"Opposites Attract" is a song by American singerPaula Abdul from her debut album,Forever Your Girl (1988). It was written and produced by Oliver Leiber. Vocals on the song, in addition to Abdul, were provided by Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn, also known asthe Wild Pair. "Opposites Attract" was the sixth and final single from the album in November 1989 byVirgin Records and achieved success in many countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where it was a number-one hit. Lyrically, the song is about a couple who love each other despite being different in almost every way possible.
Melody Maker commented, "Lovely, lovely Paula released her fourth American Number One. This kicks off with a smart little rap then Paula jumps in and tip-taps her way through sounding happy, naive and full of herself, like the homecoming queen out on her first real date. She can do no wrong. It must be love."[5]Pan-European magazineMusic & Media wrote, "For this release Abdul duets with the Wild Pair. The song also features a rap by Derrick Delite and is, of course, very danceable."[6] A reviewer fromPeople Magazine described it as one of "the liveliest cuts" from the album.[7]
"Opposites Attract" initially rose from number 72 to number 47 the week of December 23, 1989, and landed at number one the week of February 10, 1990, where it remained for three weeks, matching the run of "Straight Up". It became Abdul's fourth number-one single on the USBillboard Hot 100. In doing so, it made Abdul the first female artist to achieve four number-one singles from a debut album. It also made her the fourth artist in music history to score four number-one hits from a single album, afterWhitney Houston,George Michael andMichael Jackson, in addition to being the second artist overall to achieve four number-one singles from their debut album, afterGeorge Michael. (Janet Jackson,Mariah Carey,Usher andKaty Perry would later duplicate the feat). "Opposites Attract" also topped the charts in Australia and Canada and peaked at number two in the United Kingdom.
This song's accompanying music video was combination oflive-action and cartoon, directed by Candace Reckinger and Michael Patterson,[8] in which Abdul dances with animated cartoon cat characterMC Skat Kat, voiced by the Wild Pair, Bruce DeShazer and Marvin Gunn.[9] An additional rap, written byRomany Malco, was provided by Derrick "Delite" Stevens[10] for the Street mix version of the song, which was edited for the 7"/video.
The idea of MC Skat Kat came from theGene Kelly filmAnchors Aweigh, where Kelly dances withJerry Mouse from theTom and Jerry cartoon series. Paula even choreographed the animated character's moves to match her live-action dance moves in the video. MC Skat Kat was animated by members of theDisney animation team, working outside the studio between major projects, under the direction ofChris Bailey.[11] MC Skat Kat's movements were the result ofrotoscoping animation, withMichael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers standing in for the character against a blue screen, then drawing the animated form over Chambers' dance moves. The Wild Pair Marvin Gunn and Bruce DeShazer did not appear in the video, although two other cats (also animated) did appear, possibly meant to represent them.
An alternative version of the video with minor edits, such as replacing the shot in which MC Skat Kat is seen smoking, was shown on some television chart programmes, such asTop of the Pops andThe Chart Show in the UK.
^Deggans, Eric (January 1, 1998). "Paula Abdul". In Graff, Gary; du Lac, Josh; McFarlin, Jim (eds.).MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit:Visible Ink Press. p. 2.
