Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Anyone, Sony’s Whitney Houston biopic starring English actress Naomi Ackie that comes out Dec. 23, takes its title from “I Wanna Dance With Anyone (Who Loves Me),” the lead single off Houston’s second album, 1987’s Whitney.
The monitor was written by then-married songwriting duo George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam, aka Boy Meets Lady, who’d penned Houston’s first hit single, 1985’s “How Will I Know.” Some critics dismissed “I Wanna Dance With Anyone” as too comparable in sound to “How Will I Know” — however followers knew an earworm once they heard one. The track took six weeks to succeed in No. 1 on the Billboard Scorching 100, stayed there two weeks, and remained within the prime 10 for 9 weeks — greater than some other track that 12 months.
The video for “Anyone” reunited Houston with director Brian Grant and choreographer Arlene Phillips, who’d beforehand labored along with her on the “How Will I Know” video. In a 2014 interview, Grant recalled first assembly Houston, then 19, when she got here to London to movie the video.
“She had nice manners,” he stated. “She had no entourage, only one good friend along with her.” Grant at all times started with a close-up shot of the artist performing the track your entire method via. “I nonetheless keep in mind the time I used to be wanting via the lens and Whitney regarded into the digicam and simply smiled,” stated Grant. “My knees wobbled and I assumed, ‘My — that is likely one of the most lovely girls I’ve ever seen. Her voice was completely superb. It was probably the most unbelievable sound.”
Houston was much less agile on her toes, nonetheless. “She had good rhythm, however couldn’t put one foot in entrance of the opposite,” he recalled. “Arlene acknowledged that, so she surrounded her with different nice dancers from England. We may cover her dancing within the edit, however what was necessary is that she regarded nice and had fun. Which you’ll be able to inform that she did and it was a success.”
Once they reunited for the “Anyone” video, there was already an ease among the many three. Whereas “How Will I Know” had an idea — placing Houston inside a maze — “Anyone” simply targeted on “giving her plenty of appears,” Grant stated. The one has offered 4.2 million copies worldwide; after Houston’s demise in 2012, it reappeared on the Scorching 100 together with “I Will All the time Love You,” giving Houston two posthumous High 40 hits.
This story first appeared within the Dec. 7 difficulty of The Hollywood Reporter journal. Click on right here to subscribe.
