Straight Up (Paula Abdul song)

"Straight Up"
Song

"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 lively dance tune. The synthetic lead trumpet sound comes from the Roland D-50 (preset 1-5).

History

"Straight Up" was the third single released from her debut album Forever Your Girl, after "Knocked Out" and "(It's Just) The Way 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 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. The 12" versions were remixed by L.A. "Powermixers" Chris Modig and Boris Granich, known for their special Powermixes 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. It reached number three in the UK and number three in Germany.

Music video

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 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, talk-show host and comedian Arsenio Hall. The video at the time went into very heavy rotation on MTV, it also made Abdul known for her exceptionally creative and distinct videos. It was shot in black-and-white. The reason of this, was because the director wanted the video to be expensive. Because black-and-white film is more expensive, that color film, Fincher quadrupled the total.

Chart performance

In the U.S., "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 62 weeks on the market.

Chart (1988/1989)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	3
U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles	2
Australian Singles Chart	2
Canadian Singles Chart	1
German Singles Chart	3
UK Singles Chart	3

Track listings and formats

US 12" Record

1. Straight Up - 12" Remix (Elliot Wolff)
2. Straight Up - Power Mix (Elliot Wolff)
3. Straight Up - House Mix (Elliot Wolff)
4. Straight Up - Marley Marl Mix (Elliot Wolff)

US Cassette

1. Straight Up - LP (Elliot Wolff)
2. Straight Up - Power Mix (Elliot Wolff)

Official remixes

• 7" Edit
• 12" Remix
• Power Mix
• House Mix
• Marley Marl Mix
• Kevin Saunderson Club Mix (found on "Forever you girl 12" maxi)

Cover versions

• "Straight Up" was covered by punk band Halifax for the 2005 compilation Punk Goes 80's.
• Filipino singer Regine Velasquez did a cover of this song for her Covers Vol. 2 album in 2005.
• In 2005, electro-industrial group Dismantled covered the song for their EP Breed to Death.
• A cover of the song by rock band 10 Sugar Charlie was included on their 2007 End of the World album.
• The song was covered by American dream pop indie band Luna for the 2007 compilation Guilt by Association Vol. 1.

See also

• Hot 100 number-one hits of 1989 (United States)