| "Vibeology" | ||||
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| Single byPaula Abdul | ||||
| from the albumSpellbound | ||||
| Released | October 21, 1991 (1991-10-21) | |||
| Studio | Studio Masters (Los Angeles, California)[1] | |||
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 Australian single cover | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Vibeology" onYouTube | ||||
"Vibeology" is a song by American singerPaula Abdul, taken from the singer's second studio album,Spellbound (1991). Thehouse andnew jack swing number 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 viaVirgin Records and Abdul'svanity label Captive Records, becoming the album's fourth official single. In Europe and Australia, the track was released as the third single as "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" was not released in the former and would be released in the latter following "Vibeology".
Originally,Virgin Records had intended to release "Vibeology" as the third single fromSpellbound following Abdul's performance of the song at the1991 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.[4]
Slant Magazine's Eric Henderson, in a 2004 retrospective review forSpellbound, named "Vibeology" one of the two best tracks off the album, describing it as an "underappreciated departure" for Abdul and that it is "topped off withBetty Boop–channeling affectations in what is surely Abdul's most gutsy vocal performance." Henderson also said the track "introduced fans used to tasteful, precise beat to the concept ofdance music as a balls-out freak party."[5]
"Vibeology" entered the USBillboard Hot 100 the week of January 18, 1992, at number 65, becoming the "Hot Shot Debut" of the week.[6] Three weeks later, the track reached its peak position of number 16, breaking Abdul's streak of eight top ten singles and becoming Abdul's first single to miss the top ten in the U.S. since the original release of "The Way That You Love Me" in 1988. It spent only 14 weeks in total on the chart.[7] "Vibeology" performed marginally better on component charts, peaking at number 17 on theHot Dance Club Play and number two on theDance Singles Sales charts.[8][9] It was the 34th best selling dance single of 1992.[10]
In the United Kingdom, "Vibeology" debuted on theUK Singles Chart the week of 12 January 1992, at number 29.[11] One week later, the track reached number 19, where it would peak. It stayed there for two consecutive weeks and overall spent 6 weeks on the chart.[11] It was Abdul's highest charting UK single since "Rush Rush" peaked at number 6 in early 1991. Elsewhere in Europe, the track peaked within the top forty in the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium (Flanders), and Switzerland; this lead to a number 40 peak on theEuropean Hot 100 Singles chart.[12] "Vibeology" would achieve its greatest success on theEuropean Dance Radio Chart, where it reached number three.[13]
Following its November 18, 1991, release in Australia,[14] "Vibeology" did not perform well in the country. It peaked at number 63 on theARIA Singles Chart.[15] The track performed just slightly better, debuting and peaking at number 50 on theRMNZ Singles Chart the week of March 29, 1992 and spending a single week on the chart.[16]
Stefan Würnitzer directed the video for "Vibeology";[17] he had previously directed the music video for "Rush Rush". It was filmed on December 10, 1991.[3] A video edit was used and would later be released as the single edit; this version would also be included on herGreatest Hits (2000) collection. Two videos were made for "Vibeology", one for North America and another for Europe and Australasia. The music video was released toMTV on December 21, 1991, as an "Exclusive".[18] It was shortly placed onheavy rotation.[19]
The video for the North American version features Abdul and her dancers dancing in front of spotlights and red and white backdrops. During the chorus the word "Vibeology" scrolls across the screen with ghostly effects and at times Abdul herself is outlined with a white blur. For the international version, it was re-edited with clips of rehearsals of theUnder My SpellTour and was also utilized to cross-promote Abdul's tour.[20]
All tracks written by Peter Lord, Sandra St. Victor, and V. Jeffrey Smith.
US 12-inch vinyl single[21]
European 7-inch vinyl single[22]
| Australian maxi-CD single[23]
US and Canadian cassette single[24][25]
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Taken from theSpellbound booklet.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | October 21, 1991 | Mini-CD |
| [38] |
| Australia | November 18, 1991 |
| Virgin | [14] |
| United Kingdom | January 6, 1992 | [39] | ||
| United States | January 21, 1992 |
| [40] |
Apparently, the original plan was to follow "The Promise Of A New Day" with "Vibeology", a daffy and fizzy house track.
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