Opposites Attract

Background

"Opposites Attract" is a song by American singer Paula Abdul from her debut album, Forever Your Girl (1988). It was released on November 17, 1989, as the sixth and final single from the album through Virgin Records. The song was written and produced by Oliver Leiber, with additional vocals provided by Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn. The single version also features rap vocals by Derrick Delite. Lyrically, it depicts a romantic relationship between two people with contrasting personalities who are still drawn to each other. One of the final tracks completed on the album, Minneapolis musician Oliver Leiber developed the song quickly after being asked by Abdul's A&R representative Gemma Corfield to create new material. He constructed the track in less than an hour, using an Akai MPC drum machine for production. Fellow musician David Z suggested the song's potential as a duet. It was not originally intended to be a single, and Leiber later expressed disappointment with the final result.