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Will You Marry Me?

For other uses, see Will You Marry Me? (disambiguation).

"Will You Marry Me?" is a song by American artist Paula Abdul, released as the fifth and final widely released single (the album's final single "Alright Tonight" was exclusively released in Canada) from her second studio album, Spellbound (1991). The song was written by Abdul, Peter Lord, Sandra St. Victor and V. Jeffrey Smith and produced by Lord and Smith. Stevie Wonder notably appears as a special guest playing the harmonica.[3]

"Will You Marry Me?"
Single by Paula Abdul
from the album Spellbound
B-side"Good Night, My Love (Pleasant Dreams)"
ReleasedMarch 19, 1992[1]
RecordedStudio Masters (Los Angeles)[2]
Length4:24
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Peter Lord
  • V. Jeffrey Smith
Paula Abdul singles chronology
"Vibeology"
(1992) 		"Will You Marry Me?"
(1992) 		"My Love Is for Real"
(1995)
Music video
"Will You Marry Me?" on YouTube

The track received moderate success, hitting the top ten in Canada.

Content

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"Will You Marry Me?" is performed in the key of G major, with Abdul's vocals ranging from B3–E5.[4] The song is about the narrator pleading for her partner to marry her. It was coincidentally released just as Abdul had gotten engaged and married to actor Emilio Estevez.[5] The single's B-side was a track from the Spellbound sessions called "Good Night, My Love (Pleasant Dreams)" which was only included in the international edition of the album. It was recorded for a compilation as well, called For Our Children, whose proceeds benefited the Pediatric AIDS Foundation.[6]

Critical reception

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Larry Flick of Billboard magazine gave the track a positive review, saying "Overall warm reception to ballads from the multi-platinum Spellbound set bodes well for this retro-spiced tune. Harmonica cameo by Stevie Wonder sits well next to Abdul's charming vocal and track's glistening production values. Quite nice."[7] Bryan Buss of AllMusic described the song as "skating that thin line between sweet and precious."[8] Diane Rufer and Ron Fell of Gavin Report also wrote a positive review of the single saying, "We think this is a mute question now, but the single is a worthy play this time of the year in any case."[9]

Chart performance

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Like the previous single "Vibeology" the single reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, stalling at number 19 and becoming a modest hit for Abdul.[10] The song performed strongest in Canada where it reached number 6 on the RPM Top Singles chart. "Will You Marry Me?" however performed poorly outside North America, failing to enter the top-fifty in Europe or Australia.

Music video

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Abdul in the "Will You Marry Me?" video, directed by Andy Delaney and Monty Whitebloom.

The video for "Will You Marry Me" was directed by Big TV!, a duo made up of Andy Delaney and Monty Whitebloom and whom Abdul have worked with multiple times before.[11] It was added to MTV's playlist for the week of May 2, 1992.[12] It was then released to VH1 on May 9, 1992.[13]

Synopsis

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The music video for the song featured a digital composite of five versions of Abdul wearing similarly coloured white outfits. Each "version" of Abdul performs a different style of dance to the song (ballet, jazz, etc...) and ultimately settle into a choreographed routine in which they dance with one another, concluding with one Abdul dancing with and being carried off by a translucent partner.

Track listings

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US cassette single[14]

  1. "Will You Marry Me?" (LP Version) – 4:24
  2. "Goodnight, My Love" (Special Non-Album Track) – 3:12

UK CD single[15]

  1. "Will You Marry Me?" (Edit) – 3:43
  2. "The Promise of a New Day" (East Coast Remix) – 4:54
  3. "Good Night, My Love (Pleasant Dreams)" – 3:06
  4. "Will You Marry Me?" (Album Version) – 4:25

Australian CD single[16]

  1. "Will You Marry Me?" (Edit) – 3:43
  2. "Will You Marry Me?" (LP Version) – 4:25

Personnel

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Taken from the Spellbound booklet.[17]

Charts

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Release history

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Release dates and format(s) for "Will You Marry Me?"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States March 19, 1992
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • cassette
 Virgin [1]
United Kingdom July 27, 1992
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [35]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Paula Abdul – Will You Marry Me?" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  2. ^ "Paula Abdul "Spellbound" 1991". Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  3. ^ "Will You Marry Me?". Paula-Abdul.net. April 29, 1992. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  4. ^ "Paula Abdul "Will You Marry Me" Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  5. ^ "CELEBRITY CENTRAL Paula Abdul". People. Time Inc. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  6. ^ Hochman, Steve (May 22, 1991). "Kiddie Pop : A Bevy of Stars Sing Nursery Rhymes to Benefit Pediatric AIDS Foundation". Los Angeles Times.
  7. ^ Flick, Larry (April 4, 1992). "Single Reviews: Pop". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 14. Nielsen Business Media. p. 66. ISSN 0006-2510.
  8. ^ Bogdanov, Vladimir (August 2003). All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 9781617134968.
  9. ^ Rufer, Diane; Fell, Ron (March 20, 1992). "Inside A/C: Reviews". Gavin Report. No. 1897. p. 26.
  10. ^ "Paula Abdul Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  11. ^ "Paula Abdul: Will You Marry Me (Music Video 1992) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "The Clip List". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 18. Nielsen Business Media. May 2, 1992. p. 51. ISSN 0006-2510.
  13. ^ "The Clip List". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 19. Nielsen Business Media. May 9, 1992. p. 39. ISSN 0006-2510.
  14. ^ Will You Marry Me? (US cassette single sleeve). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1992. 4-98584.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Will You Marry Me? (UK CD single liner notes). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1992. 665 250.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ Will You Marry Me? (Australian CD single liner notes). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1992. VOZCD139.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ Spellbound (album liner notes). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records and Captive Records. 1991. 91611.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  19. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1544." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  20. ^ Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. p. 18. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
  21. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  22. ^ "Paula Abdul Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  23. ^ "Paula Abdul Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  24. ^ "Top 40 Radio Monitor". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 17. Nielsen Business Media. April 25, 1992. p. 78. ISSN 0006-2510.
  25. ^ "The Back Page: CHR". Radio & Records. No. 940. May 8, 1992. p. 88.
  26. ^ "The Back Page: AC". Radio & Records. No. 939. May 1, 1992. p. 88.
  27. ^ "the Gavin Report: Top 40". Gavin Report. No. 1905. May 15, 1992. p. 6.
  28. ^ "Crossover Chart". Gavin Report. No. 1902. April 24, 1992. p. 17.
  29. ^ "the Gavin Report: Adult Contemporary". Gavin Report. No. 1903. May 1, 1992. p. 19.
  30. ^ "Cash Box Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles". Cashbox. Vol. LV, no. 38. May 16, 1992. p. 4.
  31. ^ "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1992". RPM. Vol. 56, no. 25. December 19, 1992. p. 8.
  32. ^ "The Top 92 of 1992: CHR". Radio & Records. No. 971. December 11, 1992. p. 45.
  33. ^ "Top 100: Top 40". Gavin Report. No. 1935. December 11, 1992. p. 23.
  34. ^ "Top 100: Adult Contemporary". Gavin Report. No. 1935. December 11, 1992. p. 24.
  35. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. July 25, 1992. p. 19.
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