"How Will I Know" is a song recorded by American recording artist Whitney Houston for her debut album, titled Whitney Houston, which was released in February 1985. Composed by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam, the song was originally intended for Janet Jackson, but she passed on it. Houston then recorded the song with altered lyrics and production from Narada Michael Walden. An up-tempo dance song, the lyrics speak about the protagonist trying to discern if a boy she likes will ever like her back. "How Will I Know" received mainly positive reviews. The song became Houston's second number one single on the United States Billboard Hot 100. The song's music video features scenes of Houston dancing in a setting of video screens and colored partitions. The music video gave Houston exposure to the teens and MTV, a feat which black artists had traditionally found tough to achieve.