Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an Ameri… Read Full Bio ↴Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "the Voice," she is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of music. Houston is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 220 million records sold worldwide. She influenced many singers in the recording industry and was known for her powerful, soulful vocals, vocal improvisation skills, use of gospel singing techniques in pop music, and live performances. Houston had 11 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and is the only artist to have seven consecutive number-one singles on the chart. Her accolades include eight Grammy Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, two Emmy Awards, and 30 Guinness World Records. Houston's inductions include the Grammy Hall of Fame (twice), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, the New Jersey Hall of Fame, and the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.

Houston began singing at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, as a child and became a background vocalist while in high school. She was one of the first black women to appear on the cover of Seventeen after becoming a teen model in 1981. With the guidance of Arista Records chairman Clive Davis, Houston signed to the label at age 19. Her first two studio albums, Whitney Houston (1985) and Whitney (1987), both peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and are among the best-selling albums of all time. Hit singles from the albums, including "How Will I Know", "Greatest Love of All" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", established her as a catalyst in the acceptance of black female artists on MTV. Her third studio album, I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990), yielded two Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, the title track and "All the Man That I Need". Houston's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV in 1991 received widespread media coverage.

Houston made her acting debut with the romantic thriller film The Bodyguard (1992), which despite its mixed reviews became the tenth highest-grossing film to that date. Its soundtrack won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and remains the bestselling soundtrack album of all time. It generated multiple hit singles, including "I Have Nothing", "I'm Every Woman" and "I Will Always Love You"; the latter won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, spent a then-record 14 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and became the best-selling single by a woman in music history. Subsequently, she went on to star in the films Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996), and she recorded their respective soundtracks; the former scored her last Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)", while the latter, produced by Houston herself, became the bestselling gospel album of all time. As a film producer, she produced multicultural movies and series such as Cinderella (1997) and The Princess Diaries and The Cheetah Girls.

Houston's first studio album in eight years, My Love Is Your Love (1998), spawned several hit singles, including the title track, "Heartbreak Hotel", "It's Not Right but It's Okay" and the Academy Award-winning Mariah Carey duet "When You Believe". Following the success, she renewed her contract with Arista for $100 million in 2001, one of the biggest recording deals of all time. However, her personal problems began to overshadow her career. Her 2002 studio album, Just Whitney, received mixed reviews, while her drug use and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown received widespread media coverage. After divorcing Brown, Houston returned to the top of the Billboard 200 chart with her final studio album, I Look to You (2009). In February 2012, Houston accidentally drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, with heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors. News of her death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards, which took place the day following her death, and was covered internationally. Her life and career were dramatized in the 2022 biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Her assets amounted to $250 million, earned over a 25-year career.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Houston

Discography
Whitney Houston (1985)
Whitney (1987)
I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990)
My Love Is Your Love (1998)
Just Whitney (2002)
One Wish: The Holiday Album (2003)
I Look to You (2009)

I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Whitney Houston Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Clock strikes upon the hour
And the sun begins to fade
Still enough time to figure out
How to chase my blues away

I've done alright up 'til now
It's the light of day that shows me how
And when the night falls

The loneliness calls

Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody (dance)
With somebody who loves me
Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me

I've been in love and lost to my senses
Spinnin' through the town
Sooner or later, the fever ends
And I wind up feelin' down

I need a man who'll take a chance
On a love that burns hot enough to last
So when the night falls
My lonely heart calls

Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody (dance)
With somebody who loves me
Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me

(Somebody who, somebody who)
Somebody who loves me, yeah
(Somebody who, somebody who)
To hold me in his arms, oh

I need a man who'll take a chance
On a love that burns hot enough to last
So when the night falls
My lonely heart calls (oh)

Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody (dance)
With somebody who loves me
Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me

Ooh, ooh (dance)
Come on, baby (dance)
Woo, yeah (dance)
Now get with this, whoa (dance)
Don't you wanna dance (dance) with me, baby?
Don't you wanna dance (dance) with me, boy?
Hey, don't you wanna dance (dance) with me, baby?
With somebody who loves me
Don't you wanna dance? Say you wanna dance
Don't you wanna dance?
Don't you wanna dance? Say you wanna dance
Don't you wanna dance?
Don't you wanna dance? Say you wanna dance
Uh-huh
With somebody who loves me
Ooh
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh

Hey, baby
Don't you wanna love me? Don't you wanna love me?

Overall Meaning

The "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" is a song performed by Whitney Houston that was released on May 2, 1987, as the lead single from her second studio album called "Whitney." The song was written by George Merrill (background vocals) and Shannon Rubicam (keyboards) from the synth-pop duo Boy Meets Girl, while Narada Michael Walden produced the song. The lyrics describe a woman who is searching for a partner to enjoy spending time with while dancing, showing the desire of the human heart to connect socially.

The song starts by describing the end of the daylight hours, also known as the golden hour. The singer concludes that there is still an opportunity in the remaining time to celebrate life by dancing, leaving behind the heartaches and sadness of the past. She mentions that she has coped quite well with her feelings until she's alone again, and the nighttime brings about loneliness, leading her to yearn for the company of a loved one. The singer expresses a burning desire to avoid feeling lonely and instead finds someone who loves her enough to take chances on a passionate romance that lasts through the hours of the night.

The song describes the universal human desire for companionship, love, and fun. Whitney Houston's powerful voice and the memorable musical arrangement have made the song an iconic track that represents the pop culture of the 80s. The lyrics' themes, the upbeat music, and the excellent performance by Whitney Houston made "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" reach the #1 spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, the UK Singles Chart, and several other charts worldwide.

Line by Line Meaning

Clock strikes upon the hour
The clock strikes at the beginning of each hour.

And the sun begins to fade
As the clock strikes, the sun starts to set.

Still enough time to figure out
Before it gets too late, there is still time to make decisions.

How to chase my blues away
To find a way to overcome sadness or depression.

I've done alright up 'til now
I have managed to get by until this point.

It's the light of day that shows me how
During the day, I can see things more clearly.

And when the night falls
When it becomes dark outside.

The loneliness calls
Feelings of isolation become stronger at night.

Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I want to find someone to share joy and happiness with.

I wanna feel the heat with somebody
I want to experience excitement and passion with someone.

Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody (dance)
I want to dance with someone who loves and cares for me.

With somebody who loves me
I want to form a meaningful and loving relationship with someone.

I've been in love and lost to my senses
I have experienced love and the feeling of losing control.

Spinnin' through the town
Navigating through life in a head-spinning and chaotic manner.

Sooner or later, the fever ends
Eventually, the intensity of passion and excitement fades.

And I wind up feelin' down
I end up feeling sad and alone.

I need a man who'll take a chance
I need a partner who is willing to take a risk on love.

On a love that burns hot enough to last
A passionate, intense love that will endure over time.

My lonely heart calls
My heart aches and longs for love and companionship.

Come on, baby (dance)
Inviting a potential partner to dance with me.

Woo, yeah (dance)
Expressing joy and excitement at the prospect of dancing.

Don't you wanna dance (dance) with me, baby?
Asking a potential partner to dance with me.

Don't you wanna dance (dance) with me, boy?
Questioning a potential partner's desire to dance with me.

Hey, don't you wanna dance (dance) with me, baby?
Making another attempt to convince a potential partner to dance with me.

Don't you wanna dance? Say you wanna dance
Asking a potential partner to confirm their desire to dance with me.

Uh-huh
Affirming agreement with the potential partner's desire to dance with me.

Hey, baby
Addressing the potential partner affectionately.

Don't you wanna love me? Don't you wanna love me?
Expressing a desire to find someone to love and be loved by.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: George Robert Merrill, Shannon Rubicam

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Ellen Serre

3y↑2

Huh, yeah, woo
Hey yeah, huh
Ooh yeah, uh huh, yeah
I wanna dance
Clock strikes upon the hour
And the sun begins to fade
Still enough time to figure out
How to chase my blues away
I've done alright up 'til now
It's the light of day that shows me how
And when the night falls
Loneliness calls
Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me
Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me
I've been in love and lost my senses
Spinning through the town
Sooner or later the fever ends
And I wind up feeling down
I need a man who'll take a chance
On a love that burns hot enough to last
So when the night falls
My lonely heart calls
Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me
Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me