Songfacts®:

• A track from Whitney Houston's debut album, "Take Good Care of My Heart" is a duet with Jermaine Jackson, who also produced the track. At the time, Houston was an unknown artist and Jackson was a major player in the world of pop and R&B. The song is about a first love, with the singers falling hard for each other. It's the first time they've given their heart to another, so that person is also the one who can break it.
• This was written by the songwriters Peter McCann and Steve Dorff. McCann wrote the Jennifer Warnes hit "Right Time Of The Night"; Dorff's credits include Kenny Rogers' "Through The Years" and the Growing Pains theme song. In a Songfacts interview with Dorff, he said the song could have been a hit if it was given a chance. "We came very close to having that released as a single," said Dorff. "But for political reasons, or because of radio or record company promotion men, sometimes things do fall through the cracks."
• Jermaine Jackson teamed with Houston for another duet on the album, "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do," which also was not picked as a single. Jackson and Houston were close, and according to a report by the British tabloid The Sun, they started an affair around this time. Jackson was married at the time to Hazel Gordy, daughter of Motown head Berry Gordy.
• Also in 1984, Anne Murray released the song on her Heart Over Mind album.