Vibeology

Album: Spellbound (1992)
Charted: 19 16
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is a funky song about a funky relationship, or as Paula Abdul puts it in the song lyrics:

    Vibeology, now you ask what does it mean?
    Why, it's the study of the chemistry between you and me
  • In 1991, Abdul performed this song at the MTV Video Music Awards. It was an ambitious performance, with Adbul dressed as a man and blending in with her backup dancers before ripping her costume off about a minute in to the song. The elaborate choreography came at a cost to her vocals, as she was singing it live. (Early in her career, many of Paula's performances were lip-synched. She was part of the Club MTV Tour, which is where Milli Vanilli's tape skipped and exposed them as frauds.) Abdul's performance was cut from reruns of the show.
  • This was penned by the songwriters Peter Lord, Jeffrey Smith and Sandra St. Victor, who were in the band The Family Stand. The trio wrote the majority of Abdul's second album, Spellbound, which spawned two #1s - "Rush Rush" and "The Promise of a New Day" - and three Top 20 hits - "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" (#6), "Vibeology" (#16) and "Will You Marry Me?" (#19). Songfacts asked Lord what the album's magic formula was: "Never any formula other than writing great, well-structured songs."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"They're Playing My Song

With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Punk Photography of Chris Stein

The Punk Photography of Chris SteinSong Writing

Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Ian Astbury of The Cult

Ian Astbury of The CultSongwriter Interviews

The Cult frontman tells who the "Fire Woman" is, and talks about performing with the new version of The Doors.