Forever Your Girl

Last updated
Forever Your Girl
Forever Your Girl - Paula Abdul.PNG
Studio album by
Paula Abdul
ReleasedJune 21, 1988
Studio
Genre
Length44:35
Label Virgin
Producer
Paula Abdul chronology
Forever Your Girl
(1988)		 Shut Up and Dance: Mixes
(1990)
Singles from Forever Your Girl
  1. "Knocked Out"
    Released: May 4, 1988
  2. "The Way That You Love Me"
    Released: August 2, 1988
  3. "Straight Up"
    Released: November 22, 1988
  4. "Forever Your Girl"
    Released: February 20, 1989
  5. "Cold Hearted"
    Released: June 15, 1989
  6. "Opposites Attract"
    Released: November 17, 1989

Forever Your Girl is the debut studio album by American singer Paula Abdul. It was released on June 21, 1988, through Virgin Records. [3] The album was Abdul's breakthrough into the music industry after being a choreographer for high-profile clients including Kate Bush, The California Raisins, George Michael, ZZ Top, Duran Duran and most notably Janet Jackson. At the time of the album's release it was the most successful debut album of all time and was the first time an artist scored four US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles from a debut album. It is currently certified 7× platinum by the RIAA.

Contents

Background

In 1987, Abdul, who had built up her professional reputation as a choreographer for the Los Angeles Lakers and high-profile artists including George Michael, ZZ Top, Duran Duran and most notably Janet Jackson, recorded a demo using her savings. [4] Soon thereafter, she was signed to Virgin Records by Jeff Ayeroff, who had worked in marketing at A&M Records with Janet Jackson. Although she was a skilled dancer and choreographer, Abdul's vocal abilities were unimpressive, and with Ayeroff's support, she underwent training until her singing range was rated mezzo-soprano. [5] [6] Ayeroff recalled signing Abdul to a recording contract years later, stating: "She said, 'I can sing, you know. I want to do an album.' Paula's in our industry. Here's someone with a personality and she's gorgeous, and she can dance. If she can sing, she could be a star. So she went into the studio and cut a demo record and she could sing." [7] The album was made on a budget of $72,000. [8]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Christgau's Record Guide C [10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Los Angeles Daily News C [12]
Number One Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]

On October 7, 1989, 64 weeks after its July 23, 1988 debut on the chart, Forever Your Girl hit number one on the Billboard 200 album sales chart, the longest an album has been on the market before hitting number one. [15] The album was eventually certified seven times Platinum in the US by the RIAA and has sold over 12 million copies worldwide. [16] It also includes four number one Billboard Hot 100 singles: "Straight Up", "Forever Your Girl", "Cold Hearted", and "Opposites Attract", [16] which places Forever Your Girl in a tie (with several other artists) for second most number-one songs from a single album, and ties it for the most number ones in a debut album. She was the first female artist to have four number one singles from a debut album. "The Way That You Love Me" reached number three, and "Knocked Out" reached number 41.

The album also reached number four on the R&B album chart, while "Straight Up", "Opposites Attract", "Knocked Out", and "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me" all reached the top 10 of the R&B tracks chart.

After a slow start, the album's third single "Straight Up" helped the album breakout in spring/summer 1989 after its initial summer 1988 release. Forever Your Girl hit number one for the first time on October 7, 1989. After the release of the single "Opposites Attract", the album shot to number one again on February 3, 1990, and stayed there for nine consecutive weeks.

By 1998, Billboard magazine reported that Forever Your Girl was the most successful album released by the Virgin Records label, with all five of its top 20 hits also appearing on the same chart ranking Virgin's singles. [17]

The Los Angeles Daily News called the album "a fine starmaker vehicle", stating that Abdul "applies a come-hither whisper to a likable batch of melodies... What's frustrating is that Abdul's voice is buried beneath bustling arrangements on tunes like 'Opposites Attract' and 'Knocked Out'." [12]

Accolades

OrganizationCountryAccoladeYearResult
MTV Video Music Awards United States Best Female Video (Straight Up) 1989Won
Best Dance Video (Straight Up)
Best Choreography in a Video (Straight Up)
Best Editing (Straight Up)
Best New Artist in a Video (Straight Up)Nominated
Breakthrough Video (Straight Up)
American Music Awards Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist 1990Won
Favorite Dance Artist
Favorite Pop Rock Album Nominated
Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist
Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist1991
Billboard Music Awards #1 World Album1990
Soul Train Awards Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Song of the Year (Straight Up) 1990Nominated
People's Choice Awards Favorite Female Artist1990Won
Favorite All-Around Female EntertainerNominated
Grammy Awards Best Vocal Performance, Female (Straight Up) 1990Nominated
Best Music Video (Short Form) Opposites Attract 1991Won
Juno Awards CanadaInternational Single of the Year (Straight Up)1990Nominated
International Album of the Year1990
Brit Award United KingdomInternational Breakthrough Act1990Nominated

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Way That You Love Me" Oliver Leiber Leiber5:22
2."Knocked Out"
  • Reid
  • Babyface
3:52
3."Opposites Attract"LeiberLeiber4:24
4."State of Attraction"
Ballard4:07
5."I Need You"
Johnson5:01
6."Forever Your Girl"LeiberLeiber4:58
7."Straight Up" Elliot Wolff Wolff4:11
8."Next to You"
  • Curtis Williams
  • Kendall Stubbs
  • Sandra Williams
C. Williams4:26
9."Cold Hearted"WolffWolff3:51
10."One or the Other"
  • Paula Abdul
  • C. Williams
  • Duncan Pain
C. Williams4:10
Total length:44:22

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic. [18]

Charts

All-end chart performance for Forever Your Girl by Paula Abdul
ChartPosition
US Billboard 200 (Women) [42] 10

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [43] Platinum70,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [44] 7× Platinum700,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [45] Gold10,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ) [46] Platinum15,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [47] Gold25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [48] Platinum300,000^
United States (RIAA) [49] 7× Platinum7,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Breihan, Tom (December 3, 2021). "The Number Ones: Paula Abdul's "Rush Rush". Stereogum . Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Britannica Book of the Year. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Incorporated. 1991. ISBN   978-0-85229-546-5.
  4. ↑ "Paula Abdul Biography". metacritic.com. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  5. ↑ Dominguez, Pier (June 13, 2018). "How "Forever Your Girl" Made Paula Abdul The Original Britney". BuzzFeed . Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  6. ↑ Hanson, Rachel. "Dancer Paula Abdul". LoveToKnow. LoveToKnow Corp. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  7. ↑ Hall, Carla (March 25, 1990). "Paula Abdul, Soaring Straight Up". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Paula Abdul Talks "Very Personal" Las Vegas Residency and Paving the Way for Today's Pop Stars". The Hollywood Reporter . 31 October 2019.
  9. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r131740
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  15. ↑ "Paula Abdul - Biography, Photos, News, Videos, Movie Reviews". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
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  42. ↑ "Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums By Women". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved 1 December 2017.
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