“I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston

I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston

In 1987, Houston was still very much a fresh-faced siren with the crystal-clear voice and a world of possibilities at her feet. Her approach to this song—which, when you break it down, is more about loneliness than love—says a lot about her ability to radiate warmth and positivity through her singular sound. It's miles away from the struggles the singer would face later in her career. Always a party starter and roof-igniting karaoke jam, the song become a bittersweet rallying cry in the years since her death. You can practically hear 23-year-old smiling through the chorus, urging every last wallflower on to the dance floor. Who can resist?

LYRICS 

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

Somebody who, somebody who
Somebody who loves me
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, 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

Oooh
(Dance)
You know, baby
(Dance)
Woo, yeah
(Dance)
Now get with this
Woah

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?
(Dance)

Don't you wanna dance?
Say you wanna dance?
Don't you wanna dance?
(Dance)

Don't you wanna dance?
Say you wanna dance, uh-huh (dance)
With somebody who loves me

Oooh (dance)
Oooh (dance)
Oooh (dance)
Hey baby