1987 Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) (US:#1 UK#1)

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her second studio album, Whitney (1987). It was released as the album’s lead single on May 2, 1987 by Arista Records. It was produced by Narada Michael Walden, and written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam, of the band Boy Meets Girl, who had previously collaborated with Houston on “How Will I Know.”

“I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” received mixed reviews from music critics, who praised Houston’s vocal performance but critiqued its musical arrangement comparing it to “How Will I Know” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” Despite the mixed critical response, the song became a worldwide success, topping the charts in eighteen countries including Australia, Italy, Germany and the UK. In the US, it became Houston’s fourth consecutive chart topper and is certified 3x platinum with sales of over 3 million copies.[1] At the 30th Annual Grammy Awards, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” won for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, marking Houston’s second win in the category.

Album

Whitney is the second studio album by American R&B/pop singer Whitney Houston, released in the United States on June 2, 1987 by Arista Records as the follow-up to her best selling debut album, Whitney Houston. The album catapulted her to international fame. Whitney was certified 9× platinum by the RIAA on November 29, 1995. The […]

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Musicians

Bass (synthesizer)	Randy Jackson
Drums	Narada Michael Walden
Guitar	Corrado Rustici
Synthesizer	Sterling Smith
Synthesizer	Walter Afanasieff
Percussion	Greg Gonaway
Background Vocals	Jennifer Hall
Background Vocals	Jim Gilstrap
Background Vocals	Kevin Dorsey
Background Vocals	Kitty Beethoven
Background Vocals	Myrna Matthews
Vocals	Whitney Houston

Produced By

Narada Michael Walden

Songwriters

George Merrill
Shannon Rubicam

Charts

US:#1
UK:#1