"Straight Up" is a 1988 hit single by American singer Paula
Abdul, which reached number one on the 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).
"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. It reached number
three in the UK and number three in Germany.
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, 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.
In the US, "Straight Up" reached the number-one spot on the
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.
NB: the UK 12" and both CD singles feature shorter versions
of the latter three mixes, as listed below.