Paula Abdul discography | |
---|---|
Studio albums | 3 |
Compilation albums | 5 |
Video albums | 8 |
Music videos | 20 |
EPs | 1 |
Singles | 18 |
Remix albums | 1 |
Other appearances | 7 |
The discography of American singer and dancer Paula Abdul consists of three studio albums, one remix album, five compilation albums, eight video albums, eighteen singles, and seven other appearances. Having found success as a choreographer for artists such as Janet Jackson, Abdul launched her own music career with the release of her debut studio album Forever Your Girl (1988). The album topped the Billboard 200 chart, and to date holds the record for the longest climb to number one for an album. The project spawned a number of successful singles, and is one of only nine albums to have four singles top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It went on to earn a seven-times platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Abdul released the Shut Up and Dance: Mixes (1990) remix album to a positive commercial reaction, earning a platinum certification from the RIAA. She continued to find success with the release of Spellbound (1991), her second studio album. It debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, climbing to the top soon after it was released. The album's first two singles both topped the Hot 100 chart with the first, "Rush Rush" becoming first number-one single in six years to spend more than four weeks on top. Third single "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" reached the top ten. Despite the album's achievements, it failed to match the success of its predecessor. Following a musical hiatus while dealing with personal issues, Abdul returned with the release of Head over Heels (1995), her third and final studio effort. The album and coinciding singles were deemed commercial failures, and were met with a mixed reaction from critics. Following the release of the album, Abdul entered a second musical hiatus.
Abdul released the single "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" (2008) with Randy Jackson, her first single in twelve years. She later released "I'm Just Here for the Music" (2009) the following year.
Throughout her career, she has sold over 50 million records worldwide.[1] Billboard listed her as the 92nd Greatest Artist of all Time.[2] She is recognized as the reigning "Dance-pop Princess" by the media[3] while others says she is the original "Pop Princess" of her generation.[4][5][6] According to RIAA, She has sold 11.5 million certified albums in the United States.[7]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [8] |
AUS [9] |
CAN [10] |
FRA [11] |
GER [12] |
JPN [13] |
NLD [14] |
NZ [15] |
SWE [16] |
UK [17] | ||||
Forever Your Girl | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 24 | 95 | 19 | 19 | 6 | 3 | |||
Spellbound |
|
1 | 3 | 6 | 36 | 17 | 12 | 45 | 14 | 6 | 4 | ||
Head over Heels |
|
18 | 27 | 21 | — | — | 32 | 74 | — | — | 61 |
| |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US R&B [26] | |||||||||||||
The Greatest |
|
— | |||||||||||
Greatest Hits |
|
— | |||||||||||
Greatest Hits: Straight Up! |
|
86 | |||||||||||
10 Great Songs |
|
46 | |||||||||||
Icon |
|
— | |||||||||||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [8] |
AUS [9] |
CAN [10] |
FRA [11] |
GER [12] |
NLD [14] |
NZ [15] |
SWE [16] |
UK [17] | |||
Shut Up and Dance: Mixes |
|
7 | 16 | 14 | 44 | 37 | 29 | 4 | 24 | 40 |
Title | EP details |
---|---|
The Singles |
|
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [34] |
AUS [35] |
CAN [36] |
FRA [37] |
GER [12] |
IRL [38] |
NLD [39] |
NZ [40] |
SWE [41] |
UK [17] | |||||
"Knocked Out" | 1988 | 41 | 82 | 27 | 45 | — | 17 | — | — | — | 21 | Forever Your Girl | ||
"(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me" | 3 | 76 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 12 | — | 74 |
| |||
"Straight Up" | 1 | 27 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | ||||
"Forever Your Girl" | 1989 | 1 | 51 | 1 | — | 17 | 21 | 13 | 11 | — | 24 |
| ||
"Cold Hearted" | 1 | 68 | 2 | 33 | 38 | — | 63 | 25 | — | 46 | ||||
"Opposites Attract" (with The Wild Pair) |
1 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 2 | ||||
"1990 Medley Mix" | 1990 | — | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Shut Up and Dance: Mixes | ||
"Rush Rush" | 1991 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | Spellbound | ||
"The Promise of a New Day" | 1 | 31 | 2 | — | 86 | — | 39 | 26 | 37 | 52 | ||||
"Blowing Kisses in the Wind" | 6 | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
"Vibeology" | 16 | 63 | 19 | — | — | 29 | 20 | 50 | — | 19 | ||||
"Will You Marry Me?" | 1992 | 19 | 54 | 6 | — | 74 | — | — | — | — | 73 | |||
"My Love Is for Real" | 1995 | 28 | 7 | 20 | — | 87 | — | — | 20 | — | 28 | Head over Heels | ||
"Crazy Cool" | 58 | 76 | 49 | — | 89 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
"Ain't Never Gonna Give You Up" |
1996 | —[a] | 110 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" (with Randy Jackson) |
2008 | 62 | — | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Randy Jackson's Music Club, Vol. 1 | ||
"I'm Just Here for the Music" | 2009 | 87 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Dream Medley"[43] | 2012 | Non-album single |
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Check Yourself"[44] | 2014 | Non-album single |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | "Anytime at All" by Dweezil Zappa | Guest appearance |
|
Sweet Insanity by Brian Wilson |
| ||
1992 | "Bend Time Back Around" | Lead vocalist |
|
1993 | "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" |
| |
2000 | "Ooh La La La" by Nobody's Angel | Co-writer |
|
"Spinning Around" by Kylie Minogue |
| ||
2012 | "So Free" by Shine 2009 | Guest appearance |
|
Year | Title | Notes | Certification | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1989 | Straight Up[R] |
|
• RIAA: 2×Platinum[19] • CRIA: Gold[22] | ||||||||||
1992 | Captivated: The Video Collection '92 |
|
• RIAA: Gold[19] | ||||||||||
1996 | Under My Spell: Live
|
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2005 | Video Hits |
|
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Year | Title |
---|---|
1995 | Get Up and Dance! |
1998 | Cardio Dance
|
2003 | Zoe's Dance Moves
|
2006 | Cardio Cheer |
Year | Title | Director |
---|---|---|
1988 | "Knocked Out" (2 versions) | Danny Kleinman (original version)[61] |
Candace Reckinger and Michael Patterson (remix) | ||
"(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me" (2 versions) | David Fincher[61] | |
1989 | "Straight Up" | |
"Forever Your Girl" | ||
"Cold Hearted" | ||
"Opposites Attract" | Candace Reckinger and Michael Patterson | |
1990 | "1990 Medley Mix" | — |
1991 | "Skat Strut" by MC Skat Kat | — |
"Rush Rush" | Stefan Würnitzer | |
"The Promise of a New Day" | Big TV! | |
"Blowing Kisses in the Wind" | ||
1992 | "Vibeology" (2 versions) | — |
"Will You Marry Me?" | — | |
1995 | "My Love Is for Real" | Michael Haussman |
"Crazy Cool" | Matthew Rolston | |
1996 | "Ain't Never Gonna Give You Up" | |
2008 | "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" | Paula Abdul[62] |