A year ago, Paula Abdul was just another L.A.-based dancer, known more for her work as a video choreographer and NFL cheerleader than for her musical talents.
Now, suddenly, she has the No. 1 song in America, thanks to the speedy rise of ”Straight Up,” which moved up from No. 2 to end the one-week reign of Sheriff`s ”When I`m With You” (now No. 2).
Actually, Abdul has been on the verge of musical stardom for months, with successes on the dance lists with ”Knocked Out” and ”(It`s Just) The Way That You Love Me.” Although those two songs weren`t major hits with pop listeners, the momentum they generated led to instant radio play for
”Straight Up,” which also is rising fast on the dance and black charts.
How long can ”Straight Up” stay on top? Possibly for another week, because the closest challenger-Tone Loc`s ”Wild Thing”-is still lagging in radio airplay, although the record`s phenomenal sales were enough to push it from No. 5 to No. 3 this week.
There`s more good news for Abdul on the LP list, where her ”Forever Your Girl” album is suddenly taking off after months of just mediocre sales. This week, ”Girl” moved all the way from No. 28 to No. 16, and now has a shot at the Top 10.
But the biggest noise on the album charts again was made by Guns N`
Roses, which last week became one of the few acts ever to have had two albums in the Top 5 in the same week. This week, both albums not only stayed in the Top 5 but improved their rankings: ”Appetite for Destruction,” now in its 77th week on the charts, moved back into the No. 1 spot (making it one of the oldest champs in chart history), and ”G N` R Lies,” in just its 9th week, jumped from No. 5 to No. 4.
Here are predictions for next week`s singles` chart: 1. ”Straight Up,”
2. ”Wild Thing,” 3. ”Born to Be My Baby,” 4. ”The Lover in Me,” 5.
”When I`m With You,” 6. ”She Wants to Dance With Me,” 7. ”Lost in Your Eyes,” 8. ”What I Am,” 9. ”Walking Away,” 10. ”I Wanna Have Some Fun.” This week, there are two pick hits: Karyn White`s ”Superwoman,” a recent No. 1 on the black charts that should serve as a strong follow-up to her recent Top 10 pop hit ”The Way You Love Me”; and ”The Look,” which, due to its impressive chart debut (No. 50) this week, is sure to be the first American hit for the Swedish duo Roxette.
