Head over Heels (Paula Abdul album)

Head over Heels
Studio album by Paula Abdul
Released June 13, 1995 (1995-06-13)
Recorded 1994-1995
Genre
Length
  • 64:28
  • 73:35 (Japan)
Label
Producer
Paula Abdul chronology
Spellbound
(1991)		 Head over Heels
(1995)		 Greatest Hits
(2000)
Singles from Head Over Heels
  1. "My Love Is for Real"
    Released: May 30, 1995
  2. "Crazy Cool"
    Released: August 22, 1995
  3. "Ain't Never Gonna Give You Up"
    Released: January 9, 1996

Head over Heels is the third studio album released by American pop singer Paula Abdul on June 13, 1995 under Virgin Records. The album features the singles "My Love Is for Real", "Crazy Cool" and "Ain't Never Gonna Give You Up".

Background

Head over Heels was released after Abdul's four-year hiatus while battling bulimia. The album was hoped to bring Abdul back into the limelight and was considered Abdul's comeback album. However, this would be the last album Abdul would release in her career before she took a second hiatus from music.

Head over Heels showcased a new direction and style of music for Abdul, including a more R&B and "sensual" feeling to her songs. The first single released from the album, "My Love Is for Real", was a taster of her new-found sound, however reviews were mixed.

Reviews

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[2]
Rolling Stone[3]

Head over Heels received mixed reviews. Many reviewers claimed it diverted from Abdul's pop music roots, however some reviews said the album was Abdul's most creative and exciting work to date. The iTunes review of the album was mixed, saying that Head over Heels included songs which "lack strong hooks" yet praised the album for being "more mature and seductive than previous efforts". The review mainly concentrated on the length of the album and how it "spends too much time on lesser songs".

Commercial reception

Head over Heels did not do as well as Abdul's previous albums in terms of chart performance and sales. It was Abdul's weakest selling album to date, only going gold; it was also Abdul's lowest peaking album on the Billboard 200 to date, peaking at #18, and it quickly fell off the charts soon after. The album had managed to sell just under 3 million copies worldwide, her lowest selling studio album (in terms of international sales) in her career. After the relative failure of the album, Abdul left the music scene and ventured into acting.

Three singles were released from Head over Heels. The first single, "My Love is for Real" was a moderate hit peaking at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was Abdul's first single to not reach the Top 20 and was considered her last hit in her career. However, the song went to #1 on the U.S. dance charts (her only song to do so). The following single, "Crazy Cool" peaked at #58 and was considered a flop, probably due to bad publicity about the song and its video. The last single from the album "Ain't Never Gonna Give You Up" failed to chart and was considered another flop for her, due to lack of promotion. However, it did peak at #12 on Bubbling Under Hot 100. A fourth single, "If I Were Your Girl" was due to be released, but was cancelled after disappointing album sales and the failure of "Ain't Never Gonna Give You Up".

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Crazy Cool"  Peter Lord • Sandra St. Victor • V. Jeffrey SmithLord • Smith 4:42
2. "My Love Is for Real" (with Ofra Haza)Abdul • Rhett LawrenceLawrence 5:20
3. "Ain't Never Gonna Give You Up" (with Color Me Badd)Byran Abrahms • Mark Calderon • Howie Tee • Kevin Thornton • Curtis "Fitz" Williams • Elliot WolffWolff 3:53
4. "Love Don't Come Easy"  Abdul • Robb Boldt • Da'Count • Howard Hersh • Iky Levi • Eric MonsantyHersh • Levy • Boldt • Cha'n André • Da' Count • Monsanty 4:07
5. "If I Were Your Girl"  Crystal Bernard • LawrenceLawrence 3:55
6. "Sexy Thoughts"  Boldt • Hersh • LevyHersh • Levy • Boldt 4:09
7. "The Choice Is Yours"  Arnold Hennings • Debra KillingsHennings • Dallas Austin 4:48
8. "Ho-Down"  Abdul • Boldt • Calloway • Da'Count • Gaskill • Greer • Hersh • Mills • WolffWolff • Hersh • Levy • Boldt 4:23
9. "Under the Influence"  Worthy Davis • Oliver LeiberLeiber 4:29
10. "I Never Knew It"  Daryl SimmonsSimmons 4:26
11. "Get Your Groove On"  Hersh • Levy • BoldtHersh • Levy • Boldt 4:02
12. "Missing You"  Bernadette CooperLawrence 3:52
13. "It's All About Feeling Good"  Abdul • Hersh • Levy • BoldtHersh • Levy • Boldt 3:46
14. "Cry for Me"  Tim MinerMiner 3:38
Total length:
 64:28

Personnel

Charts and certifications

Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA Albums Chart)[5] 27
Canadian Albums Chart 21
Dutch Albums Chart 74
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart[6] 32
UK Albums Chart 61
U.S. Billboard 200 18

Certifications

Country Certification Sales/Shipments
United States Gold 500,000+

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ Entertainment Weekly review
  3. ↑ Rolling Stone review
  4. ↑ Personnel list at allmusic
  5. ↑ "australian-charts.com > Paula Abdul 'Spellbound' (album)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  6. ↑
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