“I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” is one of Whitney Houston’s biggest hits in her storied career. The George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam-penned track, which was released in 1987, topped charts, won a GRAMMY Award, and has since ranked high on lists of the best pop songs ever.
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Producer Narada Michael Walden told Billboard that it wasn’t just Houston’s incredible voice, the fun beat, or the catchy lyrics that made the song a smash.
“When we saw the video and how dazzling she was, just captivating the camera, that’s when we knew ‘She’s going No. 1 with this,’” he said. “It was just so powerful.”
While some artists tire of playing their biggest hits over and over again, Rickey Minor, Houston’s bandleader, told the outlet that that wasn’t the case for his friend.
“She had a particular love for this song because it really catapulted her to stardom,” he said. “It just opened up a whole new era of music.”
Take a look back at Houston’s three best performances of the iconic track.
Whitney Houston’s Performance on Top Of The Pops
The same year the song was released, Houston performed it live on several shows. Among those was the British music show, Top of the Pops. Houston’s performance on the series stood out thanks to the fact that she sang live instead of lip-syncing.
Surrounded by fog and wearing a simple look with little makeup, Houston’s performance was unforgettable thanks to her voice alone.
Whitney Houston Performs at the 30th Annual GRAMMY Awards
Houston headed into the 1988 ceremony with her songs up for three awards, a feat she clearly felt like celebrating when she opened the show.
Performing a can’t-miss rendition of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” Houston, wearing a yellow blouse, butterfly belt, and tight pants, immediately energized the crowd, setting the vibes for the event.
While Houston lost in the Song of the Year and Album of the Year categories, the track she performed took home the Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female award.
Arista Records’ 15th Anniversary Concert at Radio City Music Hall
In 1990, Houston played three songs at her label’s 15th anniversary concert—two covers and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me).” The performance of her song in particular was something no one present would ever forget.
In fact, former Arista label head Clive Davis told Billboard that Houston’s performance that night was “a unique demonstration of why [Whitney] was the greatest contemporary singer we have ever experienced in music.”
“It was the most affecting of any of them, the most exhilarating and awesome performance of that song,” he said. “She took Radio City by storm, the audience screamed for her, she was just raising the level higher than they could have ever imagined.”
Photo by Frederic REGLAIN/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
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