Paula Abdul - Crazy Cool

What this video is

Released in August 1995 as the second single from Paula Abdul's third studio album Head over Heels (Virgin Records), 'Crazy Cool' arrived during a pivotal and commercially difficult period for Abdul. While the single failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 (peaking at #58), it thrived on the dance charts and in Canada, reflecting a broader mid-90s bifurcation between radio pop and club culture. The video's MTV…

Why it matters

A key document of mid-90s dance-pop's stylistic evolution, 'Crazy Cool' represents the genre's push toward adult R&B sensuality and club-oriented production as New Jack Swing faded. The censorship controversy places it in a lineage of MTV-era videos that tested broadcast limits, while Rolston's…

The director

Matthew Russell Rolston (born March 1, 1955, Los Angeles) is an American photographer, director, and creative director known for his signature lighting techniques and Hollywood glamour aesthetic. Discovered by Andy Warhol for Interview magazine, he built an…