Music History Today: February 10, 2021

February 10, 1990: Paula Abdul scored her third number 1 song,  a year and a day after her first, with "Opposites Attract."

 Back before she was best known as a judge on reality talent shows like American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance, Paula Abdul was one of the biggest pop stars of the late 1980s and early 1990s. 

Paula Abdul

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After landing a deal with Virgin Records, Paula Abdul released her debut album Forever Your Girl in 1988. A sleeper hit, the album crept its way to the top of the Billboard Charts and spawned several hits, including “Straight Up,” “Cold Hearted” and the title track “Forever Your Girl.” The sixth and final track released from the album was “Opposites Attract” which hit the charts in 1989 and climbed to number one in February 1990. 

Read more: Screen Rant

February 10, 1958: Elvis Presley's "Don't" hit Number 1 for the first of five weeks.

Elvis Presley

"Don't," written and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, was Presley's eleventh number-one hit in the United States. "Don't" also peaked at number four on the R&B charts. Billboard ranked the ballad as the No. 3 song for 1958. 

Read more: Wikipedia

February 10, 1968: "Love Is Blue," the Number 1 Instrumental of the Rock Era, moved from 7 to 1 on this date.

“Love Is Blue,” originally composed by André Popp and Pierre Cour, started off its life as Luxembourg’s entry in the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest. The Greek singer Vicky Leaondros sang the song at Eurovision, and her version was a minor hit around Europe and in Canada and Japan. But the version of the song that really hit, for whatever reason, was the one that the French easy listening composer Paul Mauriat released the following year. 

Read more: Stereogum

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February 10, 1967: Aretha Franklin released "I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)." It becomes her first big hit.

"I Never Loved a Man" rose to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Franklin's first #1 hit on the R&B charts.

Aretha Franklin

It was also the title of Franklin's first Atlantic LP. Franklin would soon become a superstar after the release of this song. The song has since been called a pivotal moment in rock and roll. It ranked #189 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.  

Read more: Wikipedia

 

February 10,  1973: "The World Is A Ghetto" by War peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Formed in 1969, War fused elements of rock, funk, jazz, Latin, R&B, and reggae. They also transcended racial and cultural barriers with a multi-ethnic line-up.

War

Although War's lyrics were often socio-political in nature, their music usually featured a laid-back California funk vibe. A particular feature of War's sound was the use of harmonica and saxophone playing melody lines in unison, sounding like a single instrument. 

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Opposites Attract
Paula Abdul