Forever Your Girl
Encyclopedia
Forever Your Girl is the debut album from singer Paula Abdul
. It was released on June 13, 1988 and took 64 weeks from its release to hit number one on the Billboard 200
album sales chart, the longest an album has been on the market before hitting number one. The album was eventually certified
seven times Platinum in the US and sold 12 million worldwide. It also included four number one Hot 100 singles - "Straight Up", "Forever Your Girl
", "Cold Hearted
", and "Opposites Attract
." This ties for second most #1 songs from a single album, and is tied for the most number ones in a debut album. "The Way That You Love Me" reached #3 and "Knocked Out" reached #41.
The album also reached #4 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
", it shot to number one spot again on February 3, 1990 and stayed there for nine consecutive weeks. At one point, Forever Your Girl reportedly sold 191,000 copies in a single day.
Paula Abdul wrote one song on the Album, "One or the Other".
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
. It was released on June 13, 1988 and took 64 weeks from its release to hit number one on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album sales chart, the longest an album has been on the market before hitting number one. The album was eventually certified
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
seven times Platinum in the US and sold 12 million worldwide. It also included four number one Hot 100 singles - "Straight Up", "Forever Your Girl
Forever Your Girl (song)
"Forever Your Girl" is a 1989 hit song by Paula Abdul, taken from the album of the same name. It was written and produced by Oliver Leiber.After the success of "Straight Up", Virgin Records quickly released another single to satisfy the public's newfound interest in Paula Abdul...
", "Cold Hearted
Cold Hearted
"Cold Hearted" is a single from Paula Abdul's album Forever Your Girl, written and co-produced by Elliot Wolff. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the album's third song to top the US chart...
", and "Opposites Attract
Opposites Attract
"Opposites Attract" is a song recorded by Paula Abdul, featured on her debut album Forever Your Girl. It was written and produced by Oliver Leiber, who came up with the title after browsing a bookstore. Vocals on the song, in addition to Abdul, were provided by Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn, aka...
." This ties for second most #1 songs from a single album, and is tied for the most number ones in a debut album. "The Way That You Love Me" reached #3 and "Knocked Out" reached #41.
The album also reached #4 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
Opposites Attract
"Opposites Attract" is a song recorded by Paula Abdul, featured on her debut album Forever Your Girl. It was written and produced by Oliver Leiber, who came up with the title after browsing a bookstore. Vocals on the song, in addition to Abdul, were provided by Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn, aka...
", it shot to number one spot again on February 3, 1990 and stayed there for nine consecutive weeks. At one point, Forever Your Girl reportedly sold 191,000 copies in a single day.
Paula Abdul wrote one song on the Album, "One or the Other".
Track listing
- "The Way That You Love Me(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me" The Way That You Love Me" written by Oliver Leiber is Paula Abdul's second single, taken from the album Forever Your Girl.-Song information:...
" (Oliver Leiber) – 5:22 (#3 US) - "Knocked OutKnocked Out"Knocked Out" is the first song Paula Abdul Recorded and the first single, released in 1988 from the album Forever Your Girl. It was written by Babyface, L.A. Reid and Daryl Simmons and produced in early 1988 by the former two.-Song information:...
" (Babyface; Daryl Simmons; L.A. Reid) – 3:52 (#41 US) - "Opposites AttractOpposites Attract"Opposites Attract" is a song recorded by Paula Abdul, featured on her debut album Forever Your Girl. It was written and produced by Oliver Leiber, who came up with the title after browsing a bookstore. Vocals on the song, in addition to Abdul, were provided by Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn, aka...
" (w/The Wild PairThe Wild PairThe Wild Pair, whose real names are Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn, was a singing duo who were primarily known for their 1990 hit duet with Paula Abdul, "Opposites Attract"...
) (Oliver Leiber) – 4:24 (#1 US)* - "State of Attraction" (Glen Ballard; Siedah Garrett) – 4:07
- "I Need You" (Jesse Johnson; Ta Mara) – 5:01
- "Forever Your GirlForever Your Girl (song)"Forever Your Girl" is a 1989 hit song by Paula Abdul, taken from the album of the same name. It was written and produced by Oliver Leiber.After the success of "Straight Up", Virgin Records quickly released another single to satisfy the public's newfound interest in Paula Abdul...
" (Oliver Leiber) – 4:58 (#1 US) - "Straight Up" (Elliot Wolff) – 4:11 (#1 US)
- "Next To You" (Curtis "Fitz" Williams; K. Stubbs; S. Williams) – 4:26
- "Cold HeartedCold Hearted"Cold Hearted" is a single from Paula Abdul's album Forever Your Girl, written and co-produced by Elliot Wolff. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the album's third song to top the US chart...
" (Elliot Wolff) – 3:51 (#1 US) - "One or the Other" (Paula Abdul; Curtis "Fitz" Williams; Duncan Pain) – 4:10
Production And Personnel (by track)
- Tracks 1, 3 & 6 Arranged & Produced By Oliver Leiber (for The Noise Club). Engineered By Steve Wiese, Pete Martinson, Russell Bracher, Jeff Lorber & Cliff Jones. Mixed By Keith "KC" Cohen. Oliver Leiber: Guitars, Keyboards, Drum Programming; Ricky P. & Jeff Lorber: Additional Keyboards; St. Paul: VocoderVocoderA vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
, BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
& Keyboards; Troy Williams: Saxophone - Track 2 Arranged & Produced By LA Reid & Babyface (for LaFaceLaFace RecordsLaFace Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment.-Company history:LaFace was formed in 1989 as a joint venture between the producing duo Antonio "L.A." Reid & Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Arista Records. The combined nicknames of the duo's successful...
Productions, Inc). Engineered & Mixed By Jon Gass. Babyface: Keyboards, Vocal Backing; Kayo: Synthesized Bass; LA Reid: Drums, Percussion Programming; Pebbles, Yvette Marine, Darryl Simmons: Vocal Backing - Track 4 Arranged & Produced By Glen Ballard (for Aerowave Inc). Engineered & Mixed By Francis Buckley; assisted by Al Fleming & Theodore Blaisdell. Glen Ballard & Chuck Wild: Drums, Keyboards, Programming; Basil Fung: Guitars
- Track 5 Arranged & Produced By Jesse Johnson (for JWJ Productions), with co-production by Dave Cochrane. Engineered By Wally Buck, with assistance by Cliff Jones & Pat McDougall. Mixed By Keith Cohen. Bobby Gonzales & Dave Cochrane: Guitars; Eddie M.: Saxophone; Jesse Johnson: Drums & Keyboards
- Tracks 7 & 9 Arranged & Produced By Elliot Wolff, with co-production by Keith Cohen. Engineered & Mixed By Keith "KC" Cohen (assistant recording engineers: Josh Schneider & Annette Cisneros; assistant mix engineer: Peter Arata). Elliot Wolff: Kewyboards & Synthesizers, Synth & Drum Programming; Dann HuffDann HuffDann Huff is an American musician, session musician, singer-songwriter and producer. For his work as a producer in the Country music genre he has won several awards including the Musician of the Year award in 2001 and 2004 at the Country Music Association Awards and the Producer of the Year award...
: Guitars - Tracks 8 & 10 Arranged & Produced By Curtis Williams (for Willpower Productions). Engineered By Kendall Stubbs & Tim Jacquette, with assistance by Mike Wisenger & Danny Grigsby. Mixed By Tim Jacquette, Curtis Williams (both track 8) and Keith Cohen (track 10). Curtis Williams & Randy Weber: Synthesizer Programming; Bob Somma: Guitars
Charts & certifications
| Chart (1989/90) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 1 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 1 |
| Japanese Oricon Albums Chart | 94 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 19 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 17 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 6 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 15 |
| UK Albums Chart | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 1 |
End of decade charts
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 53 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Sales/Shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2× Platinum | 140,000+ |
| Canada | 7× Platinum | 700,000+ |
| Hong Kong | Gold | 15,000+ |
| United Kingdom | Platinum | 300,000+ |
| United States | 7× Platinum | 7,000,000+ |