We already came across several pieces where the artist overruled their label when it came to song selection, video choices or track length, only to be proven absolutely right by commercial success. Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” – which she only was allowed to record under the premise that she would also do two other songs she did not like chosen by the studio – fits right into the category.

Written by Elliot Wolff, a friend of her mother’s, the quality of the demo version was so bad that it went straight into the trash. But Abdul, who was primarily working as a choreographer at the time, fished it back out and recorded it in her bathroom (including, on the master tape, a performance of her neighbours who must have misheard the lyrics – they went for “Shut Up!” instead of “Straight Up”).

When the song went through the roof – to the label’s surprise – Abdul’s choreographer talent paid off, as the video had to be hastily put together – only to win a whopping four MTV Music Awards that year.

My personal favourite bit about the song is when my significant other performs her karaoke version of it. She’s been practising it ever since childhood and it never fails to turn my knees to jello.