Wikipedia

Rush Rush (Paula Abdul song)

"Rush Rush" is a song by American recording artist Paula Abdul, taken from her second studio album, Spellbound (1991). It was released on April 24, 1991, by Virgin Records as the lead single from the album. Written by Peter Lord and produced by Peter Lord and V. Jeffrey Smith (both members of the Family Stand), the song achieved success in the United States, where it topped the Billboard Hot 100, and became a worldwide hit.

"Rush Rush"
Standard artwork (UK 12-inch vinyl single pictured)
Single by Paula Abdul
from the album Spellbound
B-side"Rush Rush" (dub mix)
ReleasedApril 24, 1991 (1991-04-24)
Recorded1990
Studio
  • Greene Street[1] (New York City)
  • Z (Brooklyn, New York)
  • Studio Masters (Los Angeles)
Length4:56
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)Peter Lord
Producer(s)Peter Lord & Vernon Jeffrey Smith
Paula Abdul singles chronology
"Opposites Attract"
(1989) 		"Rush Rush"
(1991) 		"The Promise of a New Day"
(1991)

Background

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"Rush Rush" was a departure for Abdul stylistically, as it was her first ballad released as a single, following the six uptempo singles from her debut LP; it was viewed as a rather risky strategy in kicking off her second album of new material Spellbound, but the decision was vindicated, as it was warmly received at retail.

First presented to Abdul as a demo by the Family Stand in 1990, she became intent on it becoming the first single. In late 1990 at Studio Masters, Abdul laid down a scratch vocal for the track, which was never intended to make it to the song's final mix, but the producers felt that its unpolished sound was needed to give the song its ingenuous tone, to match its subject matter and accompanying promotional video clip; it ended up on the final cut in March 1991. Lyrically, "Rush Rush" is about the desire for a lover who will give their all in a relationship.

Chart performances

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"Rush Rush" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 36 on May 11, 1991, and reached number one five weeks later, on June 15, 1991, remaining there for five consecutive weeks. At the time, it was the longest-running number one since Madonna's "Like a Virgin" spent six weeks at number one during 1984 and 1985. The song also spent five weeks atop the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song was ranked as the 64th-most-successful song of the 1990s in the United States.[2]

In the United Kingdom, "Rush Rush" peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart.

Music video

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The video reimagines the 1955 James Dean/Natalie Wood film Rebel Without a Cause, including iconic location shots at Griffith Observatory, a black 1949 Mercury, and a climactic street race. With Keanu Reeves filling James Dean's role of Jim, opposite Abdul as Judy, several scenes from the movie are duplicated shot-for-shot. The video was directed by Stefan Würnitzer in April 1991 and produced by Karen Rohrbacher for Lucasfilm Commercial Productions.[3] The British Top of the Pops aired an alternate version of the video, re-edited to contain more "performance shots" and less story. Many more shots of Paula dancing in the orange dress were present.

Track listings and formats

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[33] Gold 35,000^
Sweden (GLF)[47] Gold 25,000^
United States (RIAA)[48] Platinum 1,000,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States April 24, 1991
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • cassette
 Virgin [48]
Japan May 13, 1991 Mini-CD Virgin Japan [49]
United Kingdom June 10, 1991
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Virgin [50]

Cover versions

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  • Eliana recorded the song for her album "Primavera" with the title "Como um Beijo em Noite de Luar" ("Like a Kiss on a Moonlight Night"). It was released as a single.[51]
  • Hong Kong singer Cass Phang (彭羚) recorded a Cantonese version "彷彿是初戀" (As If It's My First Love) released in 1992.
  • MYMP covered the song on their 2008 album Now.
  • Nicki Minaj used the strings piece from "Rush, Rush" in her song "Grand Piano".
  • Tyra B interpolates the hook of the song in her 2007 song "Givin' Me a Rush".

See also

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References

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  1. ^ http://crydee.sai.msu.ru/public/lyrics/asv-collection/Lyrics/Abdul_Paula/abdul.91 [dead link‍]
  2. ^ a b "Hot 100 Singles of the '90s". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-20. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  3. ^ "Stefan Würnitzer". IMDb.
  4. ^ Rush Rush (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1991. 7-98828.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ Rush Rush (US cassette single sleeve). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1991. 4-98828.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ Rush Rush (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records, Captive Records. 1991. VUSTY 38, 614 172.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Rush Rush (UK CD single liner notes). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records, Captive Records. 1991. VUSCD 38, 664 172.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Rush Rush (Japanese mini-CD single liner notes). Paula Abdul. Virgin Japan. 1991. VJDP-10157.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ "Paula Abdul – Rush Rush". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  10. ^ "Paula Abdul – Rush Rush" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  11. ^ "Paula Abdul – Rush Rush" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1229." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  13. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 6457." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  14. ^ a b Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. p. 18. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
  15. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 21. May 25, 1991. p. 26. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  16. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 30. July 27, 1991. p. 21. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  17. ^ "European Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 29. July 20, 1991. p. 22. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  18. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  19. ^ "Paula Abdul – Rush Rush" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  20. ^ "Paula Abdul – Rush Rush" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  21. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 31. August 3, 1991. p. 20. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  22. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Rush Rush". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  23. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 29, 1991" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  24. ^ "Paula Abdul – Rush Rush" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  25. ^ "Paula Abdul – Rush Rush". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  26. ^ "Paula Abdul – Rush Rush". VG-lista. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  27. ^ "Paula Abdul – Rush Rush". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  29. ^ "Paula Abdul Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  30. ^ "Paula Abdul Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  31. ^ "Paula Abdul Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  32. ^ ’’Joel Whitburn’s Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996 -ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0
  33. ^ a b "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1991". ARIA. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  34. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1991" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  35. ^ "RPM 100 Hit Tracks of 1991". RPM. Retrieved November 23, 2017 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  36. ^ "RPM 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1991". RPM. Retrieved October 24, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  37. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1991" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 51–52. December 21, 1991. p. 21. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  38. ^ "EHR Year-End Top 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 51–52. December 21, 1991. p. 20. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  39. ^ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1991" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  40. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1991" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  41. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1991" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  42. ^ "1991 Top 100 Singles". Music Week. January 11, 1992. p. 20.
  43. ^ "1991 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 51. December 21, 1991. p. YE-14.
  44. ^ "Hot 100 Singles of the '90s". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-20. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  45. ^ Lwin, Nanda. "Top 100 singles of the 1990s". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 29, 2000. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  46. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  47. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  48. ^ a b "American single certifications – Paula Abdul – Rush Rush". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  49. ^ "あふれる想い | ポーラ・アブドル" [Overflowing Feelings | Paula Abdul] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  50. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. June 8, 1991. p. 21.
  51. ^ UOL. "Como Um Beijo Em Noite De Luar (Rush Rush), de Eliana". Retrieved February 16, 2015.
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