Whitney Houston is one of the rare artists whose list of hits spans decades. Among Houston’s many, many successful singles are these four songs, which are so good that I still want to dance to them today.
“So Emotional”
Out in 1987, “So Emotional” is on Whitney, Houston’s sophomore album. The song was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly.
Videos by American Songwriter
The uptempo tune says, “I get so emotional, baby / Every time I think of you / I get so emotional, baby / Ain’t it shocking what love can do?“
“So Emotional” became a No. 1 hit on Billboard‘s Hot 100 and Dance Club charts.
“How Will I Know”
“How Will I Know” is on Houston’s eponymous debut album. The song was written by George Merrill, Shannon Rubicam, and Narada Michael Walden. A massive hit for Houston, “How Will I Know” follows several powerful ballads, including “All At Once” and “Saving All My Love For You”.
The song says, “How will I know if he really loves me? / I say a prayer with every heartbeat / I fall in love whenever we meet / I’m asking you what you know about these things.”
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”
Of course, any list of danceable Houston songs has to include “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”. Written by Merrill and Rubicam, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” is also on Whitney.
A multi-platinum, two-week No. 1 hit for Houston, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” says, “Oh, I wanna dance with somebody / I wanna feel the heat with somebody / Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody / With somebody who loves me.”
Merrill and Rubicam later admitted they felt the pressure to follow the success of “How Will I Know”.
“We tried our best not to freak ourselves out because we had to follow [‘How Will I Know’] up, and that’s a little challenging because of all your self-doubts,” Rubicam tells Billboard. “We knew that she could deliver something large.”
“I’m Every Woman”
Out in 1993, “I’m Every Woman” is part of the soundtrack for the film The Bodyguard, starring Houston and Kevin Costner. The song, written by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson (known as Ashford & Simpson), was first recorded by Chaka Khan in 1978 as her debut single.
Interestingly, “I’m Every Woman” was on the charts at the same time as another of Houston’s songs from The Bodyguard, “I Will Always Love You“. Houston’s version of that Dolly Parton classic spent 14 weeks at the top of the charts.
Photo by Suzie Gibbons/Redferns
More The List
-
Photo of P.F. Sloan Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
UNSPECIFIED – JANUARY 01: Photo of GUESS The Who (Photo by Gems/Redferns) -
Willie Nelson at the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois, April 18, 1982. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images) -
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
Frankie Goes To Hollywood, performing in Washington during their US tour, 8th November 1984. (Photo by Mike Maloney/Mirrorpix/Getty Images) -
Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses in concert (Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage) -
Faith Hill (L) and Tim McGraw perform during the George Strait Music Festival at Oakland Coliseum on April 26, 1998 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images) -
Pink Floyd playing on the stage surrounded with a smoke and illuminated with a red stage lights during the concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland in June 1973, July, 1973. Image courtesy National Archives. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)