Crush (Jennifer Paige song)

"Crush" is a song by American singer Jennifer Paige. The teen pop song was written by Andy Goldmark, Mark Mueller, Berny Cosgrove and Kevin Clark. It was released as the first single from her debut album, Jennifer Paige (1998). The music video for "Crush" was produced by Kati Haberstok and directed by David Hogan. "Crush" topped the charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand while peaking at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for four consecutive weeks in September 1998. In the United Kingdom, "Crush" reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, and it also reached number four in France. It became a top-10 hit in at least 11 other countries, including Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain.

Background and composition
In April 1998, soon after Paige recorded "Crush", producer Andy Goldmark played the song at top pop Los Angeles radio station KIIS-FM, where it met with a hugely positive reaction from programmers and was added to the station's playlist within days. During the first week of May, KIIS-FM became the first radio station to begin playing "Crush" and it began its meteoric rise up the charts, without typical record company promotion or release. Paige said "we had no pictures, photography, hadn't gotten it mastered or mass-produced it, nothing." Edel Records, Paige's initial label, made an initial press run of 20,000 copies of "Crush" which sold out quickly, and it soon became KIIS-FM's most requested song.

The song, written by Paige's producer Andy Goldmark along with the songwriters Mark Mueller, Berny Cosgrove and Kevin Clark, was inspired by Paige's personal experiences and observations in her love life. "Crush" is written in the key of C♯ minor and follows a tempo of 115 beats per minute. Paige's vocal range spans from G♯3 to C♯5.

Critical reception
Billboard wrote that Paige "succeeds in the nearly impossible task of oozing smoldering sensuality without resorting to typical groans and moans. Instead, she uses her notably flexible vocal range to convey the emotion of the tune, quickly soaring to lilting high notes and then dropping to the lowest point of her register to accentuate within the space of several seconds." They stated further that "as a result, she breathes a refreshing intensity into the song that renders it far more sexy than it would have been had she simply taken the easy route. Fortunately, this talented new artist is given a substantial song to work with," adding that producers Andy Goldmark and Jimmy Bralower "surround Paige with tense shuffle beats and twinkly synths". Blender put "Crush" at 189th place on their list of 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born. They described the song as "an unusually supple and sophisticated teen-pop hit informed by the level-headed sass of great R&B... swept along by a breathy chorus, pulsing groove and Paige's exquisite multilayered vocals."

Chart performance
"Crush" was an international hit that peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, and sold 700,000 copies by the end of 1998. It reached number one in three countries: Australia (two weeks), Canada (five weeks) and New Zealand (one week). In Australia, the song is certified 2× platinum for more than 140,000 copies shipped, while in New Zealand it is certified gold for sales of over 5,000. In Europe, "Crush" reached number four in France and the United Kingdom, going gold in both countries,  and number six in Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway. It also became a top-ten hit in Austria, Walloon Belgium, Denmark, Hungary and Spain,   and it reached the top 20 in Flanders, Germany, Iceland, Sweden and Switzerland.

Live performances and cover versions
In August 1998, Paige made her debut TV appearance singing "Crush" on the ABC TV show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. Paige also performed the show live on the Australian prime time TV show Hey Hey It's Saturday where she was presented an award for platinum sales of "Crush" in Australia. On September 11, 1998, Paige was featured and performed "Crush" on Top of the Pops, which was performed live.

In 2016, a cover of "Crush" by jazz keyboardist John Novello featuring R&B saxophonist Gerald Albright on the chorus reached number eight on the US Billboard Smooth Jazz Airplay chart. It entered at number 45 on the Smooth Jazz chart the week of January 26, 2016. As of the March 26, 2016 chart, it had spent a total of 7 weeks in the top 30.

Personnel

 * Jennifer Paige: Vocals
 * Kevin Dukes: Acoustic and electric guitars
 * Andy Goldmark: Keyboards and drum programming
 * Jimmy Bralower: Additional drum programming
 * Alex Acuna: Percussion