I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" is a 1987 song by American singer Whitney Houston and is the lead single from her second studio album Whitney (1987). It topped the single charts in a lot of countries.[1][2][3] It won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1988.[4][5] The single sold 14 million copies worldwide.
| "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Whitney Houston | ||||
| from the album Whitney | ||||
| B-side | "Moment of Truth" | |||
| Released | May 2, 1987 | |||
| Recorded | September 1986 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:51 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Narada Michael Walden | |||
| Whitney Houston singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" at YouTube | ||||
Background
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" was written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam, who wrote Houston's 1985 song "How Will I Know".[6] The duo sent a copy of the lyrics of this song to Arista Records, but they did not approve it, saying it was not right for Houston.[6]
Release
When the single came out, it received mixed reviews with many critics saying it sounded like Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".[7]
On July 28, 1987, the single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and re-certified Platinum. This made it Houston's first single to do this.[8]
Response
The single sold over 14 million copies worldwide.[9] After Houston's death, the single returned to the Billboard Hot 100 debuting at number 35 the same week "I Will Always Love You" re-entered at number 7, giving Houston two posthumous Top 40 hits.[10]
