Here’s a little pop puzzler for you: Back in 1991, Paula Abdul released a ballad called ‘Rush Rush’. The track, taken from her album Spellbound, was published through Virgin Records and become an incredibly successful release in the US, and a smash-hit around the world.

During the summer of ‘91, ‘Rush Rush’ hit the number #1 spot on the American Billboard Hot 100, and also reached the number #6 spot in the UK Singles Chart. The song was accompanied by a music video, which regularly popped up on MTV (and assorted music shows), and it perfectly suited the tone of the song.

The video was notable for featuring Paula Abdul, along with actor Keanu Reeves. In the video, both Abdul and Reeves appeared to be acting out scenes from a movie, interspersed with shots of the singer belting out the song.

Question is: What movie is Rush Rush from? Was the song featured in a Hollywood film starring Abdul and Reeves? And if so, what movie?

Not sure? Then read on for details.

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The video for Paula Abdul’s 1991 song Rush Rush does not feature footage from an actual movie. Although the music video includes actor Keanu Reeves and appears as if it incorporates scenes from a ‘90s film starring both Reeves and Abdul, this is not quite the case.

The video for Rush Rush was shot to look as if contained scenes from a movie. The scenes were filmed specifically for the music video, and were NOT lifted from a film released that year.    

If the scenes look very familiar, it is because the video for Rush Rush pays homage to the 1955 James Dean film, Rebel Without a Cause. The footage used in Rush Rush is a call back to the classic Hollywood era, with faux scenes designed to mirror snippets from one of the most iconic teen movies of all time.

In keeping with the faux footage, Keanu Reeves takes on a character called ‘Jeff’ who is similar to James Dean’s ‘Jim’ from Rebel Without a Cause, while Paula Abdul plays ‘Julie’ – a role similar to Natalie Wood’s character, ‘Judy’. All footage from Rush Rush was directed by Stefan Würnitzer, and the video was produced by Lucasfilm Commercial Productions.

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Because Rebel Without a Cause is so deeply ingrained in pop culture, and because the Rush Rush music video did such a good job of looking like Rebel Without a Cause, many people mistakenly believe the scenes are from a real movie. However, they are not – it is all a pastiche, a homage, a throwback, or whatever else you want to call it, and nothing more.

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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read through this post about Rush Rush – I hope it has proved useful. For more informative posts, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.

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