12/11/2025
The power and legacy of Whitney Houston continue to defy time.
Thirteen years after her tragic death, Houston is once again ruling the Billboard Gospel Streaming Songs chart — this time holding both the No. 1 and No. 3 spots with two holiday classics that refuse to fade.
Houston’s soaring rendition of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” jumps from No. 3 to No. 1, marking its 54th week on the chart. Meanwhile, her joyful, full-throttle take on “Joy To The World” rockets from No. 11 to No. 3, proving that even in 2025, the world still can’t resist The Voice.
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CeCe Winans holds the No. 2 and No. 4 spots with “Come Jesus Come” and “Goodness of God,” and Kanye West’s “God Is” rounds out the top five — but there’s no mistaking who’s leading the season.
For a singer who already notched 11 Hot 100 No. 1s during her lifetime, Houston’s holiday dominance has become something of a yearly tradition. Her version of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” — originally recorded for the 1987 gospel compilation A Very Special Christmas — resurfaces each holiday season as a perennial favorite. The track also appeared as a B-side to her 1995 single “Exhale (Shoop Shoop).”
“Joy To The World” continues to evolve into its own posthumous hit. It appears on the 2023 gospel collection I Go to the Rock: The Gospel Music of Whitney Houston, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart, as well as on her holiday LP One Wish and the acclaimed soundtrack to The Preacher’s Wife — widely regarded as one of the greatest gospel soundtracks ever released.
With this latest chart surge, Whitney Houston has now reached No. 1 on a Billboard chart in five different decades — a feat only a handful of legends can claim.
The world may change, but The Voice of Whitney Houston remains eternal.
