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"Rush Rush"
#1 weeks: 5
weeks: 1991-06-15, 1991-06-22, 1991-06-29, 1991-07-06, 1991-07-13
genre: dance-pop / r&b
artist: Paula Abdul
album: Spellbound
writers: Peter Lord
producers: Peter Lord, Vernon Jeffrey Smith
label:
formats: Cassette, 7" single, CD maxi
lengths: 4:22 (single), 4:56 (album)

"Rush Rush" is the first single released from Paula Abdul's second album, Spellbound. Written by Peter Lord, and produced by Peter Lord and V. Jeffrey Smith (both members of The Family Stand), the song achieved success in the U.S. where it topped the BillboardHot 100.

"Rush Rush" was a departure for Abdul stylistically, as it was her first ballad released as a single, following as it did the five uptempo singles from her debut LP, and was viewed by all observers as a rather risky strategy in kicking off her second album of new material Spellbound. But the decision was vindicated, as it was very well received at retail.

Abdul laid down a scratch vocal for the track, which was never intended to make it to the song's final mix. But the producers felt that its unpolished sound was what was needed to give the song its ingenuous tone, to match its subject matter and accompanying promotional video clip; it ended up on the final cut.

The video features a street race and co-stars Keanu Reeves, drawing stylistic inspiration from the 1955 James Dean/Natalie Wood film Rebel Without A Cause, and as such, has a period theme. A 90-second dramatic prelude to the song rather mirrors the characters from "Rebel." The video was directed by Stefan Würnitzer, and produced by Karen Rohrbacher for Lucasfilm Commercial Productions.

"Rush Rush" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #36 on May 11, 1991, and hit #1 five weeks later, June 15, 1991, where it remained for five consecutive weeks. At the time of its five-week stint, it was the longest running #1 since Madonna's "Like a Virgin" spent six weeks at #1 during the winter of 1984-1985. The song also spent five weeks atop the U.S. adult contemporary chart. It peaked at #6 on the UK Singles Chart.

U.S. Cassette

U.S. Promo 5" CD

UK 5" CD