Whitney Houston's 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody' Named Best Pop Song 39 Years After Release

While there are thousands upon thousands of pop songs that have been lost to history, others have managed to leave indelible marks on the music industry.

One of those songs is celebrating a birthday today. Thirty-nine years ago, one of music's biggest young stars released a song that exploded to No. 1 on the charts and has been named the "greatest pop song of all time."

May 2, 1987: Whitney Houston debuts 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody'

The Newark, New Jersey-born Houston released her self-titled album in 1985 and became an immediate sensation. Three songs from the record became No. 1 hits: "Saving All My Love for You," "How Will I Know" and "Greatest Love of All."

Houston's second album, titled Whitney, was released on June 1, 1987, but roughly one month before that, she dropped "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" as the album's first single.

The song quickly gained popularity and hasn't stopped doing so nearly four decades later.

Who ranked 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody' the best pop song ever?

In 2023, Billboard released a series ranking the top 500 pop songs of all time, a no-doubt exhausting task that required more than two dozen writers to complete.

At the top of the list was Houston's lead single from her second album, which became her fourth No. 1 U.S. hit.

"Whitney Houston's vocal range and power were so otherworldly that at times she could almost seem overqualified for pop music, like a five-star chef cooking fast-casual," Billboard wrote. "But a song like "Dance" shows the fault in that assumption, showcasing her vocal virtuosity as well as any of her skyscraping R&B or gospel ballads, from her gorgeous opening flutters to her song-unleashing, MJ-rivaling "WOOOOOOO!" to her restrained yearning of the verses to the rapturous DON'TYOUWANNADANCESAYYOUWANNADANCE!" rushes of the outro.

"She had the vocal control to nail the song at every stage of its dynamics, but more importantly, she also has the passion - she made wanting to dance with somebody feel like an issue of life-or-death urgency, because she understood that it very well can be."

Full disclosure: if the author of this post was making the list, he might have put Tears for Fears' ""Everybody Wants to Rule the World," which checked in at No. 28,, at No. 1, but that's personal preference. "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" is a worthy champion.

A legacy that is ongoing and going strong

Unless you've been living under a rock, you're aware of the impact "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" has to this day.

Not only does the song still get radio play, but you can't attend a Sweet 16, bat mitzvah or wedding without hearing it. Usually, all it takes is the opening notes and Whitney Houston's "WOOOOOOO!" to get most of the women at the event on the dancefloor and celebrating.

Even though music from 1987 may even be considered oldies by some at this point--a take that makes this author, who was born in September of that year, groan in anguish--"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" remains an essential pop song, and likely will still be one for years to come.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 6:00 AM.