Opposites Attract
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| “Opposites Attract” | |||||
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| Single by Paula Abdul from the album Forever Your Girl |
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| B-side | "One or the Other" | ||||
| Released | November 28, 1989 | ||||
| Format | CD maxi 7" single 12" maxi Cassette |
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| Recorded | 1988, 1989 | ||||
| Genre | Pop/R&B | ||||
| Length | 3:48 | ||||
| Label | Virgin | ||||
| Writer(s) | Oliver Leiber | ||||
| Producer | Oliver Leiber | ||||
| Certification | Gold (US) | ||||
| Paula Abdul singles chronology | |||||
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"Opposites Attract" is a song recorded by Paula Abdul, taken from her debut album Forever Your Girl. It was written and produced by Oliver Leiber. The song was the sixth and final single from the album.
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[edit] Chart performances
"Opposites Attract" became one of the most popular R&B and dance-pop singles of 1990. The single initially rose from #72 to #47 the week of December 23, 1989, and landed at #1 the week of February 10, 1990, where it remained for three weeks, matching the run of "Straight Up". It became Abdul's fourth #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and made her the fourth artist in music history to score four #1 hits from a single album, after Whitney Houston, George Michael and Michael Jackson. Although the single was released at the end of 1989, the song itself is considered one of the first popular songs of the 1990s. "Opposites Attract" also topped the charts in Australia, and peaked at #2 in the UK. It failed to enter the German Top 10, peaking at #13.
The lyrics are about a couple who love each other despite being different in just about every way possible.
[edit] Music video
The song is distinctive for its colorful music video (directed by David Fincher with animation by Candace Reckinger & Michael Patterson), where Paula dances with cartoon character MC Skat Kat, whose backup and lead vocals were provided by the duet The Wild Pair. The idea of MC Skat Kat came from the Gene Kelly movie Anchors Aweigh, where Kelly dances with Jerry, the 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. It won Abdul a Grammy award in 1991 for "Best Short Form Music Video".
[edit] Parodies
This video was later parodied by the Family Guy episode "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz" with Peter Griffin "dressed like a cat," taking the place of MC Skat Kat. Paula herself actually appears in the sequence. According to DVD commentary, Abdul re-recorded her vocals specifically for the episode. The song was also featured in hit comedy TV show "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch" in the Season 4 Episode, "Aging, Not So Gracefully".
[edit] Formats and track listings
- 12" maxi - US
- "Opposites Attract" (street mix)
- "Opposites Attract" (magnetic mix)
- "Opposites Attract" (club mix)
- "Opposites Attract" (12" mix)
- "Opposites Attract" (party dub)
- "Opposites Attract" (dub mix)
- Cassette / 7" single - US
- "Opposites Attract" (7" mix) (3:46)
- "One or the Other" (LP 4:08)
- CD maxi
- "Opposites Attract" (street mix) (4:28)
- "Opposites Attract" (12" mix) (5:40)
- "Opposites Attract" (dub version) (6:25)
- "Opposites Attract" (magnetic mix) (4:01)
- "Opposites Attract" (club mix) (5:40)
- "Opposites Attract" (party dub) (3:09)
[edit] Official remixes
- 7" Mix
- Party Dub
- Dub Mix
- 12" Mix
- Club Mix
- Magnetic Mix
- Street Mix
- 1990 Mix
- Shep's Special Mix - 6:43
[edit] Charts
| Chart (1989/1990)[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 7 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 24 |
| US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 3 |
| US ARC Weekly Top 40 | 1 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 18 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| French Singles Chart | 23 |
| German Singles Chart | 13 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 8 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 6 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 11 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 19 |
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| Preceded by "Downtown Train" by Rod Stewart |
ARC Weekly Top 40 number one single February 10, 1990 - February 17, 1990 |
Succeeded by "Escapade" by Janet Jackson |
| Preceded by "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" by Michael Bolton |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single February 10, 1990 - February 24, 1990 |
Succeeded by "Escapade" by Janet Jackson |
| Preceded by "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor |
Australian ARIA Singles Chart number-one single April 21, 1990 - May 5, 1990 |
Succeeded by "Vogue" / "Keep it Together" by Madonna |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Opposites Attract", in various Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
- ^ German Singles Chart Charts-surfer.de (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
- ^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
- ^ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
- ^ Billboard Billboard.com (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
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