| "Straight Up" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Paula Abdul | ||||
| from the album Forever Your Girl | ||||
| Released | November 1988 | |||
| Format | CD Single | |||
| Genre | R&B, Dance-pop | |||
| Length | 4:10 (Album Version) 3:51 (7" Edit) |
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| Label | Virgin Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Elliot Wolff | |||
| Producer | Elliot Wolff | |||
| Certification | Platinum (RIAA) | |||
| Paula Abdul singles chronology | ||||
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"Straight Up" is a 1988 hit single by American singer Paula Abdul, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and brought her widespread public attention. It was written and produced by Elliot Wolff.
The song is a mid-tempo dance tune. The synthetic lead trumpet sound comes from the Roland D-50 (preset 1-5).
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"Straight Up" was the third single released from her debut album Forever Your Girl, after "Knocked Out" and "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me". While the latter was enjoying success on the R&B charts, radio station KMEL in San Francisco started playing "Straight Up" from the album. The label decided to abandon "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me" and refocus its attention on "Straight Up". The strategy paid off, as "Straight Up" was followed by three more number-one hits from the same album.
One of the 12" versions was remixed by LA "Powermixers" Chris Modig and Boris Granich, known for their special Power mixes at Power 106 during the 1980s.
The record spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart from February 11, 1989 and was ranked fourth in the Top 100 hits of 1989. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA with sales of more than one million units.[1] It reached number three in the UK and Germany.
on June 15, 2011 "Work Out" by J. Cole sampled Paula Abdul's "Straight Up"
After debuting at number 79 on the chart the week of December 3, 1988, the song became so popular that it ascended to the Hot 100 top 20 before a music video had even been shot for the song. The black and white video, directed by David Fincher and choreographed by Paula herself, won four 1989 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Female Video, Best Editing, Best Choreography, and the first Best Dance Video. The video features a special appearance by Paula's friend, comedian Arsenio Hall, whose popular talk show would not premiere until a few weeks after the video was shot. The video at the time went into very heavy rotation on MTV, and it also made Abdul known for her exceptionally creative and distinct videos.
| Country | Release date |
|---|---|
| United States | November 1988 |
| United Kingdom | March 6, 1989 |
In the US, "Straight Up" reached the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 by February 11, 1989, where it stayed for three consecutive weeks. "Straight Up" was one of the most popular R&B and dance-pop singles of the entire year, remaining in the Top 10 for seven weeks, the Top 20 for nine weeks, and the Top 40 for sixteen weeks. The success of "Straight Up" catapulted the "Forever Your Girl" album into the top 20 on the album chart. 2 more number-one hits from the album boost it up further into the top 5 where it lingered before it finally reached the pole position in October after a record-setting 64 weeks on the market.
| Chart (1988/1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Black Singles | 2 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| German Singles Chart | 3 |
| UK Singles Chart | 3 |
NB: the UK 12" and both CD singles feature shorter versions of the latter three mixes, as listed below.
ultimix 7" a straight up-ultimix 6:53 b opposites attract-1990 mix 6:49
| Preceded by "When I'm with You" by Sheriff |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single February 11–25, 1989 |
Succeeded by "Lost in Your Eyes" by Debbie Gibson |