This week in... 1989
THE SONG:
Straight Up
THE ARTIST:
Paula Abdul
THE LYRICS:
Straight up now tell me/Is it gonna be you and me together (oh oh oh)/Are you just having fun
THE RESULTS:
Straight Up was one of four No 1 Billboard Hot 100 singles off the US performer's debut album Forever Your Girl (1988).
The catchy hit, which remained on the Billboard chart for three weeks, catapulted her to success.
A black-and-white music video followed, directed by Hollywood film-maker David Fincher and choreographed by Abdul. The iconic clip earned her four MTV Video Music Awards in 1989 for Best Female Video, Best Editing, Best Choreography and Best Dance Video.
THAT WAS THEN...
A big deal in the 1980s and 1990s, Abdul achieved widespread acclaim as both a choreographer and a singer and released three albums - Forever Your Girl (1988), Spellbound (1991) and Head Over Heels (1995).
Her career was resuscitated in the Noughties when she became an American Idol judge and stayed on the panel for eight seasons.
THIS IS NOW...
She has gone from one reality TV competition to another and is now part of the judging panel for So You Think You Can Dance Australia Season 4.
After a four-year hiatus, there were hopes that the 51-year-old's star appeal would boost ratings for the show, which premiered on Feb 9.
But it only chalked up some 313,000 viewers last week across five Australian cities.
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