Retro Spins: Debbie Gibson - Electric Youth

Debbie Gibson's Out Of The Blue was an album I knew had great tracks on it, but wasn't aware, until yesterday, just how well as a whole it was crafted. As noted in that post, Gibson remains the youngest artist to date to write, produce, and perform a number one hit. She's a talented artist on every level.

Which is why my expectations were high for her sophomore release, 1989's Electric Youth. Debbie has matured a lot in the two years since her debut, and this gets channeled through her new material. Youth is stripped of a lot of the pop dance that adorned Blue, and in its place are more ballads, and midtempo offerings. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does deter a bit.

I was hoping to find hit after hit here, as well as some hidden gems, and unfortunately, that's not what I got. Lost In Your Eyes, and Electric Youth (the song), were the stand out take away tracks for me. Additionally, I took mild interest in We Could Be Together. However, the rest of the songs, while not necessarily bad, weren't as memorable.

Overall, it was just kind of okay. Nothing terrible, but nothing special. I suppose that's typical for most artist's debut follow-ups.

While the album did well in sales, the charts seem to mirror my personal experience with it. The three tracks noted above, in addition to, No More Rhyme, were the only songs to chart, with only two of them cracking the top ten. Granted Lost In Your Eyes did become Gibson's second number one hit.

Though sales for Debbie would steadily decline as the 90's took over, she remained one of the few who not only survived that era, but continued consecutively beyond it. She's released a total of eleven studio albums since 1987, with her most recent being 2022's Winterlicious, which she released on her own label, StarGirl Records.

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Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
June 12, 1982

Retro Spins: Debbie Gibson - Out Of The Blue

Between Debbie Gibson and Tiffany, I always preferred Gibson. Which makes it odd that of the two, I've done a Retro Spin on both of Tiffany's 80's albums, but completely lunched on Debbie's. Well, it's time to rectify that, and we're starting right at the beginning with her 1987 debut, Out Of The Blue.

Not only did I find Gibson's songs to be far superior to that of her "competition", I respected her for writing and producing her own material, something Tiffany didn't do. Here debut was released when she was just sixteen, spawned multiple international hits, and became certified platinum in the process. She would also become, and remains, the youngest artist of all time to write, produce, and perform a number one hit, which was Foolish Beat.

Meanwhile, at sixteen, I was barely making it through high school, and had zero ambition or direction for the future.

Playing through Out Of The Blue, the hits were coming from all sides, left, right, up, down. You get the title track, Only In My Dreams, Foolish Beat, and Shake Your Love. However, then you get hidden gems that should have been hits. These include (from my own personal opinion) Fallen Angel and Play The Field. It's very obvious when it's all said and done why the album became the smash success it is.

Frankly, there's not much more to say about it from there. It's pure 80's pop goodness. Wholesome, fun, and a treat to listen to. What more do you need to know?

As for Debbie, she's embark on a tour, mostly around the United States, eventually returning to the studio to release her 1988 follow-up, Electric Youth. Once again she'd pen and produce the majority of the tracks, leading to an equally successful sophomore release. But, we'll dig into that one tomorrow.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below. 

Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
June 11, 1983

 

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
June 11, 1988