30 Years of Straight Up by Paula Abdul

It seems like just yesterday but 30 years ago on November 22nd 1988,“Straight Up” by Paula Abdul was unleashed to become a massive dance-pop classic. In recent times, Paula is best known for her role as empathetic judge on American Idol. Back in ’89 though, she was tearing up the charts with this funky tune that made her a household name. Everyone sat up and took notice of the short, sassy, exotic-looking dancer who  moved like a sista. In the age of MTV, visuals played a huge part in the commercial success of recording artists. Part of Straight Up’s endearing appeal is the stunning music video shot in black and white by legendary director David Fincher. Paired with Paula Abdul’s energetic choreography and streetwise aesthetics, they created a timeless classic that eventually went straight to no. 1. Even talk-show host Arsenio Hall got a piece of the action as he guest-appeared in the video, helping to raise its profile.

Hard to believe that at the time, Paula’s record label  wanted nothing to do with Straight Up because they thought it wouldn’t go anywhere. But Abdul’s intuition told her the song had potential and she fought to get it recorded. So this was a major personal triumph for her, being a testament to the power of faith and belief in oneself.

Straight Up is hands down a dance-music masterpiece that 30 years on, stands the test of time!

Copyright © 2018 Frankie Diamond. All rights reserved. Excerpts of less than 200 words may be published to another site, including a link back to the original article. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety and posted to another site without the express permission of the author.

The Age of Reason: Frankenräver 7

Image source: sarahontheroad.com

7 impossible years later, Frankenräver’s still blogging. Sometimes I ask myself why when it’s so easy to quit. After all, there’s sooo much crayzee shit going on out there  maybe people don’t care to even read a 350 word article anymore. Heavens to Murgatroyd! The attention span of an average human is apparently less than that of a goldfish. Just stop and think what that means for a hot second. I smell a humongous cookout looming on the horizon and it ain’t your homefront fishfry.  But anyway, if I captured your attention long enough to read this, dag I’m happy! Coz even though I don’t blog as much as I like to, writing is and always will be my passion. And as long as there are pens, pencils, paper (well, in this case, a laptop and Internet connection) and worthwhile subjects,  I will continue writing. For the dispossessed, unsung, underappreciated aspects of human artistry and about exceptional, well-received and newly discovered artists. Coz that’s life after all.

To kick off my 7^th Blogaversary, I chose Prince’s “7.” One of his best songs epitomizing the triumph of good over evil and quite possibly, his battle with Warner Bros. at that time when he was known as Symbol Boy and AFKAP to the unenlightened. I saw him perform this song live in concert at Maple Leaf Gardens after winning tickets and a copy of this album (cassette actually) from a radio contest. A cassette, wow…well that was the 90’s! ! Thanks Prince for the memories and the music. Enjoy your jubilant jam sessions with the angels.

Copyright © 2018 Frankie Diamond. All rights reserved. Excerpts of less than 200 words may be published to another site, including a link back to the original article. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety and posted to another site without the express permission of the author.