14

I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)
Whitney Houston
1987

Alright, getting us back to something a little lighter!  I think my love for Whitney is well known at this point.  If there’s another middle-aged white guy who has his own Whitney shirt, I’d sure like to meet him.  It’s true!  When Tiffany and Ella went shopping this past summer, they came home with the greatest gift of all (reference INTENDED), a man-size Whitney shirt.  I wear it proudly and I wear it often.

I think Whitney is on the Mt. Rushmore of vocalists, man or woman.  She’s right up there for me with Freddie, Eddie, Cornell, or whoever else you’d want to throw in there.  The range was absolutely incredible, but the control over that instrument was something else.  You will see no greater live performance than this medley that she did at the 1994 American Music Awards.  Unless, of course, you want to talk about the greatest Star-Spangled Banner ever performed!

And so the only question is, what song should be in the Top 100?  As much as I like I Will Always Love You and that’s the chalk pick (and the pick by almost everyone, but not Cory!), I don’t think Whitney did anything better than this one right here.  At once joyful and powerful, this song just exudes fun.  And.  That. Voice.  Just listen to the vocal only right here - unreal.

And if you don’t want to take my word for it, listen to the fine folks at Billboard who just voted this the #1 pop song - ever!

Other Songs Considered:
I Will Always Love You, The Star-Spangled Banner, I Have Nothing, How Will I Know, I’m Your Baby Tonight