The Promise of a New Day

"The Promise of a New Day" is the opening track and second single from American artist Paula Abdul's second studio album, Spellbound (1991). The song was written by Paula Abdul, Peter Lord and V. Jeffrey Smith. It became Abdul's sixth and final number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100.

"The Promise of a New Day"
Single by Paula Abdul
from the album Spellbound
Released	July 1991
Studio	Studio Masters (Los Angeles) Sunset Sound (Los Angeles)
Genre	Dance-pop^[1]
Length	4:32 (album version) 4:13 (7-inch edit)
Label	Virgin
Songwriter(s)	Paula Abdul Peter Lord Sandra St. Victor V. Jeffrey Smith
Producer(s)	Peter Lord V. Jeffrey Smith
Paula Abdul singles chronology
"Rush Rush" (1991) "The Promise of a New Day" (1991) "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" (1991)

Chart performance

"The Promise of a New Day" debuted at No. 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, the week ending July 20, 1991, claiming the spot of Hot Shot Debut.^[2] The following week, the single climbed to No. 26, with this week claiming the Greatest Airplay Gainer.^[3] The song reached No. 1 on the chart on September 14, 1991 and ended the reign of Bryan Adams' long-running No. 1 hit, "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)". The following week, it fell to No. 5, and departed the top 40 only four weeks later. It was Abdul's sixth chart-topping single, and her last No. 1 single to date.^[4]

Music video

The video, directed by Big TV! (Andy Delaney and Monty Whitebloom) was shot during the week of July 8, 1991.^[5] Filming took place in two different locations with backgrounds for the video being shot in Hawaii, with Abdul and her backup dancers being filmed separately on a sound stage and later composited through blue screen. Abdul was unable to attend filming in Hawaii due to prior commitments.

Track listings

US 7-inch and cassette single^[6]^[7] Canadian cassette single^[8] Australian 7-inch single^[9] Japanese mini-CD single^[10] "The Promise of a New Day" (7-inch edit) – 4:13 "The Promise of a New Day" (West Coast 12-inch) – 5:35 UK 7-inch and cassette single^[11]^[12] A. "The Promise of a New Day" (7-inch edit) – 4:13 B. "The Promise of a New Day" (West Coast 7-inch edit) – 3:55

UK and Australian 12-inch single^[13] UK CD single^[14] "The Promise of a New Day" (7-inch edit) – 4:13 "The Promise of a New Day" (West Coast 12-inch) – 5:35 "The Promise of a New Day" (extended club version) – 6:50 UK limited-edition 12-inch single^[15] A1. "The Promise of a New Day" (West Coast 12-inch) – 5:35 B1. "The Promise of a New Day" (extended club version) – 6:50 B2. "The Promise of a New Day" (album version) – 4:32

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1991–1992) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[16] 31 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[17] 39 Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[18] 2 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[19] 13 Canada Retail Singles (The Record)^[20] 8 Canada Contemporary Hit Radio (The Record)^[20] 1 Europe (European Dance Radio)^[21] 13 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[22] 15 Germany (Official German Charts)^[23] 86 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)^[24] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[25] 39 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[26] 26 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[27] 37 UK Singles (OCC)^[28] 52 US Billboard Hot 100^[29] 1 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[30] 25

Year-end charts Chart (1991) Position Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[31] 32 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[32] 91 US Billboard Hot 100^[33] 41

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	July 1991	7-inch vinyl cassette	Virgin
United Kingdom	August 19, 1991	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD cassette		^[34]
Japan	August 21, 1991	Mini-CD		^[35]

References

1. Smith, Troy L. (October 21, 2020). "Every No. 1 song of the 1990s ranked from worst to best". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
2. "Music: Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. July 20, 1991. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
3. "Music: Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. July 27, 1991. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
4. Kleid, Beth (July 8, 1991). "Tv/video". latimes.com.
5. "Paula Abdul: Chart History". billboard.com.
6. The Promise of a New Day (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1991. 7-98752.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
7. The Promise of a New Day (US cassette single sleeve). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1991. 4-98752.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
8. The Promise of a New Day (Canadian cassette single sleeve). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1991. VS4 1560.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
9. The Promise of a New Day (Australian 7-inch single sleeve). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1991. VUS 44.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. The Promise of a New Day (Japanese mini-CD single liner notes). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1991. VJDP-10172.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
11. The Promise of a New Day (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1991. VUS 44, 114 680.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
12. The Promise of a New Day (UK cassette single sleeve). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1991. VUSC 44.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
13. The Promise of a New Day (UK & Australian 12-inch single sleeve). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1991. VUST44.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
14. The Promise of a New Day (UK CD single liner notes). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1991. VUSCD 44, 664 680.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
15. The Promise of a New Day (UK limited 12-inch single vinyl disc). Paula Abdul. Virgin Records. 1991. VUSTP 44.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
16. "Paula Abdul – The Promise of a New Day". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
17. "Paula Abdul – The Promise of a New Day" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
18. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1642." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
19. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1619." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
20. Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. p. 18. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
21. "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. October 19, 1991. p. 38. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
22. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
23. "Paula Abdul – The Promise of a New Day" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
24. "Tipparade-lijst van week 40, 1991". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
25. "Paula Abdul – The Promise of a New Day" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
26. "Paula Abdul – The Promise of a New Day". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
27. "Paula Abdul – The Promise of a New Day". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
28. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
29. "Paula Abdul Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
30. "Paula Abdul Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
31. "RPM 100 Hit Tracks of 1991". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
32. "RPM 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1991". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
33. "1991 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 51. December 21, 1991. p. YE-14.
34. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. August 17, 1991. p. 19.
35. "プロミス・オブ・ア・ニュー・デイ | ポーラ・アブドル" [Promise of a New Day | Paula Abdul] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 1, 2023.