Forever Your Girl (song)

"Forever Your Girl" is a song recorded by American singer Paula Abdul for her 1988 debut studio album of the same name. Written and produced by Oliver Leiber, the song was released on February 20, 1989 as the fourth single from the Forever Your Girl album.

"Forever Your Girl"
Single by Paula Abdul
from the album Forever Your Girl
ReleasedFebruary 20, 1989
Format
RecordedNovember 1987 – January 1988[1]
Genre
Length4:58
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)Oliver Leiber
Producer(s)Oliver Leiber
Paula Abdul singles chronology
"Straight Up"
(1988)		 "Forever Your Girl"
(1989)		 "Cold Hearted"
(1989)

After the unexpected success of previous single, "Straight Up", Virgin Records quickly released another single to satisfy the public's newfound interest in Abdul. It became the second number-one single from the album, which would eventually yield four number-one singles.

"Forever Your Girl" spent two weeks at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 in May 1989, reached number 28 on the Dance Club Songs chart, and number eleven on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song was part of a medley Abdul sang at the 1989 MTV Music Video Awards.

Composition and lyrics

The song is about loyalty in a relationship. The female vocalist proclaims that, despite rumors that others may be interested in her, none of those matter because she will remain faithful to the man she loves; she will remain "forever his girl." The single version differs slightly from the album version, as it uses more of the background male vocal and denser instrumentation.

Music video

The accompanying music video for the song was directed by David Fincher, and featured Abdul acting as a choreographer and director of a children's performance (a 6-year-old Trevor Wright, 8-year-old Elijah Wood and 10-year-old Nikki Cox were among them). The "Forever Your Girl" video spent two weeks at number one on MTV's video rotation and helped establish Abdul as a leading visual entertainer.

The video also parodied a number of popular videos, such as:

In 2020, the video has been used in a commercial for Voltaren Arthritis Pain Gel. Paula is alongside the footage, mimicking the same dance routine.

Track listing and formats

US 12-inch single
  1. "Forever Your Girl" (12" Version) – 6:33
  2. "Forever Your Girl" (Yo! Greg Dub Version) – 5:45
  3. "Forever Your Girl" (Saunderson-Grosse House of Love Mix) – 6:33
  4. "Straight Up" (Kevin Saunderson Club Mix) – 6:52
  5. "Next to You" – 4:28

UK/European CD single
  1. "Forever Your Girl" (Remix) – 4:15
  2. "Straight Up" (7" Edit)
  3. "Next to You" – 4:29
  4. "Forever Your Girl" (12" Version) – 6:33

Official versions/remixes
  • Album Version – 4:58
  • 12" Version (Keith Cohen) – 6:33
  • Single Version / Remix (K. Cohen) – 4:15
  • House of Love Mix (K. Cohen) – 6:33
  • Yo! Greg Dub Version (K. Cohen) – 5:45
  • Shep's Special Mix (Shep Pettibone) – 6:27
  • Frankie Foncett Club Remix – 6:11

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[2] 51
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[3] 1
Germany (Official German Charts) 17
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[4] 24
US Billboard Hot 100[5] 1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[6] 11
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[7] 28
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[8] 54

Year-end charts
Chart (1989) Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] 22
US Billboard Hot 100[10] 30

Cover versions

2020 film Impractical Jokers: The Movie, the plot of which revolves around a party with Paula Abdul, includes the original version by Abdul, a live version, and cover versions by Bon Jovi, Method Man, Harry Connick Jr. and Joey Fatone.

References
  1. "Oliver Leiber : Songwriter Interviews".
  2. "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2014-01-17". imgur.com. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  3. "RPM Weekly Top Singles". Library and Archives Canada. RPM Weekly (archived). May 29, 1989. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  4. UK Official Singles Chart
  5. "Music: Top 100 - Billboard Hot 100 Chart", Billboard
  6. "Adult Contemporary Chart - Billboard", Billboard
  7. "Dance Club Songs - Billboard", Billboard
  8. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - Billboard", Billboard
  9. "Top Singles - Volume 51, No. 8, December 23, 1989". RPM. December 23, 1999. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  10. "Billboard Top 100 - 1989". Archived from the original on 2010-01-25. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
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