FEATURE:
Groovelines
Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)
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THERE are a couple of reasons why…
I want to include Whitney Houston’s I Want to Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) in Groovelines. For one, there is a planned biopic that has the same title (albeit without the parentheses included). Also, it comes from an album that is very underrated. Her Whitney album arrives on 2nd June, 1987, and it features huge hits like I Want to Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me), and So Emotional. Not only does one hear Houston’s full emotional and vocal range through the album; I also think that the non-singles are very strong and get overlooked. Whitney is one of those great albums that deserves more love. I think I Want to Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) is one of the standout tracks of the 1980s. The track was a huge success, topping the charts in thirteen countries including Australia, Italy, Germany and the U.K. In the U.S., it became her fourth consecutive number-one single and sold over one million copies - making it her first Platinum single in the U.S. and her biggest hit in that country at the time. The single was released on 2nd May 1987. I don’t think that it has aged at all. It still sound so compelling and uplifting. I will round off by looking ahead to the biopic and Houston’s legacy. I wanted to bring in some information regarding the success and popularity of one of Whitney Houston’s greatest tracks:
“"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" was released as the first single from Houston's second studio album at the beginning of May 1987. It entered the Billboard Hot 100, the issue dated May 16, 1987, at number 38, her highest debut in the 1980s. Six weeks later, it reached the top spot of the chart, making it Houston's fourth number-one single in the United States, the issue date of June 27, 1987 ― the same day that Houston's album Whitney debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 (formerly "Top Pop Albums") the first time ever by a female artist. It remained there for two weeks, spent nine weeks in the top ten (more than any other song that year) and spent 18 weeks on the chart. The song reached number one on the Hot 100 Single Sales chart for two weeks, and on the Hot 100 Airplay chart for three weeks, her longest run at that time. The single also peaked at number one on the Hot Adult Contemporary and the remixed dance / club version by Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero became Houston's first chart-topper on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Songs, staying on the top position of the charts for three weeks and two weeks, respectively. In addition, it reached a peak of two on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart (formerly "Hot Black Singles"), the issue date of July 4, 1987. It remained at that position for two weeks, behind "I Feel Good All Over" by Stephanie Mills (which never made the Hot 100), and spent 15 weeks on the R&B chart.
On July 28, 1987, the single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipment of 1,000,000 copies of the single, and re-certified Platinum, making it Houston's first single to achieve that feat, for the same shipment on February 13, 1989, with the change of the RIAA certification criteria for singles. (The number of sales required to qualify for gold and platinum discs was higher prior to January 1, 1989. The thresholds were 1,000,000 units (gold) and 2,000,000 units (platinum), reflecting a decrease in sales of singles. It placed at number four on the Billboard Year-End Top Pop Singles chart for 1987. In Canada, the song debuted at 74 on the RPM Top 100 Singles chart, the issue dated May 9, 1987, and reached the top of the chart on July 4, 1987. It was ranked second on the RPM Year-End Top 100 Singles chart for 1987. The single was later certified Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) on February 29, 1988”.
Whitney Houston died on 11th February, 2012 - so it has been just over nine years since we lost her. It was a huge blow to the music world as Houston has inspired so many other artists. I will talk more about I Want to Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) to end, but many are looking ahead to the biopic. Hollywood Reporter give us more details:
“Anthony McCarten, the writer behind Queen biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' will pen the screenplay, while Stella Meghie, who was behind the Issa Rae romance 'The Photograph,' will direct.
Where do broken hearts go? To Sony Pictures.
After a protracted bidding war, Sony and its TriStar division have won rights to I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the musical biopic of singer Whitney Houston.
PHOTO CREDIT: Ebet Roberts/Redferns/Getty Images
A theatrical commitment was part of the deal, and Sony is setting a Thanksgiving 2022 release.
Anthony McCarten, the writer behind Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, will pen the screenplay, while Stella Meghie, who was behind the Issa Rae romance The Photograph, will direct.
The project has the backing of Houston’s estate as well as music producer Clive Davis. Pat Houston will produce the movie on behalf of the Houston Estate, along with Davis, Primary Wave Music’s Larry Mestel, Denis O’Sullivan and McCarten.
Houston is one of the best-known recording artists of all time, selling more than 200 million records worldwide, with hit songs that include "Saving All My Love for You," "How Will I Know" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." She also starred in and recorded original music for 1992 blockbuster hit The Bodyguard. She died in 2012 at 48.
“Whitney just makes you want to get out of your seat and sing and dance!" said TriStar head Nicole Brown in Tueday’s announcement. “She is anthemic in every way. Anthony McCarten has bottled that up in his masterful screenplay bringing this beloved legend to life in a way we’ve never seen her - funny, exhilarating, aspirational, complex and incredibly human. Add to that Stella Meghie, a diehard fan, who is so gifted at telling beautiful, modern, feminine tales. With the guidance of Pat Houston, the legendary Clive Davis, Larry Mestel, Denis O’Sullivan, and Jeff Kalligheri, we have the absolute dream team to create the ultimate celebration of Whitney’s incredible life and musical achievements.”
Sony made it a point to underline that importance of keeping this movie project in theaters.
“Musically driven films have always held a special place in theaters and this remarkable story will help further our fierce commitment to the theatrical experience,” said Josh Greenstein, president of Sony Motion Picture Group.
While it’s unclear how deep the biopic will go into Houston’s many personal issues, Davis said the biopic will go far.
“From all my personal and professional experience with Whitney from her late teenage years to her tragic, premature death, I know the full Whitney Houston story has not yet been told,” said Davis. “I am so glad that Anthony McCarten has committed to a no-holds-barred, musically rich screenplay that finally reveals the whole Whitney, whose vocal genius deeply affected the world while she bravely battled the demons that were to be her undoing”.
I really love I Want to Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me), and it is my favourite Whitney Houston song. It is one of the 1980s’ finest singles and, as I said, a song that sounds great now. I do not hear I Want to Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) played on too many radio stations. It does get played now and then, but not as much as it should be. It is a song that everyone can feel joyed by and, as a display of Whitney Houston’s talent, she is near her peak. Written by George Merrill Shannon Rubicam and released to huge acclaim, go and listen to this magnificent song! The more one listens to and dives deep into I Want to Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me), the more one understand it is…
SUCH an infectious gem.