Opposites Attract

"Opposites Attract"
Single by Paula Abdul and MC Skat Kat
from the album Forever Your Girl
B-side	"One or the Other"
Released	November 28, 1989
Format	CD maxi 7" single 12" maxi Cassette
Recorded	1988, 1989
Genre	R&B, New Jack Swing
Length	3:48
Label	Virgin
Writer(s)	Oliver Leiber
Producer	Oliver Leiber
Certification	Gold (US)
Paula Abdul and MC Skat Kat singles chronology
"(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me" (re-release) (1989) "Opposites Attract" (1989) "Rush Rush" (1991)

"Opposites Attract" is a song recorded by Paula Abdul, taken from her debut album Forever Your Girl. It was written and produced by Oliver Leiber. Vocals on the song, in addition to Abdul, were provided by Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn (The Wild Pair), and by Derrick 'Delite' Stevens who performed the rap in the music video and 7" versions of the song. "Opposites Attract" was the sixth and final single from the album, and achieved success in many countries, including the U.S. and Australia where it was a number-one hit.

Lyrics and music video

The lyrics are about a couple who love each other despite being different in just about every way possible.

The song is distinctive for its colorful music video created and directed by Candace Reckinger & Michael Patterson, where Paula dances with cartoon character MC Skat Kat, whose backup and lead vocals were provided by the duet The Wild Pair. The idea of MC Skat Kat came from the Gene Kelly movie Anchors Aweigh, where Kelly dances with Jerry, the mouse from the Tom 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 the Disney animation team, working outside the studio between major projects, under the direction of Chris Bailey.^[1] The video won Abdul a Grammy award in 1991 for "Best Short Form Music Video".

Cover versions and parodies

The song was covered by American indie band Mirror Ball Associates for the album Covers Vol. 1, which features Paul Durham (lead singer of Black Lab) on vocals.

This video was later parodied by the Family Guy episode "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz" with Peter Griffin "dressed like a cat," taking the place of MC Skat Kat. Paula herself actually appears in the sequence. According to DVD commentary, Abdul re-recorded her vocals specifically for the episode.

The song was also featured in hit comedy TV show "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch" in the Season 4 Episode, "Aging, Not So Gracefully".

The Australian sketch comedy show Fast Forward parody of the song had Humphrey B. Bear in place of MC Skat Kat.

The song also appeared in the television version of the political thriller A Very British Coup.

Chart performances

"Opposites Attract" became one of the most popular R&B and dance-pop singles of 1990. The single initially rose from #72 to #47 the week of December 23, 1989, and landed at #1 the week of February 10, 1990, where it remained for three weeks, matching the run of "Straight Up". It became Abdul's fourth #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and made her the fourth artist in music history to score four #1 hits from a single album, after Whitney Houston, George Michael, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. Although the single was released at the end of 1989, the song itself is considered one of the first popular songs of the 1990s. "Opposites Attract" also topped the charts in Australia, and peaked at #2 in the UK. It failed to enter the German Top 10, peaking at #13.

Track listings

Official remixes

• 7" mix
• Party dub
• Dub mix
• 12" mix
• Club mix
• Magnetic mix
• Street mix
• 1990 mix
• Shep's special mix - 6:43

Certifications

Charts

See also

• Hot 100 number-one hits of 1990 (United States)
• Amy Grant's "Good for Me" (another song with a similar theme)

References