I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)

"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston, the leading single from her second studio album, Whitney. The song was aimed to bring Houston a more accessible pop sound after having hits with ballads on her debut album in response to her contemporaries. It was written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam, of the band Boy Meets Girl, the songwriters of Houston's previous hit, "How Will I Know", and produced by Narada Michael Walden. The song's lyrics depict a woman seeking a special person to "dance in the life with" forever. Houston contributed uncredited lyrics while also receiving credit for being the song's vocal arranger.

Released in May 1987, it received initial 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". The song became a global hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her fourth consecutive number one single and staying there for two weeks.^[5] It also topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and became her first number one single on its Dance/Disco Club Play chart, while also crossing over successfully on the Hot Black Singles chart. It is certified 8x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song was a worldwide hit, reaching number one in 17 other countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. With sales of over 18 million units worldwide, it is one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Both the song and its colorful music video helped to cement Houston as a global icon and has since been cited as one of her signature songs, while also helping to make the Whitney album one of the best-selling albums of all time. In 2022, the song's title would be used as part of the title in the biopic of the singer's life.

"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" won Houston the 1988 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, as well as an American Music Award, while producer Walden won the 1988 Grammy for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. The song has since received reappraisal from critics who have now stated that the song is among one of the greatest songs ever recorded, making several best-of lists, including Rolling Stone, who ranked it among their list of the greatest songs of all time in its 2021 entry, and was named the best pop song of all time by Billboard in 2023.^[6] In addition, American Songwriter named the song the most iconic song to come out of the 1980s in 2023, while Screen Rant listed it at number 7 in its 1980s list, the same website ranked the song as the most defining pop song of all time in another list, both in 2025.