Rush Rush (Paula Abdul song)

"Rush Rush" is a song by American recording artist Paula Abdul, taken from her second studio album, Spellbound (1991). It was released on April 24, 1991, by Virgin Records as the lead single from the album. Written by Peter Lord and produced by Peter Lord and V. Jeffrey Smith (both members of the Family Stand), the song achieved success in the United States, where it topped the Billboard Hot 100, and became a worldwide hit.

"Rush Rush"
Standard artwork (UK 12-inch vinyl single pictured)
Single by Paula Abdul
from the album Spellbound
B-side	"Rush Rush" (dub mix)
Released	April 24, 1991 (1991-04-24)
Recorded	1990
Studio	Greene Street[1] (New York City) Z (Brooklyn, New York) Studio Masters (Los Angeles)
Genre	Pop R&B
Length	4:56
Label	Virgin
Songwriter(s)	Peter Lord
Producer(s)	Peter Lord & Vernon Jeffrey Smith
Paula Abdul singles chronology
"Opposites Attract" (1989) "Rush Rush" (1991) "The Promise of a New Day" (1991)

Background

"Rush Rush" was a departure for Abdul stylistically, as it was her first ballad released as a single, following the six uptempo singles from her debut LP; it was viewed as a rather risky strategy in kicking off her second album of new material Spellbound, but the decision was vindicated, as it was warmly received at retail.

First presented to Abdul as a demo by the Family Stand in 1990, she became intent on it becoming the first single. In late 1990 at Studio Masters, Abdul laid down a scratch vocal for the track, which was never intended to make it to the song's final mix, but the producers felt that its unpolished sound was needed to give the song its ingenuous tone, to match its subject matter and accompanying promotional video clip; it ended up on the final cut in March 1991. Lyrically, "Rush Rush" is about the desire for a lover who will give their all in a relationship.

Chart performances

"Rush Rush" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 36 on May 11, 1991, and reached number one five weeks later, on June 15, 1991, remaining there for five consecutive weeks. At the time, it was the longest-running number one since Madonna's "Like a Virgin" spent six weeks at number one during 1984 and 1985. The song also spent five weeks atop the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song was ranked as the 64th-most-successful song of the 1990s in the United States.^[2] In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart.

Music video

The video reimagines the 1955 James Dean/Natalie Wood film Rebel Without a Cause, including iconic location shots at Griffith Observatory, a black 1949 Mercury, and a climactic street race. With Keanu Reeves filling James Dean's role of Jim, opposite Abdul as Judy, several scenes from the movie are duplicated shot-for-shot. The video was directed by Stefan Würnitzer in April 1991 and produced by Karen Rohrbacher for Lucasfilm Commercial Productions.^[3] The British Top of the Pops aired an alternate version of the video, re-edited to contain more "performance shots" and less story. Many more shots of Paula dancing in the orange dress were present.

Track listings and formats

7-inch and cassette single[4][5] "Rush Rush" (7-inch edit) – 4:19 "Rush Rush" (dub mix) – 5:56 12-inch single[6] A1. "Rush Rush" (dub mix) – 5:56 B1. "Rush Rush" (album version) – 4:56 B2. "Rush Rush" (7-inch edit) – 4:19

CD single[7] "Rush Rush" (7-inch edit) – 4:19 "Rush Rush" (album version) – 4:56 "Rush Rush" (dub edit) – 5:56 Japanese mini-CD single[8] "Rush Rush" – 4:20 "Rush Rush" (dub mix) – 5:59

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1991) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[9] 2 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] 23 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] 12 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12] 1 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[13] 2 Canada Retail Singles (The Record)[14] 1 Canada Contemporary Hit Radio (The Record)[14] 1 Denmark (IFPI)[15] 9 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[16] 9 Europe (European Airplay Top 50)[17] 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[18] 13 France (SNEP)[19] 24 Germany (GfK)[20] 12 Greece (IFPI)[21] 6 Ireland (IRMA)[22] 11 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] 9 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 6 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[25] 7 Norway (VG-lista)[26] 9 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 7 UK Singles (OCC)[28] 6 US Billboard Hot 100[29] 1 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[30] 1 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[31] 20 US Cash Box Top 100[32] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1991) Position Australia (ARIA)[33] 19 Belgium (Ultratop)[34] 79 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[35] 8 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[36] 12 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[37] 55 Europe (European Hit Radio)[38] 4 Germany (Official German Charts)[39] 46 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[40] 50 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[41] 42 UK Singles (OCC)[42] 56 US Billboard Hot 100[43] 4 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[44] 9 Decade-end charts Chart (1990–1999) Position Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[45] 48 US Billboard Hot 100[2] 64 All-time charts Chart (1958–2018) Position US Billboard Hot 100[46] 77

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[33]	Gold	35,000^
Sweden (GLF)[47]	Gold	25,000^
United States (RIAA)[48]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	April 24, 1991	7-inch vinyl cassette	Virgin	[48]
Japan	May 13, 1991	Mini-CD	Virgin Japan	[49]
United Kingdom	June 10, 1991	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD cassette	Virgin	[50]

Cover versions

• Eliana recorded the song for her album "Primavera" with the title "Como um Beijo em Noite de Luar" ("Like a Kiss on a Moonlight Night"). It was released as a single.^[51]
• Hong Kong singer Cass Phang (彭羚) recorded a Cantonese version "彷彿是初戀" (As If It's My First Love) released in 1992.
• MYMP covered the song on their 2008 album Now.
• Nicki Minaj used the strings piece from "Rush, Rush" in her song "Grand Piano".
• Tyra B interpolates the hook of the song in her 2007 song "Givin' Me a Rush".

See also

• List of European number-one airplay songs of the 1990s

References

1. http://crydee.sai.msu.ru/public/lyrics/asv-collection/Lyrics/Abdul_Paula/abdul.91 ^{[dead link]}
2. "Hot 100 Singles of the '90s". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-20. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
3. "Stefan Würnitzer". IMDb.
4. Rush Rush (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1991. 7-98828.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
5. Rush Rush (US cassette single sleeve). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1991. 4-98828.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
6. Rush Rush (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records, Captive Records. 1991. VUSTY 38, 614 172.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
7. Rush Rush (UK CD single liner notes). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records, Captive Records. 1991. VUSCD 38, 664 172.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
8. Rush Rush (Japanese mini-CD single liner notes). Paula Abdul. Virgin Japan. 1991. VJDP-10157.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
9. "Paula Abdul – Rush Rush". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
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13. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 6457." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
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32. ’’Joel Whitburn’s Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996 -ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0
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44. "Hot 100 Singles of the '90s". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-20. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
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46. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
47. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
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51. UOL. "Como Um Beijo Em Noite De Luar (Rush Rush), de Eliana". Retrieved February 16, 2015.