Robbed hit of the week 2/29/16 - Paula Abdul's "Knocked Out"...

"Knocked Out" - Paula Abdul
from the album Forever Your Girl (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #41

This week's "robbed hit" comes from Paula Abdul, who got her start as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. With the exposure from her dancing in that outfit, she was first hired on as the choreographer for the Jacksons, and later on served the same for sister Janet Jackson for her music videos. After landing herself a record deal after saving up to submit demos, Paula released her first single "Knocked Out" in the spring of 1988. Written by Babyface, L.A. Reid, and Daryl Simmons from the Deele, the funky dance-pop track made waves on R&B radio....

While "Knocked Out" climbed to a respectable #8 on Billboard's R&B chart, the single frustratingly stalled out at #41 on the pop Hot 100 in August of 1988. The single also made it to #14 on Billboard's Dance Club Play chart. Internationally, the song went to #21 in the UK and #23 in Canada when it was re-released as a remix in 1989. It's easy to forget such a successful album was proceeded by a track that missed the top-40.

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...and here's the Pettibone mix that made the song go top-40 in England...