The Promise Of A New Day – Paula Abdul | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1); 1991
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
To say that Paula Abdul exploded onto the scene in 1989 is no understatement. Her debut album, Forever Your Girl, was the top album the year; selling over seven million copies and spinning off four #1 and one #3 singles.
The pressure on Paula to produce a worthy follow-up was super hot as she worked on her sophomore LP, Spellbound. This time out around, she worked primarily with V. Jeffrey Smith and
Peter Lord of the Family Stand, who reached the R&B Top 3 in 1990 with Ghetto Heaven. Among the songs submitted by Smith and Lord was Rush, Rush, a breathy ballad that gave Paula her fifth pop chart topper.
The third Family Stand member, Sandra St. Victor, joined Peter, Jeffrey, and Paula to create The Promise Of A New Day. Just nine weeks after Everything I Do (I Do It For You) by Bryan Adams replaced Rush, Rush at #1, Promise bumped Bryan from the top spot.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Peter Lord
- V. Jeffrey Smith
Lyrics Written by:
- Paula Abdul
- Peter Lord
- Sandra St. Victor
- V. Jeffrey Smith
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).