I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)

Song Meaning of I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston, and what it is about

"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her second studio album, Whitney in 1987.

Songwriters George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam helped make Whitney Houston a superstar by writing her big hitting debut hit “How Will I Know?” and wrote "I Wanna Dance with Somebody” as a big hitting follow-up.

But when Houston’s producer, Narada Michael Walden, first heard the new track he was not convinced. “The song reminded me of a rodeo song with Olivia Newton-John singing,” he recalls. The funky pop groove he developed changed all that,

Originally the song that gave Merrill and Rubicam their US/UK top ten success as Boy Meets Girl, "Waiting For a Star to Fall" was intended by the duo to be a song for Houston.

The duo sent it to Arista Records, but they stated it was not appropriate for Houston.

The songwriting pair continued to work on a song suitable for Houston and eventually composed "I Wanna Dance with Somebody."

Rubicam explained the idea behind the song:

“I pictured somebody single wishing that they could find that special person for themselves. It wasn't, 'I wanna go down the disco and dance,' really. It was, 'I wanna do that dance of life with somebody.' That was the thought behind the song. So we sent our demo version off to Clive Davis and he loved it.”

At the 30th Annual Grammy Awards, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" won for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, marking Houston's second win in the category.

The song became a worldwide success, topping the charts in eighteen countries including Australia, Italy, Germany and the UK. In the US, it became Houston's fourth consecutive number one hit.

Lyrics of I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston

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 to 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 with somebody

Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody

With somebody who loves me

Somebody ooo, somebody ooo

Somebody who loves me yeah

Somebody ooo, somebody ooo

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, 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

Don't ya wanna dance with me baby

Don't ya wanna dance with me boy

Hey don't ya wanna dance with me baby

With somebody who loves me

Don't ya wanna dance, say you wanna dance, don't ya wanna dance

Don't ya wanna dance, say you wanna dance, don't ya wanna dance

Don't ya wanna dance, say you wanna dance

With somebody who loves me

Dance