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Straight Up (Paula Abdul song)

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"Straight Up"
Single by Paula Abdul
from the album Forever Your Girl
B-side"Opposites Attract"
ReleasedNovember 22, 1988
Genre
Length4:11
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)Elliot Wolff
Producer(s)Elliot Wolff
Paula Abdul singles chronology
"(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me"
(1988) 		"Straight Up"
(1988) 		"Forever Your Girl"
(1989)
Music video
"Straight Up" on YouTube

"Straight Up" is a song by American recording artist Paula Abdul from her debut studio album, Forever Your Girl (1988). The song is a mid-tempo dance-pop song with influence from new jack swing. Written and produced entirely by Elliot Wolff, the song was released as the album's third single on November 22, 1988, by Virgin Records.

"Straight Up" became Abdul's first top-40 hit in the United States, eventually topping the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1989. The single brought Abdul widespread public attention and remains her biggest international hit to date, reaching the top 10 in at least 16 countries. The song was also included in her six compilation albums, released between 1998 and 2013.

The song received positive reviews from music critics, with Daniel J. Levitin's This Is Your Brain on Music praising it as "hold[ing] a certain appeal over many, many listenings." It also earned Abdul several award nominations in the US, most notably including her first Grammy nomination in the category of Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1990, and six other nominations for its music video at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards.

Background

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According to Paula Abdul, her mother found this song for her. She explains that her mother knew someone whose boyfriend was an aspiring songwriter, and she got "Straight Up" as an 8-track demo. The demo version was "so bad" that Abdul's mother was "crying laughing" at it, and threw it in the trash. But Abdul heard something she liked in it, and retrieved it. At that time she was a full-time choreographer, and on the side, late at night she was recording music. The record label did not think the song was any good but Abdul offered to record two songs they wanted, which she did not like, if they would let her do "Straight Up". The song was recorded at a cost of $3,000. Later a friend of hers told her that somebody with her same name was being played on a northern California radio station. "Literally, within 10 days I [it] sold a million copies." The song was originally recorded in a bathroom, and in the masters of the recording, someone in the next apartment can be heard yelling "Shut up".[2]

"Straight Up" was the third single released from her debut album Forever Your Girl, after "Knocked Out" and "The Way That You Love Me." While the latter found modest success on the R&B charts, radio station KMEL in San Francisco started playing "Straight Up" from the album. The label switched promotion "The Way That You Love Me" to "Straight Up". The strategy paid off, as "Straight Up" spent three weeks at No. 1 in the U.S. "The Way That You Love Me" was promoted a year later and became Abdul's fourth (of five) Top 5 hits from the album in the U.S.

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.

Composition

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"Straight Up" is performed in the key of D minor with a shuffling tempo of 96 beats per minute in common time and a chord progression of Dm–B♭–Gm–Am. Running a total length of four minutes and eleven seconds in its original version, the song finds Abdul's vocals span from A3 to C5 in the song, while the singer questioning her partner if he was genuinely loving her or "just having fun".[3][4]

Commercial performance

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"Straight Up" attained breakthrough success for Abdul in the States. After debuting at number 79 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on the week of December 3, 1988, the single quickly rose up the chart. By the week of January 21, 1989, the song reached number 13 on the chart, becoming her first top 40 entry and her first number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on the week of February 11, 1989, dethroning Sheriff's "When I'm with You" and remaining on the top spot for three consecutive weeks.[5] The song has since spent a total 25 consecutive chart weeks, thus tying with her later re-released second single as her longest charting performance on the Billboard Hot 100, and was eventually ranked as the fourth biggest hit of 1989 on Billboard's year-end chart for that year. The single was certified Platinum by the RIAA with sales of more than one million units, and remained as her best-selling single in the country to date.[6]

The song also attained international success, reaching the top 10 in at least 16 countries. In addition to topping the charts in the United States, the single also reached the top in Norway. It reached number two in Canada, Greece, The Netherlands and Sweden, and number three in Denmark, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and West Germany. It also reached number five in Belgium and Finland, number six in Ireland and New Zealand, and number eight in Austria and Finland. In France, the single fell short of the top 10, reaching number 12. The single fell short of the top 20 in Australia, reaching number 27.

It was used as a lip sync song in the third season of reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race, where contestants Raja and Carmen Carrera had to perform it to avoid elimination.[7]

Critical reception

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Jerry Smith from Music Week wrote, "Having had a US number one, this catchy dance groove by a successful choreographer gets its UK release with the seemingly unavoidable fate that it should do comparably well here."[8] Daniel J. Levitin's This Is Your Brain on Music praised "Straight Up" for "hold[ing] a certain appeal over many, many listenings."

Tom Breihan of Stereogum views the song as "the sort of fizzy pop-music brilliance" which cannot be ignored with "a great sense of timing"; as the piece Abdul was "put on earth to sing" along with her dance abilities; and as "fitting the 1989 zeitgeist". He analyzes the composition as having "some great hesitation" and "all these" electronic elements "falling all over each other" while all hitting at "the exact right moment"; and as having "hooks on top of hooks" via "many catchy little things" such as a "deliriously fake" horn-blats, "vrooming" synth just before the chorus, power-chord guitars "buried in the mix", and a "huge" drums sound. With that, he views that the vocals are greatly diminished by the drums and Abdul's lack of "hitting big notes", however projecting "total assurance" on the beats and "a ton of personality". He adds that the chorus with the “oh oh oh” backup vocals set Abdul off "perfectly" and that the "perfect" bridge "crushes it" with the "so silly and so perfect" “ah-buh-buh-buh-bye...” bit and escalating drums "emergancy". He opines that the lyrics showcase "slightness which works" with Abdul character's questioning of her lover seeming "stressed and desperate" at points but mostly "having fun" and "flirting". Analyzing the music video, he views the song's "hard, physical" aspect being "emphasized" via a "near-masterpiece" vision of "flashy but simple opening" with Abdul's pre-music dance and a "stark" black-and-white color scheme which "draws attention" to Abdul's moves alongside other "grabbing" appearances and visuals.[9]

Music video

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The song became so popular that it ascended up the charts before a music video had even been shot for the song. The black and white video, directed by David Fincher and choreographed by Abdul herself in mid-January 1989, won four 1989 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Female Video, Best Editing, Best Choreography, and the first Best Dance Video. The video features an appearance by her friend, comedian Arsenio Hall, whose popular talk show had premiered a few weeks prior to the video shoot. Djimon Hounsou also appears. Released later that month, the video at the time went into very heavy rotation on MTV, helping further Abdul's popularity.

Track listings and formats

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  • Australia 12-inch single
  1. "Straight Up" (Ultimix)
  2. "Opposites Attract" (1990 mix)
  3. "Straight Up" (single version)
  • French 12-inch vinyl
  1. "Straight Up" (12-inch remix)
  2. "Straight Up" (Power mix)
  3. "Straight Up" (House mix)
  4. "Straight Up" (Marley Marl mix)
  • US 12-inch single
  1. "Straight Up" (12-inch remix)
  2. "Straight Up" (Power mix)
  3. "Straight Up" (House mix)
  • Japanese mini-CD single
  1. "Straight Up"
  2. "Cold Hearted"

Credits and personnel

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Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Forever Your Girl.[10]

  • Elliot Wolff – songwriter, producer, arrangement, LinnDrum programming, synthesizer programming, synthesizers
  • Keith "K.C." Cohen – producer, recording, mixing
  • Josh Schneider – assistant engineer
  • Annette Cisneros – assistant engineer
  • Peter Arata – mixing assistant
  • Paula Abdul – lead vocals, background vocals
  • Delissa Davis – background vocals
  • Dann Huff – overdrive guitar
  • Dan Hersch – mastering

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[52] Platinum 80,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[53] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[54] Silver 200,000^
United States (RIAA)[55] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States November 22, 1988
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • cassette
 Virgin
United Kingdom February 20, 1989
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
[56]
Japan March 1, 1989 Mini-CD [57]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Deggans, Eric (January 1, 1998). "Paula Abdul". In Graff, Gary; du Lac, Josh; McFarlin, Jim (eds.). MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 2.
  2. ^ Abdul, Paula (June 3, 2012). "Paula Abdul on How Straight Up Became A Massive Hit". Hudson Union Society. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2023 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ "Straight Up — Paula Abdul — Spot On Track". www.spotontrack.com. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  4. ^ Wolff, Elliot (June 28, 2010). "Paula Abdul "Straight Up" Sheet Music in D Minor (transposable) - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  5. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  6. ^ RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - Straight Up, accessed July 10, 2009
  7. ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race LipSync Countdown - Top 25". YouTube. May 27, 2019.
  8. ^ Smith, Jerry (March 4, 1989). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 23. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  9. ^ Breihan, Tom (June 25, 2021). "THE NUMBER ONES". Stereogum. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  10. ^ Virgin Records (1988). Forever Your Girl (Media notes). Paula Abdul.
  11. ^ "Paula Abdul – Straight Up". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  12. ^ "Paula Abdul – Straight Up" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  13. ^ "Paula Abdul – Straight Up" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  14. ^ Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. p. 18. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
  15. ^ "RPM 100 Singles – March 18, 1989" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49, no. 20. March 18, 1989. p. 6. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  16. ^ "RPM 100 Singles – March 11, 1989" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49, no. 19. March 11, 1989. p. 14. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  17. ^ "Top 3 Singles in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 18. May 6, 1989. p. 14. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  18. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 14. April 8, 1989. p. 20. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  19. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  20. ^ "Paula Abdul – Straight Up" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  21. ^ "Top 3 Singles in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 17. April 29, 1989. p. 34. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  22. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Straight Up". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  23. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 13, 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  24. ^ "Paula Abdul – Straight Up" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  25. ^ "Paula Abdul – Straight Up". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  26. ^ "Paula Abdul – Straight Up". VG-lista. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  27. ^ "Paula Abdul – Straight Up". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  28. ^ "Paula Abdul – Straight Up". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  29. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  30. ^ "Paula Abdul Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  31. ^ "Paula Abdul Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  32. ^ "Paula Abdul Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  33. ^ "Paula Abdul Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  34. ^ "Paula Abdul Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  35. ^ "Dance Tracks". Radio & Records. February 24, 1989. p. 35. ProQuest 1040332164.
  36. ^ a b "The Back Page". Radio & Records. March 3, 1989. p. 120. ProQuest 1017220993.
  37. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Paula Abdul – Straight Up" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  38. ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  39. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1989" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  40. ^ "Top 100 Singles of '89". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  41. ^ "Top 25 Dance Singles of '89". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  42. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 of 1989" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 51. December 23, 1989. p. 6. Retrieved January 17, 2020 – via World Radio History.
  43. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1989". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  44. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1989" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  45. ^ "End of Year Charts 1989". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  46. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1989" (in German). Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  47. ^ "Year End Singles" (PDF). Record Mirror. January 27, 1990. p. 44. ISSN 0144-5804. Retrieved October 25, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  48. ^ Copsey, Rob (May 7, 2021). "Official Top 40 best-selling songs of 1989". Official Charts. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  49. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1989". Archived from the original on January 25, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
  50. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  51. ^ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1989" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  52. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Paula Abdul – Straight Up". Music Canada. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  53. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  54. ^ "British single certifications – Paula Abdul – Straight Up". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  55. ^ "American single certifications – Paula Abdul – Straight Up". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  56. ^ "New Singles". Music Week. February 18, 1989. p. 31.
  57. ^ "ストレイト・アップ | ポーラ・アブドル" [Straight Up | Paula Abdul] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
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