In 1987, Whitney Houston was faced with the unenviable task of following up a self-titled debut album that spawned three Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles, topped the Billboard 200 for 14 weeks (on its way to eventual RIAA diamond certification) and turned her into a global superstar. Luckily for her, she was returning with a single that would bring her to even greater pop heights.
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” released as a single 30 years ago Tuesday (May 2), took the dance-pop giddiness of her first album’s signature smash, “How Will I Know,” and raised the stakes. The production (courtesy of Narada Michael Walden) is even more effervescent, the vocals stun with range, elasticity and precision, and it’s tied together with an all-timer of a chorus. The song quickly shot to No. 1 — the first of four consecutive Hot 100-toppers to be pulled from that June’s sophomore LP Whitney — and has arguably endured better today than any song from her world-conquering debut.
Here are 10 reasons why the song holds up three decades later, not only as one of Whitney’s best, but as one of the greatest pop songs of the ’80s, or any other era.
For the complete story, and the ten reasons why, visit Billboard.com/Columns/Pop.
