Cold Hearted
Encyclopedia
"Cold Hearted" is a single from Paula Abdul
's album Forever Your Girl
, written and co-produced by Elliot Wolff
. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100
, becoming the album's third song to top the US chart. "Cold Hearted" became one of Abdul's best known songs for its then streetwise lyrics and provocative music video
.
The video for "Cold Hearted" was inspired from Bob Fosse
's erotica dance sequence from the movie All That Jazz
. In the video, Abdul dances for music executives with a group of semi-nude dancers, Abdul was wearing a fishnet see through dress which exposes her belly button, The dance floor includes scaffolding where Abdul and her dancers hang and grind. The video was directed by David Fincher
(of Fight Club
fame), and spent more than three weeks on top of MTV
's video rotation list.
It is notable for featuring both female/male and male/male dancer combinations. In the video, Abdul performs a rap interlude; this is included on some variations of the single.
's three week run at the summit with "Right Here Waiting
". "Cold Hearted" became one of the biggest hits of the year and was ranked sixth in the "Top 100 hits of 1989". Due to the single's enormous popularity, it was slow to descend from the chart, spending a total of eight weeks (2 months) in the Billboard Top 10 alone.
"Cold Hearted" was the final UK release from Forever Your Girl in 1990. It was issued in remixed form unlike in the US and elsewhere, where an edit of the album version was released instead. It charted on 29 September 1990 at #55, going on to peak at #46 the following week. This remixed version was the follow to the Shep Pettibone remix of "Knocked Out" which had reached #21 three months previously.
UK CD single
covered the song. An audio sample can be heard on their official MySpace
page.
In 1991, The Chipettes
recorded a cover of the song for the album The Chipmunks Rock the House
.
Uzbek singer Vicki Vaka recorded a cover of the song in 1999 and included it on her second compilation album in 2003.
Actress and singer Katerina Graham
covered this song and released it as a single in the 2010.
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
's album Forever Your Girl
Forever Your Girl
Forever Your Girl is the debut album from singer Paula Abdul. It was released on June 13, 1988 and took 64 weeks from its release to hit number one on the Billboard 200 album sales chart, the longest an album has been on the market before hitting number one. The album was eventually certified seven...
, written and co-produced by Elliot Wolff
Elliot Wolff
Elliot Wolff is a songwriter and music producer from Oklahoma and Silver Spring, Maryland. His music catalog is controlled by EMI Music Publishing and Elliot Wolff Music.Formerly married to "Loreen"....
. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, becoming the album's third song to top the US chart. "Cold Hearted" became one of Abdul's best known songs for its then streetwise lyrics and provocative music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
.
The video for "Cold Hearted" was inspired from Bob Fosse
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...
's erotica dance sequence from the movie All That Jazz
All That Jazz
All That Jazz is a 1979 American musical film directed by Bob Fosse. The screenplay by Robert Alan Aurthur and Fosse is a semi-autobiographical fantasy based on aspects of Fosse's life and career as dancer, choreographer and director. The film was inspired by Bob Fosse's manic effort to edit his...
. In the video, Abdul dances for music executives with a group of semi-nude dancers, Abdul was wearing a fishnet see through dress which exposes her belly button, The dance floor includes scaffolding where Abdul and her dancers hang and grind. The video was directed by David Fincher
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
(of Fight Club
Fight Club (film)
Fight Club is a 1999 American film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The film was directed by David Fincher and stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. Norton plays the unnamed protagonist, an "everyman" who is discontented with his white-collar job...
fame), and spent more than three weeks on top of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's video rotation list.
It is notable for featuring both female/male and male/male dancer combinations. In the video, Abdul performs a rap interlude; this is included on some variations of the single.
Charts
"Cold Hearted" topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week in September 1989, ending Richard MarxRichard Marx
Richard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...
's three week run at the summit with "Right Here Waiting
Right Here Waiting
"Right Here Waiting" is a ballad recorded by Richard Marx on his second album, Repeat Offender. "Right Here Waiting" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the 700th song to do so. It also peaked at #2 in the United Kingdom.-Background and writing:...
". "Cold Hearted" became one of the biggest hits of the year and was ranked sixth in the "Top 100 hits of 1989". Due to the single's enormous popularity, it was slow to descend from the chart, spending a total of eight weeks (2 months) in the Billboard Top 10 alone.
"Cold Hearted" was the final UK release from Forever Your Girl in 1990. It was issued in remixed form unlike in the US and elsewhere, where an edit of the album version was released instead. It charted on 29 September 1990 at #55, going on to peak at #46 the following week. This remixed version was the follow to the Shep Pettibone remix of "Knocked Out" which had reached #21 three months previously.
Track listings and formats
US/Euro 12"/Euro CD single- Cold Hearted - 12" Extended mix 6:51
- Cold Hearted - House mix 6:42
- Cold Hearted - Dubstramental 5:43
- Cold Hearted - Percapella 3:54
- One or the Other - album track 4:10
UK CD single
- Cold Hearted - Chad Jackson 7" mix 3:51
- Cold Hearted - Chad Jackson Extended mix 5:43
- Cold Hearted - 12" Extended mix 6:51
- Cold Hearted - 7" mix 3:35 (unlisted)
Official mixes
- Album version 3: 51
- 12" Extended mix/7" edit 6:51/3:35 - Keith Cohen
- House Mix 6:42 - as above
- Dubstramental 5:43 - as above
- Instrumental 4:02 - as above
- Percapella 3:54 - as above
- Acapella 1:04 - as above
- Chad Jackson 12" Extended/7" mix 5:40/3:51
- Chad Jackson Ambient mix
- Chad Jackson Breaks and Beats mix
- Quiverin' 12" 5:12 - Eric Sadler/Hank Shocklee
- Chillin' Bass dub 4:06 - as above
- Vancouver Cold Feet Beat remix 6:19 – Mario S David for Rhythm Stick remix service
- Disconet remix 6:20 - Dennis Muyet for Disconet
- Swemix 6:35 - JJ and Stonebridge for Remixed Records
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
1 |
| US Billboard Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... Hot 100 Airplay Hot 100 Airplay The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard... |
1 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 46 |
| German Singles Chart | 38 |
Cover versions
American indie band sBACHSBACH
sBACH is an American band from Nevada City, California, led by Spencer Seim of the band Hella and drummer of The Advantage. Although Seim plays all instruments on recorded material, he plays drums live, and has a live band which includes Ben Milner , Justin Hunt, and Keith Dailey all playing guitar...
covered the song. An audio sample can be heard on their official MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page.
In 1991, The Chipettes
The Chipettes
The Chipettes are a fictional group of anthropomorphic chipmunk singers first appearing on the cartoon series Alvin and the Chipmunks in 1983. In this and related materials, the Chipettes served as female featured characters in their own right, starring in numerous episodes...
recorded a cover of the song for the album The Chipmunks Rock the House
The Chipmunks Rock the House
The Chipmunks Rock the House is a music album by Alvin and the Chipmunks, released in 1991 by Quality Special Products.- Side one :# "Cradle of Love" # "Freedom! '90" # "Roam" ...
.
Uzbek singer Vicki Vaka recorded a cover of the song in 1999 and included it on her second compilation album in 2003.
Actress and singer Katerina Graham
Katerina Graham
Katerina Alexandre "Kat" Graham is an American actress, singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and model. She has appeared in numerous television shows and film productions, as well as music videos...
covered this song and released it as a single in the 2010.