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Clash of the Cover Songs: Paula Abdul vs. Stars of Track and Field

The Rules for Battle: For each contest, we pit versions of the same song by two different artists in a head-to-head death match for musical supremacy. (Sometimes it will be the original recording vs. a cover version; other times it will be two different covers.) Then it's up to you to decide: Listen to and vote on which version you think should emerge victorious and which should be sent packing. May the best band win!

Paula Abdul, Stars of Track and Field

The Song: 'Straight Up'

The Contestants: Paula Abdul vs. Stars of Track and Field

In This Corner -- Paula Abdul: Before Abdul was known for judging other singers during eight seasons of 'American Idol,' the singer-dancer-choreographer became famous for a string of pop hits in the late '80s and early '90s. The catchy, midtempo dance tune 'Straight Up,' released in 1988, was Abdul's first No. 1 song and became one of the best-selling singles of 1989. The memorable black-and-white video for the track features a cameo by then-talk show host Arsenio Hall and was the recipient of multiple 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. Earlier this year, 'Idol' contestant Andrew Garcia brought the song back into the public eye when he performed an acoustic version of the song on the show.

Paula Abdul, 'Straight Up'


In This Corner -- Stars of Track and Field: More than 20 years after the original version of 'Straight Up' hit the airwaves, the Portland, Ore. three-piece decided to put their own spin on the pop gem. "We were scanning through some hit songs of the '90s and thought this song had an obscure appeal to it," Stars of Track and Field frontman Kevin Calaba tells Spinner. "Initially, the aim was irony (see Travis performing '...Baby One More Time'), but the cover quickly took on a life of its own once we went the giant gated drum loop route. It's our first dance song, even though we've all been dancing for many years." Check out the exclusive premiere of their version of the song, which will be available for download on iTunes on May 25, below.

Stars of Track and Field, 'Straight Up'


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Zafer Kalkan

Thanks for sharing such an interesting and informative post.
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August 24 2011 at 2:36 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
keepkewl

... with all due respect to Paula Abdul herself, NONE of her music is CLASSIC ... :-)

May 25 2010 at 12:17 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Dee

I guess it's ok for the way they do music now but you can never beat the way Paula sings it

May 25 2010 at 12:17 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bd

Acoustic? That is toally synthesized. They are both good; just different takes on the same song.

May 25 2010 at 11:51 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
sara

does it bother no one else that andrew garcia from american idol did this back in january? how innovative for this band to rip off his idea

May 25 2010 at 11:30 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to sara's comment
MrC

sara- They mention andrew in the article itself, they're not trying to hide anything.

May 26 2010 at 6:43 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Kim Butcher

watching the Paula video brought back memories...she may not have been the greatest singer but it was a good dance tune. Her version was better

May 25 2010 at 11:02 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tess

Some people may not get this because they may not like the song. But the "Straight Up" video stands as one of THE best videos ever made. Shot in black and white, the lighting, the editing -- perfection.

May 25 2010 at 10:49 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
james ha

pretty good job 'stars! i'd like to see them do it live but really it can't touch paula's original version IMO.

May 25 2010 at 10:33 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jenn

Andrew from Idol did it best.

May 25 2010 at 10:29 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to jenn's comment
dancinfool

Yes, I believe he did, too. It was great! But Andrew lost himself somewhere along the way. It was hard to watch him in the later shows.

May 25 2010 at 12:16 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Wish Belkin

They both suck.

May 25 2010 at 9:56 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply