"Opposites Attract" | ||||
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Single by Paula Abdul | ||||
from the album Forever Your Girl | ||||
B-side | "One or the Other" | |||
Released | November 17, 1989 [1] | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Funk [2] | |||
Length |
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Label | Virgin | |||
Songwriter(s) | Oliver Leiber | |||
Producer(s) | Oliver Leiber | |||
Paula Abdul singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Opposites Attract" on YouTube |
"Opposites Attract" is a song by American singer Paula Abdul from her debut album, Forever Your Girl (1988). It was written and produced by Oliver Leiber. Vocals on the song, in addition to Abdul, were provided by Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn, also known as the Wild Pair. "Opposites Attract" was the sixth and final single from the album in November 1989 and achieved success in many countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where it was a number-one hit. Lyrically, the song is about a couple who love each other despite being different in almost every way possible.
The song's accompanying music video was directed by Candace Reckinger and Michael Patterson, [3] in which Abdul dances with cartoon character MC Skat Kat, voiced by the Wild Pair, Bruce DeShazer and Marvin Gunn. [4] An additional rap, written by Romany Malco, was provided by Derrick "Delite" Stevens [5] for the Street mix version of the song, which was edited for the 7"/video.
The idea of MC Skat Kat came from the Gene Kelly film Anchors Aweigh , where Kelly dances with Jerry Mouse from the Tom and Jerry cartoon series. Paula even choreographed the animated character's moves to match her live-action dance moves in the video. MC Skat Kat was animated by members of the Disney animation team, working outside the studio between major projects, under the direction of Chris Bailey. [6] MC Skat Kat's movements were the result of rotoscoping animation, with Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers standing in for the character against a blue screen, then drawing the animated form over Chambers' dance moves. The Wild Pair Marvin Gunn and Bruce DeShazer did not appear in the video, although two other cats (also animated) did appear, possibly meant to represent them.
The video won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video and was nominated for Breakthrough Video at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards.
"Opposites Attract" initially rose from number 72 to number 47 the week of December 23, 1989, and landed at number one the week of February 10, 1990, where it remained for three weeks, matching the run of "Straight Up". It became Abdul's fourth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and made her the fourth artist in music history to score four number-one hits from a single album, after Whitney Houston, George Michael and Michael Jackson. (Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Usher and Katy Perry would later duplicate the feat). "Opposites Attract" also topped the charts in Australia and Canada and peaked at number two in the United Kingdom.
Melody Maker commented, "Lovely, lovely Paula released her fourth American Number One. This kicks off with a smart little rap then Paula jumps in and tip-taps her way through sounding happy, naive and full of herself, like the homecoming queen out on her first real date. She can do no wrong. It must be love." [7] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "For this release Abdul duets with the Wild Pair. The song also features a rap by Derrick Delite and is, of course, very danceable." [8] A reviewer from People Magazine described it as one of "the liveliest cuts" from the album. [9]
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Credits and personnel are adapted from Forever Your Girl album liner notes. [18]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [43] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [56] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [57] | Silver | 200,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [1] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | November 17, 1989 |
| Virgin | [1] |
Japan | January 21, 1990 | Mini-CD | [58] | |
United Kingdom | March 26, 1990 |
| Siren | [59] |
April 16, 1990 |
| [60] |
MC Skat Kat is an animated cat character who appeared with Paula Abdul in the video for her song "Opposites Attract" in 1989.
Forever Your Girl is the debut studio album by American singer Paula Abdul. It was released on June 21, 1988, through Virgin Records. The album was Abdul's breakthrough into the music industry after being a choreographer for high-profile clients including 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.
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