Vibeology Explained

Vibeology
Cover:	Vibeology.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Paula Abdul
Album:	Spellbound
Studio:	Studio Masters (Los Angeles, California)^[1]
Genre:	House^[2] new jack swing^[3]
Length:	5:16 (album version) 3:20 (video edit)
Label:	Virgin
Prev Title:	Blowing Kisses in the Wind
Prev Year:	1991
Next Title:	Will You Marry Me?
Next Year:	1992

"Vibeology" is a song from American singer Paula Abdul's second studio album, Spellbound (1991). The song was written by Peter Lord, Sandra St. Victor, and V. Jeffrey Smith and produced by Lord and Smith. It was first released on October 21, 1991, in Japan, becoming the album's fourth official single. It was preceded with a November release in Australia and a January 6, 1992, release date in the United Kingdom. In a lawsuit, demo singer Yvette Marine would later claim she sang co-lead on this song with Abdul.^[4]

The track proved more successful internationally then at home. It peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Abdul's first single since the original release of "The Way That You Love Me" in 1988 to miss the top-ten of the chart. It did however become a decent dance hit and a top-ten single at contemporary hit radio alongside hitting the top ten of the Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles chart. The track became her most successful single internationally since "Rush Rush" and helped the Spellbound album into the top-forty in multiple countries.

Background

Originally, Virgin Records had intended to release "Vibeology" as the third single from Spellbound following Abdul's performance of the song at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards; however, it was delayed in favor of "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" which was receiving airplay at the time, creating demand for the song.^[5]

Track listings

All tracks written by Peter Lord, Sandra St. Victor, and V. Jeffrey Smith.

US 12-inch vinyl single^[6]

1. "Vibeology" (Hurley's House Mix) – 7:04
2. "Vibeology" (Hurley's Underground Mix) – 5:27
3. "Vibeology" (Silky Sax Dub) – 5:42
4. "Vibeology" (Underground Sax Dub) – 4:58

European 7-inch vinyl single^[7]

1. "Vibeology" – 4:13
2. "Vibeology" (Hurley's House 7 Inch) – 3:39

Australian maxi-CD single^[8]

1. "Vibeology" (Jeff & Pete 7" Edit) – 4:13
2. "Vibeology" (7" Keith Cohen Club Edit) – 3:30
3. "Vibeology" (Humphrey's Hip-Hop Radio Edit) – 3:47
4. "Vibeology" (Keith Cohen's House Mix) – 7:48
5. "Vibeology" (Humphrey's Hip-House Mix) – 5:40
6. "Vibeology" (Keith Cohen's Penthouse Dub) – 5:57

US and Canadian cassette single^{[9] [10]}

1. "Vibeology" (Jeff & Pete 7" Edit) – 4:13
2. "Vibeology" (Keith Cohen's Vibe the House Dub) – 5:53

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Vibeology"

Chart (1991–1992)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[11]	63
Canada Retail Singles (The Record)^[12]	7
Canada Contemporary Hit Radio (The Record)	4
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[13]	40
Europe (European Dance Radio)^[14]	3
UK Dance (Music Week)^[15]	16
US Contemporary Hit Radio (Radio & Records)^[16]	9
US Top 100 Pop Singles (Cashbox)^[17]	7

Year-end charts

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
Japan	October 21, 1991	Mini-CD		^[19]
Australia	November 18, 1991		Virgin	^[20]
United Kingdom	January 6, 1992			^[21]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Paula Abdul "Spellbound" 1991 . July 9, 2012 . March 3, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215048/http://crydee.sai.msu.ru/public/lyrics/asv-collection/Lyrics/Abdul_Paula/abdul.91 . dead .
2. Web site: Tom . Breihan . The Number Ones: Paula Abdul's "The Promise Of A New Day. . December 10, 2021 . December 23, 2023. Apparently, the original plan was to follow “The Promise Of A New Day” with “Vibeology", a daffy and fizzy house track..
3. Web site: Vibeology single: Paula-Abdul.com. Paula Abdul Official Fan Site. November 18, 2024.
4. News: December 1992 . The Year in Music . . 36 . 8 . 9.
5. Paula Abdul's Vibeology. .
6. Vibeology . US 12-inch vinyl single sleeve . . 1992 . . 96107.
7. Vibeology . European 7-inch vinyl single sleeve . Paula Abdul . 1991 . Virgin Records . 114 849.
8. Vibeology . Australian maxi-CD single liner notes . Paula Abdul . Virgin Records . 1991 . VUSCD53.
9. Vibeology . US cassette single sleeve . Paula Abdul . Virgin Records . 1992 . 4-98737.
10. Vibeology . Canadian cassette single sleeve . Paula Abdul . Virgin Records Canada . 1992 . VS4 1571.
11. Book: Ryan, Gavin. Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. 2011. Moonlight Publishing. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia. pdf. 7.
12. Book: Lwin, Nanda. Nanda Lwin. 2000. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. 18. 1-896594-13-1.
13. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 9. 6. 17. February 8, 1992.
14. European Dance Radio. Music & Media. 9. 5. 21. February 1, 1992. October 29, 2021.
15. Top 60 Dance Singles . . January 18, 1992 . 20 . September 29, 2020.
16. The Back Page: CHR. Radio & Records. 84. February 14, 1992. 928.
17. Cash Box Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles. Cashbox. 4. March 7, 1992. LV. 28.
18. The Year in Music 1992: Dance. Billboard. YE-48. December 26, 1992. Nielsen Business Media. 104. 52. 0006-2510.
19. Web site: ヴァイヴをちょうだい ポーラ・アブドル. Give Me a Vibe Paula Abdul. Oricon. ja. September 1, 2023.
20. Web site: New Release Summary – Product Available from: 18/11/91 (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 95). ARIA. Imgur. August 14, 2016.
21. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 5. January 4, 1992.