Great Performances - The Soundtrack of my life #11: Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody (The one from my first holiday abroad)
In May 1987, I hopped on an aeroplane for the first time in my life aged 21 and left the wind and rain of a desolate Leeds/Bradford Airport and flew off to Benidorm, Spain with my best mate at the time for my first foreign holiday. We had cash in our pocket and our thoughts were simply of sun, sand, sea, beer, partying and of course, girls.
It was a cheap package tour and as such, landed at Alicante airport about 10 pm at night, hanging on for what seemed like an age before being bussed out to Benidorm and the endless drop-offs of people at various resorts and hotels around the city before, with only 4 other people left on the bus, it was our turn. I can't even remember the name of the little hotel we stayed at. It was by comparison to the huge hotels all around us, a small place. Terracotta painted concrete and 8 stories tall, and with just 6 rooms per floor, our room had a small kitchenette and two single beds thankfully. We were close friends, but not that close! At the rear, there was a tiny swimming pool. The huge bonus was it was built directly over a nightclub in the basement, and the ground floor was a restaurant and live music venue with just a small counter acting as reception.
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Ten minutes of formalities at the reception desk, a quick ride up to the seventh in the archaic lift, passports hidden under the bed and we were on our way back down again. Bright lights, music, beer and girls in short skirts, high heels and shoulder pads beckoned and as we poured sweat in the unfamiliar heat and choked on the overzealous use of the smoke machine, the unmistakable opening of this 80s summer dance classic pounded our eardrums........
The track was taken from Whitney's second album, 'Whitney', and was released on the 2nd of May, 1987. It topped the charts in 13 countries selling millions of copies and would be Whitney's best selling track until 'I Will Always Love You' topped the charts in 1991.
I love to watch Whitney when she sings. Technically she is a perfect singer, her technique and vocal acrobatics sounding effortless but watch her breathing, the movement of her mouth, they both divulge the hard work and practise that must have gone into creating her perfect delivery.
On this particular track, the look of joy on her face and the beaming smile as she performs shows us a young Whitney, still flushed with youth and innocence. Just wanting to have fun.
It was the perfect soundtrack to our holiday and to the late 80's. It was a time of excess, fun and partying. HIV still wasn't been taken too seriously amongst the hetro-sexual community and the party was never-ending. This track was being played at least 3 or 4 times a night in every bar and club we went into and it filled the dancefloor.
House music was just reaching Europe at this point which would change the dance music scene forever, but for that summer of '87, Whitney was firmly entrenched as the Queen of dance/pop with the feelgood 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody'.
And the girls? Less said the better, but I still have nightmares about a nurse from Kirkcaldy....and my best mate? Haven't seen him for 10 years.
The following year we hit the clubs of Ibiza, but that's a story for another day.
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