Our final classic mid-80s song of the day this week is “Straight Up” by Paula Abdul. This single was released in late November 1988 and peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Dance Singles charts early the next year. Sales were helped by a ton of music video play on MTV.
“Straight Up” was written and produced by Elliott Wolff, who also worked with artists like Taylor Dayne, Aretha Franklin, Debbie Gibson, and Atlantic Starr. He also wrote and produced another hit for Paula Abdul, “Cold Hearted.”
Paula Abdul got her start as a cheerleader and dancer. During her freshman year in college she was selected for the Los Angeles Laker cheerleading squad and became the head choreographer for the Laker Girls a year later. The Jacksons saw her doing her thing at a Lakers game and signed her up to do choreography for their “Torture” video; she later choreographed Janet Jackson’s “What Have You Done for Me Lately,” “Nasty,” and “Control” videos and the Jacksons’ Victory tour.
In 1987, Ms. Abdul decided to try her hand at singing and was subsequently signed to Virgin Records America. Her 1988 debut album, Forever Your Girl, became the biggest-selling debut album in history to that point. She ended up having six #1 singles from that and later albums: “Straight Up,” “Forever Your Girl,” “Cold Hearted,” “Opposites Attract,” “Rush Rush,” and “The Promise of a New Day.”
Paula Abdul’s recording career kind of fizzled out by the mid-90s, although she did release a couple of later singles in 2008/2009. She returned to touring in 2017 and did a Las Vegas residency in 2019. She was also a judge on American Idol from 2002 to 2009 and a guest judge on The X-Factor, Live to Dance, So You Think You Can Dance, and The Masked Dancer shows. Not bad for a Jewish kid from San Fernando who just liked to dance.
