Song #682: "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul

Date: Feb 11, 1989
Weeks: 3

Much like yesterday's Blondie song illustrated the 70s giving way to the 80s, this song is a great example of the 80s turning into the 90s. The synth-keyboards of the 80s are there, but the funk and dance beat, and semi-rap verses, is the sound of the 90s starting to show.

The music is fun. This is a song that has figured out how synthesized keyboards work, and how the kinds of sounds they produce can be used to create unique sounds, rather than emulate other instruments. The bass is funky and fun and memorable. This is a tight sound, carefully engineered into a well-crafted piece of music.

Paula Abdul's voice is whiny, to be sure, but her voice fits well with the synthesizers here. In the verses, she's almost rapping. It's not quite rap, but it references the sound of rap while still being kind of sing-y. That sounds like an awkward mess, but it really does work here.

The lyrics are pretty empowering. "Straight up now tell me is it going to be you and me forever, or are you just having fun?" She's not sure if the relationship she's in is just a fling or if it's going somewhere. And rather than angst and complain about it, she's making this song a confrontation. "Do do you love me? Come on now!" It's a good message to women, or really to anyone. Be assertive in your relationships and don't be afraid to ask for what you want.

My verdict: Like it. Paula Abdul's Forever Your Girl was one of the first albums I owned on CD, and it's great. Almost any song from it is a winner in my book, and this is even one of the stronger songs from it.