Forever Your Girl
Template:For Template:Use mdy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: June 13, 1988 | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Shut Up and Dance: Mixes1990studioForever Your GirlForever Your Girl - Paula Abdul.PNGyesPaula AbdulJune 13, 1988October 1987–April 1988*Creation Audio, Minneapolis
- Studio Masters, Los Angeles, California
- Silverlake Studios, Los Angeles, California
- Kren Studio, Los Angeles, California
- JHL Sound, Pacific Palisades, California
- Studio 55, Los Angeles, California
- Cochrane Studios, Studio City, California
- Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California
- House of Music, West Orange, New Jersey* Dance-pop<ref name="Breihan 2021">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Deggans">Template:Cite book</ref>44:35VirginTemplate:Flatlistx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}} Forever Your Girl is the debut album by American singer Paula Abdul. It was released in June 13, 1988 through Virgin Records.Template:Efn The album was Abdul's breakthrough into the music industry after being a choreographer for high-profile clients including the California Raisins, George Michael, ZZ Top, Duran Duran and most notably Janet Jackson. At the time it was the most successful debut album and was the first time that a female artist scored four US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles from her first album. It is currently certified 7× Platinum by the RIAA.
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 Janet Jackson, recorded a demo using her savings.<ref name="metacritic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 for her mezzo-soprano voice.<ref name="BuzzFeed">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The album was made on a budget of $72,000.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Release and reception
Template:Music ratings 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 chart, the longest an album was on the market before hitting number one.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The album was eventually certified seven times Platinum in the US by the RIAA and has sold over 12 million copies worldwide.<ref name="PA-People">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> It also includes four number one Billboard Hot 100 singles: "Straight Up", "Forever Your Girl", "Cold Hearted", and "Opposites Attract",<ref name=PA-People /> 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. Forever Your Girl is also one of nine albums to have a minimum of four songs reach number one on the U.S. charts. 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 mid 1989 after its initial 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
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'."<ref name=LAD/>
Accolades
| Organization | Country | Accolade | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTV Video Music Awards | United States | Best Female Video (Straight Up) | 1989 | rowspan="4" Template:Won |
| Best Dance Video (Straight Up) | ||||
| Best Choreography in a Video (Straight Up) | ||||
| Best Editing (Straight Up) | ||||
| Best New Artist in a Video (Straight Up) | rowspan="2" Template:Nominated | |||
| Breakthrough Video (Straight Up) | ||||
| American Music Awards | Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist | 1990 | rowspan="2" Template:Won | |
| Favorite Dance Artist | ||||
| Favorite Pop Rock Album | rowspan="4" Template:Nominated | |||
| Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist | ||||
| Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist | 1991 | |||
| Billboard Music Awards | #1 World Album | 1990 | ||
| Soul Train Awards | Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Song of the Year (Straight Up) | 1990 | Template:Nominated | |
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite Female Artist | 1990 | rowspan="1"Template:Won | |
| Favorite All-Around Female Entertainer | rowspan="1"Template:Nominated | |||
| Grammy Awards | Best Vocal Performance, Female (Straight Up) | 1990 | Template:Nominated | |
| Best Music Video (Short Form) Opposites Attract | 1991 | rowspan="1"Template:Won | ||
| Juno Awards | Canada | International Single of the Year (Straight Up) | 1990 | rowspan="2"Template:Nominated |
| International Album of the Year | 1990 | |||
| Brit Award | United Kingdom | International Breakthrough Act | 1990 | Template:Nominated |
Track listing
Personnel
Adapted from AllMusic.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Div col
- Paula Abdul – lead vocals
- Marvin Gunn and Bruce DeShazer AKA Tony Christin – backing vocals
- Peter Arata – mixing assistant
- Babyface – keyboards, producer, backing vocals
- Glen Ballard – drums, producer, programming
- Russ Bracher – engineer
- Pattie Brooks – backing vocals
- Wally Buck – engineer
- Francis Buckley – engineer, mixing
- Annette Cisneros – assistant engineer
- Dave Cochran – guitar, backing vocals
- Keith "KC" Cohen – mixing, producer
- Delisa Davis – backing vocals
- Tami Day – backing vocals
- Jimmy Demers – backing vocals
- Eddie M. – saxophone on "I Need You"
- Al Fleming – assistant engineer
- Basil Fung – guitar
- Jon Gass – engineer, mixing
- Bobby Gonzales – guitar
- Danny Grigsby – assistant engineer
- Evelyn Halus – backing vocals
- Dann Huff – guitar
- Tim Jaquette – engineer, mixing
- Jesse Johnson – drums, keyboards, producer
- Cliff Jones – assistant engineer, engineer
- Kayo – synthesizer, synthesizer bass
- Oliver Leiber – arranger, drum programming, guitar, keyboards, producer, programming
- Jeff Lorber – drum programming, engineer, guest artist, keyboards, producer
- Yvette Marine – backing vocals
- Pat McDougal – assistant engineer
- Lucia Newell – backing vocals
- Ricky P. – keyboards
- Pebbles – guest artist, backing vocals
- L.A. Reid – drums, guest artist, percussion programming, producer
- Angel Rogers – backing vocals
- Josh Schneider – assistant engineer
- Daryl Simmons – backing vocals
- Bob Somma – guitar
- St. Paul – arranger, bass, keyboards, Organ, vocoder
- Kendall Stubbs – engineer
- Randy Weber – programming, synthesizer
- Steve Weise – engineer
- Troy Williams – alto saxophone on "Forever Your Girl"
- Wild Pair – vocals, backing vocals
Charts
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2
Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart| Chart (1988–1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| European Albums (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 13 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref name="Japan Chart">Template:Citation</ref> | 94 |
| Chart (1989) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 6 | |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
72 |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 3 | |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 24 | |
| Chart (1990) | Position | |
| Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
20 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 9 | |
| European Albums (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 92 | |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 6 | |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 79 |
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200<ref name="1990sbb">Template:Cite book</ref> | 53 |
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 (Women)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 10 |
Certifications
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