Classic Tracks: Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Each month we take a look at a classic track or album and discuss it from a music production perspective, examining any interesting techniques that were used during its recording. This month we take a look at Whitney Houston's 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody'. 

Being a producer or recording engineer isn't just about understanding the technical aspects of the job. It's about man-management too; getting the most out of the artists that you work with in the studio. The way that Narada Michael Walden worked with Whitney Houston in the studio is an excellent case in point. The two of them recorded numerous tracks together, and 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody was their biggest hit, hitting the number 1 spot in the US, UK, and a dozen other countries. 

Walden took an interesting approach to the order in which he recorded song sections with Houston. They would actually start with the final chorus. Many singers would need to warm up to perform the final section of the song – beginning with it could be counter-productive. However, according to Walden, Houston would 'do this without even warming up very much — she'd just hit it and kill it. "She knew about the power of inspiration and she didn't want to waste it".

They'd then go back and do the rest of the choruses in order, before tackling the verses. Walden elaborates; "It was like painting a picture while being very careful to not waste time, to not drag things out and let her mind get involved by telling her, "I don't like this anymore." I'd have to move fast so that her mind didn't actually have a chance to react very much. I just wanted to let her sing and let her have a good time because then we'd get that magic in the sound that would convince you, "Wow, she really believes this. It's not made up. She's truly happy.''

The vocal is the central element of the pop song, so care must be taken to get the very best out of the singer – and the way this can be achieved will often vary from performer to performer. It is important for an engineer to be able to adapt their working methods to suit the artist they are working with. Sometimes, a singer performs best when angry or frustrated; in the case of 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody', Walden realized that Houston needed to sound happy and carefree – and he figured out a workflow that helped her to deliver that exact performance.