Aah, in 1988 and 1989, there were only 3 singers i was solidly listening to - Madonna, Kylie and Debbie Gibson. And they still happen to be my 3 favourite singers to this day. I can't really write anything about Kylie and Madonna that people don't already know, but Deborah Gibson has had a varied career over the years and continues to churn out music on her own terms that still enthralls and inspires me. Today - 1988-1993...
Back in 1988 in the USA you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing Debs sing Only In My Dreams or Shake Your Love. She was, I guess, the Britney of her day but without going through the whole dodgy marriage/active womb thing. And it was clear Debs had talent - she scored 4 self penned top 5 USA hits and when Foolish Beat hit number one, she claimed the record (that she still holds to this day) for being the youngest person to write, perform and produce a number one single...
Her debut set Out Of The Blue sold over 5 million copies worldwide and was a mix of poppy dance tunes and a few piano/sax ballads. Debbie was busy touring the world and recording the follow up....
MP3: Out Of The Blue album medley
Electric Youth was preceded by the number one single Lost In Your Eyes, another piano fuelled ballad that I gave to my then girlfriend Jenny Jones (not that one!) on valentines day. Oh how things have changed since then... For the longest time, this was my favourite song, although (despite 4 British top 20 hits from OOTB) it stiffed at 34 on the British Charts. The album also topped the US charts and went top ten here - selling another 5 million worldwide...
MP3: Lost In Your Eyes Piano & Vocal Mix
The title track was released as a single with Debs most ambitious video to date. Set in a castle with a dance routine that had my video on slo-mo and pause for days (even Darren knows it now!) it came in a variety of club mixes, my fave being the latin edit below. But the law of diminishing returns kicked in and EY stalled at 11 in the US (14 here) and No More Rhyme - another ballad - 17 (unreleased UK)...Then came Debs only UK date in 1989...
MP3: Electric Youth latin edit (previously unreleased)
And I was there! Bros in 2 Summer was the Bros concert to be at, although I was only there for Debs support slot where she premiered 2 songs from the still in gestation musical Skirts. Live fave We Could Be Together made 22 in England (71 stateside). It seemed sadly that Debs star was waning...
While waiting for the 3rd album to be released, Debs recorded 2 songs for the Wonder Years tv show soundtrack - a cover (her first one) of In The Still of The Night and the lilting acoustic throwback Come Home, which still makes me want to curl up with a mug of cocoa to this day...
MP3: Come Home
By the time Anything Is Possible was released in late 1990, the pop market had changed and was leaning towards the dance-pop of Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson or the emerging grunge scene. The title track stalled at 26 stateside (51 here!) and the inexplicable decision to release the 7+ minute So Called Miracle next which just didn't fit at radio meant the album was under-promoted. There are some hidden gems on it though - gorgeous piano ballad One Hand One Heart showcases Deb at what she does best - at a keyboard belting out a tune filled with emotion.
MP3: Anything is Possible (dance edit)
MP3: One Hand One Heart
With worldwide sales of "only" 1 million for AIP, Atlantic were in panic mode and paired debs up with various writers for her fourth opus Body Mind Soul which followed a stint on Broadway in 1992 playing Eponine in Les Miserables to critical acclaim. For me, Deb produces her best work on her own and therefore BMS is not her strongest entry in the cannon. There were no top forty hits from it, although 4 singles were released. The one that garnered most attention was a sexed up Debs singing about how to Shock Your Mama with the most annoying/brilliant (depending on your perspective) rap this side of American Life (which i adore).... but it was too little too late and Debs Atlantic career was over :(
MP3: Shock Your Mama
Sadly, a definitive Greatest Hits from this era was not released, but i made my own and the track listing is below with an unreleased track making up the new material - a gorgeous Japanese only b side that shows she has an ear for a lovely melody and great romantic lyrics.
- Only In My Dreams
- Shake Your Love
- Out Of The Blue
- Foolish Beat
- Lost In Your Eyes
- Electric Youth
- No More Rhyme
- We Could Be Together
- Anything Is Possible
- This So Called Miracle
- One Hand One Heart
- One Step Ahead
- Losin Myself
- Shock Your Mama
- Free Me
- How Can This Be
- The Most Beautiful Love Song (MP3)
Tomorrow! Grease! The last of Debbie!! Introducing Deborah!!! And more whether you like it or not ;)
Buy Debs music here and here!
The Only Deb Fan In The Village walks tall and proud!
I remember when Debs was #1 here in early '89 with "Lost In Your Eyes," you guys had Jason Donovan at #1 with "Too Many Broken Hearts." I always wished Jason had crossed over here at the time.
And jason donovan - i still play When you Come back to me every christmas... along with debs sleigh ride of course but that jason track was just a christmas fave back in the day. although its no fairytale of new york!
I'd love to have mp3 versions Ana's "Everytime We Say Goodbye" (actually, her whole album was good, I thought) and the live version of Deb's duet with Keith (her dancer) of "Love Under My Pillow" (which was on her concert video years ago). Know where a girl could find those?
stay tuned!