Blowing Kisses in the Wind

"Blowing Kisses in the Wind"
Single by Paula Abdul
from the album Spellbound
B-side"Spellbound"
ReleasedOctober 17, 1991
Recorded1990
StudioGreene Street Recording[1]
(New York City, NY)
Mad Hatter Studios
(Los Angeles)
Studio Masters
(Los Angeles)
Z Recording Studio
(Brooklyn, NY)
GenrePop
Length4:41
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)Peter Lord
Producer(s)
  • Peter Lord
  • V. Jeffrey Smith
Paula Abdul singles chronology
"The Promise of a New Day"
(1991) 		"Blowing Kisses in the Wind"
(1991) 		"Vibeology"
(1991)
Music video
"Blowing Kisses in the Wind" on YouTube

"Blowing Kisses in the Wind" is a song by American singer and dancer Paula Abdul, taken from her second studio album Spellbound (1991). Written by Peter Lord and produced by Lord and V. Jeffrey Smith, it was released as the album's third official single on October 17, 1991, exclusively to North America, Australia, and Japan, as the album's next single "Vibeology" would be released in Europe instead of this song. "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" utilizes the harpsichord.[2] Sweet Pea Atkinson provided background vocals to the track.

The track became a commercial success, reaching numbers six and seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian RPM Top Singles chart; in the former country, it is her most recent top-ten single to date. In 1998, it was ranked as the 26th most successful single by Virgin Records in the United States.[3]

Background

The song is a ballad in the same vein as the album's lead single "Rush Rush" and lyrically discusses unrequited love. 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 cancelled in favor of "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" which was receiving airplay at the time, creating demand for the song.[4]

Critical reception

Billboard gave the song a positive review saying, "Rack up another multiformat hit from Abdul's double-platinum epic, Spellbound, as she gets soft and romantic for an engaging pop ballad. Plush strings provide a warm and properly dramatic setting for her chirpy and charming voice."[5] Vladimir Bogdanov of AllMusic described it as a "sweeping, adult love song" that helped gave her strong crossover appeal to the adult contemporary market without alienating her original fan base.[6]

Chart performance

"Blowing Kisses in the Wind" debuted at number 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, earning the "Hot Shot Debut" title for the week ending October 19, 1991.[7] The following week, the song climbed to number 33, with that week gaining the title of "Greatest Airplay Gainer."[8] The single eventually peaked at number six, remaining at that spot for three consecutive weeks, before falling down the chart.[9] Overall, "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" spent seven weeks in the top 10, longer than her previous single "The Promise of a New Day" which peaked at number one. It was ranked at number 73 for the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1992. It is one of her two top-ten hits to not top the chart, the other being "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me", and is her eighth and to-date, final top ten single to date as of 2024. "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" would also hit the top ten of the Canada RPM Top Singles, hitting number seven on the chart and hit the top twenty of the RPM Adult Contemporary chart. The track would also become a top-forty hit in Poland despite it never being officially released in Europe.

Music video

Abdul in the music video for "Blowing Kisses in the Wind."

The video was filmed immediately her 1991 MTV Video Music Awards performance of "Vibeology".[10] It was directed by BIG TV!, a team made up of Andy Delaney and Monty Whitebloom and whom Abdul had worked with multiple times.[11] Abdul's friend and fellow Laker Girl Cindy Picker would also choreograph the music video.[12] The video was released on November 9, 1991, on MTV, of which it was released as an "Exclusive."[13] It was then released to Video Hits One (VH1) on November 23, 1991.[14]

Synopsis

The music video features Abdul dancing on a theater stage, ballet-style with aerial dynamics that were also incorporated in her world tour. The video is mostly shot in the dark. She is featured singing on a microphone on the stage, which cuts to clips with Abdul performing ballet with a male dancer.

Track listings and formats

US and Canadian cassette single, Japanese CD single[15][16][17]

  1. "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" – 4:42
  2. "Spellbound" – 4:48

Australian CD single[18]

  1. "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" (Edit) – 4:15
  2. "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" (LP) – 4:42
  3. "Spellbound" – 4:48

Personnel

Taken from the Spellbound booklet.[19]

  • Paula Abdul – lead vocals
  • V. Jeffrey Smith and Peter Lord – programming and keyboards
  • Clifford "Moonie" Pusey II – guitar
  • Myra Singleton – bass
  • Clare Fischer – string orchestra conductor and arranger
  • Peter Lord – background vocals

Charts

References

  1. ^ "Lyrics". crydee.sai.msu.ru. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  2. ^ Parker, Barry (December 15, 2009). Good Vibrations: The Physics of Music. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 136. ISBN 9780801897078.
  3. ^ "Virgin XXV: twenty-five years of virgin records". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 36. Nielsen Business Media. September 5, 1998. p. 42. ISSN 0006-2510.
  4. ^ Ressner, Jeffrey (October 4, 1991). "Paula Abdul's "Vibeology"". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  5. ^ "Single Review: Pop". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 41. Nielsen Business Media. October 12, 1991. p. 81. ISSN 0006-2510.
  6. ^ All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. August 2003. ISBN 9781617134968.
  7. ^ "The Hot 100: October 19, 1991". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  8. ^ "The Hot 100: October 26, 1991". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Paula Abdul Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  10. ^ "Back Page: The Rock Bottom Awards". Spin. Vol. 7, no. 10. February 1992. p. 80.
  11. ^ "Paula Abdul: Blowing Kisses in the Wind (Music Video 1991) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  12. ^ "Blowing Kisses in the Wind single | Paula-abdul.com". Paula Abdul Official Fan Site. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  13. ^ "The Clip List". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 45. Nielsen Business Media. November 9, 1991. p. 59. ISSN 0006-2510.
  14. ^ "The Clip List". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 47. Nielsen Business Media. November 23, 1991. p. 37. ISSN 0006-2510.
  15. ^ Blowing Kisses in the Wind (US cassette single sleeve). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1991. 4-98683.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ Blowing Kisses in the Wind (Canadian cassette single sleeve). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records Canada Inc. 1991. VS41566.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ Blowing Kisses in the Wind (Japanese CD single sleeve). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. November 21, 1991. VJDP-10181.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ Blowing Kisses in the Wind (Australian CD single liner notes). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1992. VOZCD 127.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ Spellbound (album liner notes). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records and Captive Records. 1991. 91611.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  24. ^ "Paula Abdul Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  25. ^ "Top 40 Radio Monitor". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 48. Nielsen Business Media. November 30, 1991. p. 89. ISSN 0006-2510.
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  27. ^ "The Back Page: AC". Radio & Records. No. 919. December 6, 1991. p. 80.
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