"Psychobabble" was the first song recorded for
Eye in the Sky and according to
Alan Parsons was started roughly one year prior to the remaining tracks on the album. They asked Elmer Gantry to perform lead vocals on "Psychobabble", who had previously worked with the band on their album
The Turn of a Friendly Card. In the liner notes for the 35th anniversary of
Eye in the Sky,
Eric Woolfson wife Hazel commented that he wrote "Psychobabble" about her coursework from her psychology degree. Their daughter Lorna elaborated that Hazel was under the impression that she excessively talked about her degree, believing that Eric found the subject matter constituted "
psychobabble". When mixing "Psychobabble",
Alan Parsons added some
reverb to the bass guitar to make the instrument more prominent, explaining that it was "a featured part" of the song. For the instrumental interlude found in the middle of the song, Parsons took inspiration from the movie
Psycho, particularly the
shower scene. Some sound effects from
air-raid sirens were also incorporated into this musical passage. It debuted on the
Billboard Hot 100 at No. 82 during the week of 27 November 1982. By the following month, 41 percent of contemporary hit radio stations in the United States reporting to
Radio & Records were playing the song. It peaked at No. 57 for the week dated 25 December 1982 and spent a total of ten weeks on the Hot 100. ==Critical reception==