Official Charts Pop Gem #80: Whitney – I Wanna Dance With Somebody

How else could we celebrate our 80th Pop Gem but with a theme of – you guessed it –'80s songs? It was the decade of leg warmers, bad perms and some amazing music, and Pop Gem is about celebrating overlooked classics or huge hits of yesteryear that deserve another spell in the spotlight.

We picked this fine collection of 10 of the finest bangers the decade had to offer – who would you have picked for induction into our Pop Gem Hall Of Fame? And why did so many songs in the ‘80s have brackets in the titles? (We’ve no idea.)

In the end, and after some deliberation whether it was too famous a song, we decided the late, great Whitney Houston was long overdue a Pop Gem nod.

Watch the frankly amazing video for I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) – gotta remember those brackets – before we explain why this is Whitney’s moment.

Why it had to be Whitney

Aw, c’mon, do we really need to spell this one out? An astonishing career that started in 1985 and lasted until her sad death in 2012, Whitney Houston was the definition of someone destined to be a star. Her impressive pipes, unparalleled for years in the industry, were front and centre on some of the most iconic tracks of the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Though she had some problems in her personal life, her music was polished to perfection – superior slices of pop contributing to a chart story that many artists would love to get their hands on.

Whether turning her hand to epic ballads or bubblegum pop bangers, Whitney was always perfectly at home, and never more so than this amazing Number 1 from 1987.

The song

I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) had a big job – it was to launch Whitney’s sophomore album. Rather than lead out with a ballad as she had with her debut, this time the silken-voiced diva was going all-out pop.

In the days when it was highly unusual for songs to go straight in at Number 1, I Wanna Dance With Somebody took a mere two weeks to reach the top of the Official Singles Chart, staying there for two weeks.

The fun video, which is like a crazier continuation of Whitney’s How Will I Know , is the ’80 summed up in five minutes of bonkers-ness. It was great to see Whitney not taking herself too seriously, and the song has some of the catchiest hooks in pop.

No, admit it, how many of you used to get caught out singing along to that second chorus where Whitney croons an extra long “heeeeeeeeat”? We certainly didn’t – we knew the song off by heart. But you get extra points for timing that super-crisp T-sound at the end.

The song ended Starship’s reign at the top with Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now, and itself got knocked off by novelty act The Firm and the zany Star Trekkin’. We bet Whitney was not happy about that.

I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) sold over 590,000 copies in 1987 alone, finishing third in the bestselling singles for that year.

Altogether the track has sold a whopping 820,000 copies since its release. But it’s not Whitney’s biggest seller of course…

Whitney’s chart story

Whitney Houston has the privilege of being in a very special club – the million sellers’ club, to be exact.

Her 1992 cover of Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You, from the soundtrack of The Bodyguard, was Number 1 for an amazing ten weeks and has sold over 1.5 million copies. It was her fourth and final chart-topper; the others were debut single Saving All My Love For You (1985), I Wanna Dance With Somebody (1987) and One Moment In Time (1988).

In her lifetime. Whitney scored 32 Top 40 hits, including 20 Top 10s. Her most recent hit was 2009’s Million Dollar Bill, which reached Number 5.

After Whitney’s death on 11 February 2012, three of her hits returned to the Top 40, with I Will Always Love You finishing highest at Number 14.

Over on the Official Albums Chart, two of her albums have made it to Number 1, while a total of nine have gone Top 10. I Wanna Dance With Somebody’s parent album Whitney spent six weeks at Number 1.

Whitney, welcome to the Pop Gem Hall Of Fame. Sorry we kept you waiting.

Video playlist

Here’s the big 10 finalists in all their glory.

Every Pop Gem ever

Fancy reliving those perfect Pop Gems we already picked all over again? No worries, get your ears wrapped round these playlists on Spotify and Deezer. SLAY.

Spotify

Deezer

Pop Gem Hall Of Fame

Today's Pop Gem is the latest in a long line of amazing pop songs that have been inducted into our Pop Gem Hall Of Fame. Take a look at all the tracks who've received the honour so far

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