"How Will I Know" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her self-titled debut studio album.

Written and composed by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam, it was originally intended for pop singer Janet Jackson, who passed on it.

Initially, husband-and-wife songwriters George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam had written the song's demo in 1984 for pop singer Janet Jackson, who was managed by A&M Records executive John McClain.

In an interview with Fred Bronson, Merrill expressed his feelings after learning of Jackson's decision: "We were pretty upset because we thought it was perfect for her at the time.

Griffith, who was then compiling material for Houston's debut album, felt the song perfectly matched her musical style.

"[1] After receiving permission from Merrill to use the song, Griffith quickly turned to Narada Michael Walden, who at the time was producing material for Aretha Franklin's album Who's Zoomin' Who?.

He was not very impressed with the demo and requested permission to change some of the lyrics and chord progression, inducing Merrill and Rubicam to deny him the right to their song.

[1] After a lot of back-and-forth with Griffith, they compromised and allowed Walden to de-construct the song and change the key and tempo.

The background sounded incredible ... Clive Davis heard the mix and immediately gave it a 10, which is outrageous for him, because he doesn't like anything!

[8] Don Shewey of Rolling Stone commented "Although it's awfully reminiscent of the Pointer Sisters' 'He's So Shy', 'How Will I Know' is still irresistibly danceable.

"[9] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote "...what really impresses some 20-plus years on are the lighter tracks, particularly the breakthrough single 'How Will I Know'.

"[10] While reviewing The Ultimate Collection, Nick Levine of Digital Spy added, "Houston's floor-fillers have aged a little more gracefully, although their clunky, thudding drum sounds are as unmistakably Eighties as Joan Collins' Dynasty wardrobe.

"[11] Dave Rimmer of Smash Hits considered that "this dreary bit of disco isn't anywhere near as good" as "Saving All My Love for You," adding that it "sounds positively snoozeworthy, in fact.

[15] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the single Gold on December 6, 1985, for shipments of 500,000 copies or more, and later Double Platinum, for an equivalent sales of 2,000,000 units.

[27] The accompanying music video for "How Will I Know", directed by British director Brian Grant and choreographed by Arlene Phillips,[28] was filmed prior to the release of the single and album.

[29] She is also seen underlined by a form-fitting silver dress made of metal mesh, reaching almost to her knees, adorned with matching fingerless gloves.

[30] Houston's labelmate and family friend Aretha Franklin also makes a black-and-white cameo appearance in the otherwise colorful music video.

[30] In 2011, Kyle Anderson of MTV wrote that it was "eye-opening to watch her cut loose in a fun environment," since her past songs were ballads.

She also performed the song on Welcome Home Heroes, a concert dedicated to the U.S. troops, their families, and military and government dignitaries in honor of those returning from the Gulf War, which aired on HBO on March 31, 1991.

British singer Sam Smith released a cover of "How Will I Know" in June 2014, taking a slower tempo[90] and a snippet of that version was used in an episode of Grey's Anatomy.

In January 2004, British dance group LMC released the song "Take Me to the Clouds Above", which interpolates the first four lines of "How Will I Know" over a sample of "With or Without You" by Irish rock band U2.