This is not my belated Whitney Houston eulogy. I was unmoved by her passing, as I tend to be by the passing of celebrities.
I believe the last celebrity death that had a real impact on me was Kurt Vonnegut’s, and he was old enough and unhealthy enough that it didn’t come as a major shock. Houston’s death wasn’t much of a shock, either — as with the passing of Amy Winehouse, my first thought upon hearing the news was, “and she seemed so well put-together.”
So I do not post today to mourn the loss of a great talent or to acknowledge Houston’s importance to the industry. No doubt she was talented, and I suspect she is more important than I realize historically — particularly when it comes to shattering race barriers — but others have spent ample time dissecting her legacy.
No, my purpose today is to pay tribute to my one lasting memory of Whitney Houston, which is the video for ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody.’ As a 15-year-old lad, I watched this clip many a time on MTV waiting for the full-body shots of the slender and gorgeous singer. Watching it now, it’s hard to see what was so enticing to me then, but I guess 25 years of far more risque images have desensitized me to the power of a tight thigh-high dress.
And the sun begins to fade
Still enough time to figure out
How to chase my blues away
Ive done alright up till now
Its the light of day that shows me how
And when the night falls the loneliness calls
Chorus:
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
Ive 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
Chorus:
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.
Chorus:
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
Ohhhh,ohhhh
Come on baby, haha
Yea
Now get with this
Don’t you wanna dance
with me baby?
Don’t you wanna dance
with me boy?
Don’t you wanna dance
with me baby?
With somebody who loves me.
Don’t you wanna dance say you wanna dance
Don’t you wanna dance?
Don’t you wanna dance say you wanna dance
Don’t you wanna dance?
Don’t you wanna dance say you wanna dance?
Uh huh. With somebody who loves me.
Meet Me In Montauk 
This video never had the same impact on me as it did for you. She was undoubtedly beautiful, but I never really considered her all that sexy. Even here, there is more of a wholesomeness than a sex appeal going on. Now, Madonna’s video’s from around this time period..they had quite a different effect.