"Cold Hearted" Slithered to #1 This Week in 1989

Unexpected, but this is my second post about Paula Abdul here. And no, it’s not about her new commercial for that arthritis pain gel.

This week in 1989, she hit #1 again. This time with “Cold Hearted,” a song I didn’t really care for then until I saw the video.

In an airline pilot’s hat, Paula leads under-clothed dancers to spin and sprawl on studio scaffolding as she warns about a serpentine playa.

Entertaining enough. But then the window blinds come down, men’s shirts come off, and the writhing begins.

The dancers pair off to “embrace” to the beat, including two guys. Well, one just rolls over the arched back of another. But it was still thrilling to me, a Midwestern kid who was pretty sure he was gay. And thanks to pause-and-rewind on YouTube, I just discovered another male couple in the sweaty mix. What?! Thank you, Ms. Abdul.

MTV usually skipped the opening where “label executives” walk into the rehearsal, chatting about the video concept they were about to review ahead of the shoot that very night.

“It’s a Bob Fosse kind of thing,” one says. “It’s going to be really, really hot.”

Ah! I forgot how “Cold Hearted” tips a captain’s hat to Fosse’s "TAKE OFF WITH US" from one of my favorite films “All That Jazz.”

Fosse himself directed this 1979 movie based loosely on his own life as an unhealthy workaholic choreographer, portrayed by the late, always-great Roy Scheider.

“Take Off With Us” starts off as a snappy showtune where dancing flight attendants in a rehearsal studio promise exceptional service with snacks.

Then the lights go down, everyone’s clothes come off, and the writhing begins.

The dancers deliver on their promise of service through an erotic ballet of topless, simulated coitus, including two men in white “dance belts.” I remember as a kid thinking, “How can that be? Are they allowed to do that?” Yes, they are.

The number’s volume and action then “builds,” turning the friendly skies of “Airotica” into a Broadway-style orgy. While Paula’s homage is more PG, Fosse’s original inspiration is definitely in R-rated territory.

Paula was clearly inspired by Fosse and “All That Jazz,” saluting her muses by spinning out a tamed version for basic cable viewers. It was enough to hook me in 1989. Could I dance with another boy if I moved to New York too? I had to find out.

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