Electric Youth | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 24, 1989 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1988 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 58:17 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer | ||||
Debbie Gibson chronology | ||||
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Singles from Electric Youth | ||||
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Electric Youth is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson, released on January 24, 1989, by Atlantic Records. It is the highest-charting album of Gibson's career, staying at the top of the US Billboard 200 albums chart for five weeks, and reaching number 8 on the UK Albums Chart. [1]
As with her debut album, Out of the Blue, all tracks were written by Gibson, and she single-handedly produced six of the tracks. She was also given half of the production credits on one track alongside Fred Zarr who produced the other four. The album, like her first, contains mainly bubblegum-pop songs, though other, more mature styles are touched upon. [1]
Electric Youth spawned four singles, the first being "Lost in Your Eyes," which became her second No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for three weeks. "Electric Youth", the album's title track, just missed the Top 10, reaching No. 11. "No More Rhyme" followed, ending its run at No. 17, and "We Could Be Together" charted at No. 71. [1]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Robert Christgau | C+ [3] |
Rolling Stone | [4] |
In their review of the album, Billboard stated that "some of the innocent charm of her triple -platinum debut has been replaced by slick sophistication, but Gibson's knack for churning out punchy, well-crafted tunes is stronger than ever. As indicated by the first single, "Lost In Your Eyes," the album concentrates more on ballads and midtempo tunes than the dance oriented debut did, but there are still plenty of toe- tappers here. Gibson leaves no doubt that her first-time success was not a fluke." [5]
Cashbox noted that "it’s hard to fault Gibson here. She’s definitely evolving into a stronger, more mature artist. Her songs range from catchy musical romps with an edge of emotion and serious thought (“Electric Youth”), to outright teenaged sentimentality (“Lost In Your Eyes”). Throughout, however, you sense a young artist with the chance to hang tough as a pop star in the future. This record should continue her huge success." [6]
Rolling Stone praised the album, stating that "Electric Youth sounds so bright and giddy that one could easily dismiss Debbie as just a kinder; gentler teen idol for the waning Eighties. That would be a mistake, if only because Gibson writes her own material. This eighteen-year-old New Yorker is heir to the great tradition of the Brill Building...the best pop music always mirrors its time, and anyone who's interested in a jolt of the here and now during this era of cultural nostalgia should plug into Electric Youth." [4]
Spin commented that "hidden inside the chirpy, MIDI-ized backing tracks is an insurgent message that will have a greater emotional impact on current culture than a truckload of Tracy Chapman's...it would be impossible for radio to ignore Debbie. Either on her own, or in conjunction with arranger-producer Fred Zarr, she rings the cash register of mass-market radio, sounding sometimes like a young Olivia Newton-John and at other moments ("Lost In Your Eyes") like a hybrid of Karen Carpenter and Barbara Streisand." [7]
AllMusic concedes that "the result is slickly produced teen pop, like her debut, but it's not as squeaky clean or as compulsively likeable. "Lost in Your Eyes" is a pretty ballad that showcases her songwriting skills, her clear voice, and her talent on the piano. "Electric Youth" is a bouncy, frenetic song that is ridiculously sing-alongable...It's teen pop at its best: it makes you feel young, it makes you want to sing, it makes you want to fall in love." [2]
In the US, the album was certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA and sold over 4 million copies worldwide. [8] Gibson promoted the album with "The Electric Youth World Tour" in 1989. In parallel with the album, she created an Electric Youth perfume under Revlon, and various makeup essentials for young girls through Natural Wonder Cosmetics, one of her sponsors at the time, distributed throughout the U.S. [1]
The album also inspired an original stage musical of the same name which premiered at the Starlight Dinner Theatre (formerly Mark Two Dinner Theatre) in Orlando, Florida. Dean Parker wrote the book and Gibson co-produced. [9]
The album was included in the 2017 box set We Could Be Together , with seven remixes as bonus tracks. [10]
A special four-disc digipack edition was released by Cherry Red Records on November 26, 2021. This release includes two remix CDs and a DVD containing the album's four music videos and the live video Live Around the World. [11]
All tracks are written by Deborah Gibson (Music Sales Corporation, ASCAP), except where indicated; all tracks are produced by Deborah Gibson, except where indicated.
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Who Loves Ya Baby?" | Zarr | 4:00 |
2. | "Lost in Your Eyes" | 3:32 | |
3. | "Love in Disguise" | 4:18 | |
4. | "Helplessly in Love" | 4:10 | |
5. | "Silence Speaks (a Thousand Words)" | 3:38 | |
6. | "Should've Been the One" | 5:09 | |
Total length: | 24:48 |
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Electric Youth" | Zarr | 4:55 |
2. | "No More Rhyme" | Zarr | 4:13 |
3. | "Over the Wall" | 3:57 | |
4. | "We Could Be Together" |
| 5:34 |
5. | "Shades of the Past" | Zarr | 4:54 |
Total length: | 23:36 |
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "We Could Be Together" (Campfire Mix) |
| 5:33 |
13. | "No More Rhyme" (Acoustic Mix) | Zarr | 4:13 |
Total length: | 9:46 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
14. | "Electric Youth" (Special DJ Edit) | 3:41 | |
15. | "Electric Youth" (Latin Edit) | 3:54 | |
16. | "We Could Be Together" (7" Mix) | 5:38 | |
17. | "Without You" (Single Version) |
| 4:19 |
Total length: | 17:34 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Electric Youth" (The Electro Mix) | 6:38 |
2. | "Electric Youth" (The Electric Dub Gone Haywire) | 6:34 |
3. | "Electric Youth" (The Electric Dub) | 6:33 |
4. | "Electric Youth" (Deep House Mix) | 7:36 |
5. | "Electric Youth" (Shep's House Dub) | 5:56 |
6. | "Electric Youth" (Shep's House Beats) | 6:03 |
7. | "Electric Youth" (House Edit) | 3:57 |
8. | "Electric Youth" (7" Alternative Latin Edit) | 3:54 |
Total length: | 47:15 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Silence Speaks (a Thousand Words)" (Acoustic Mix) | 3:41 | |
2. | "Lost in Your Eyes" (Piano & Vocal Mix) | 3:35 | |
3. | "Over the Wall" (Dub) | 4:27 | |
4. | "We Could Be Together" (House Mix) | 7:21 | |
5. | "We Could Be Together" (House of Trix) | 5:58 | |
6. | "We Could Be Together" (Radio Mix) | 4:33 | |
7. | "We Could Be Together" (Live Mix - From Video) | 7:48 | |
8. | "We Could Be Together" (Edit) | 4:41 | |
9. | "Without You" (Instrumental) |
| 4:19 |
10. | "In the Still of the Night (I'll Remember)" | Fred Parris | 3:54 |
11. | "Come Home" ( The Wonder Years ) | 2:05 | |
12. | "Love in Disguise" (Instrumental) | 4:19 | |
Total length: | 56:45 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Lost in Your Eyes" (Music Video) | ||
2. | "Electric Youth" (Music Video) | ||
3. | "No More Rhyme" (Music Video) | ||
4. | "We Could Be Together" (Music Video) | ||
5. | "Who Loves Ya Baby?" (Live) | ||
6. | "Over the Wall" (Live) | ||
7. | "Lost in Your Eyes" (Live) | ||
8. | "Don't Flirt with Me" (Live) | ||
9. | "Dance to the Music" (Live) | Sly Stone | |
10. | "Love Under My Pillow" (Live) | ||
11. | "Should've Been the One" (Live) | ||
12. | "We Could Be Together" (Live) | ||
13. | "No More Rhyme" (Live) | ||
14. | "Electric Youth" (Live) |
Weekly charts
| Certifications and sales
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Musicians
| Production
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Deborah Ann Gibson is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.
Out of the Blue is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson, released on August 18, 1987, by Atlantic Records. The album received favorable reviews from music critics and sold more than three million copies in the United States and five million copies worldwide.
Anything Is Possible is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson, released on November 20, 1990, by Atlantic Records. The album features a collaboration between Gibson and veteran Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier, who co-wrote four of the album's tracks including the title single. "Stand Your Ground" marked Gibson's final collaboration with longtime producer Fred Zarr.
Body, Mind, Soul is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson, released on January 19, 1993, by Atlantic Records. The album, which saw the then 23-year-old Gibson attempt to mature her sound by moving away from dance and pop in favor of sultrier R&B, failed to find favor with the record buying public and missed out on the U.S. top 100, peaking at No. 109, and also in the UK when it was released a few months later. However, the album was a hit in Japan, peaking at No. 13 on the charts. It was Gibson's last studio album under Atlantic Records.
Deborah is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson. Released on June 11, 1997, under Gibson's own record label, Espiritu Records, this was the first release where the singer was credited with her full name. The original release sold to Debbie Gibson International Fan Club (DGIF) members includes her covers of "People" and "Don't Rain on My Parade" from Funny Girl, as she starred in the off-Broadway production tour of the musical the previous year. The second release for the general market replaced the Funny Girl covers with "Only Words" and a re-recording of Gibson's 1987 debut single "Only in My Dreams".
"Only in My Dreams" is the debut single by American singer-songwriter and actress Debbie Gibson, who was 16 years old at the time of its release. The song was officially released by Atlantic Records on December 16, 1986. It was later remixed and re-released in February 1987. The song showcased Gibson's songwriting skills as she solely wrote it, with Fred Zarr producing it.
"Shake Your Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter and actress Debbie Gibson. The song was released as the second single to her debut studio album Out of the Blue (1987), and the first internationally by Atlantic Records in September 1987. Like the rest of the album, the song was solely written by Gibson and produced by Fred Zarr. The song features the Roland TR-808.
"Out of the Blue" is the third single by American singer-songwriter-actress Debbie Gibson. The title track of her debut album, the song was written by Gibson and co-produced and co-arranged with Fred Zarr, with Douglas Breitbart as executive producer. Released as a single in January 1988, "Out of the Blue" gave Gibson her highest chart placing at the time by reaching No. 3 in the U.S. In the UK, it did slightly less well than her two previous singles, stalling at No. 19.
"Staying Together" is the fifth single from American singer-songwriter-actress Debbie Gibson, and the fifth released in support of her album Out of the Blue. However, it did not perform as well as any of the previous singles, stalling at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single reached No. 53 in the UK in 1988. Written by Gibson and originally co-produced and co-arranged with Fred Zarr, this track was edited and co-produced for the single by then-BiZarr Music engineer-understudy Phil Castellano.
"Lost in Your Eyes" is a song by American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson, released as the first single from her second album, Electric Youth (1989).
"Electric Youth" is a song by American singer-songwriter-actress Debbie Gibson. The song was solely written by Gibson and produced by Fred Zarr. It was released on March 24, 1989 as the second single from the album of the same name (1989) by Atlantic Records. Gibson had written the song as a statement about how young people of that era were seen and how their ideas were often ignored. As a teenager herself, she was a firm believer that the beliefs and ideas held by young people were just as important as those held by adults and the song reminded people of this. It also reminded them that the current youth would become the next generation of adults.
"No More Rhyme" is a song by American singer-songwriter and actress Debbie Gibson. The song was released as the third single from her sophomore studio album Electric Youth (1989) only in North America, Australia, and Japan. Like all of the album, the song was solely written by Gibson. Frequent collaborator Fred Zarr produced the song. "No More Rhyme" was not issued a single in Europe, where the next single "We Could Be Together" was released instead. The song is a pop ballad.
"We Could Be Together" is the ninth single by American singer-songwriter-actress Debbie Gibson, and the fourth from the 1989 album Electric Youth. Produced by Gibson and Fred Zarr, the single was edited from its original recording. This song featured the talents of Matt Finders. The single performed better overseas than at home, peaking at No. 22 in the United Kingdom but stalling at No. 57 in Australia and No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.
"Without You" is a single by American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson. Written by Gibson and Tatsuro Yamashita, the single was released exclusively in Japan in 1990 by Warner Pioneer under the Atlantic label. It was featured in the 1990 TBS drama series Otoko ni Tsuite. Originally released as a stand-alone single, "Without You" was included as a bonus track in the Japanese releases of Gibson's 1990 album Anything Is Possible and 1995 Greatest Hits album. It was also included in her 2017 box set We Could Be Together and the 2021 Deluxe Edition release of her 1989 album Electric Youth.
Think with Your Heart is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson, released on July 4, 1995, by SBK Records, a division of EMI Records. The album sold only 25,000 copies in the U.S., but was a minor success in Japan, peaking at No. 46 on Oricon's album charts, as well as some success in South Africa. The album was produced by Gibson herself, and largely recorded with a live orchestra and shows the maturity of Gibson as a musician.
American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson has released eleven studio albums, six compilation albums, one box set, 46 singles, three video albums, and 31 music videos.
Ms. Vocalist is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson. Released on November 3, 2010 exclusively in Japan by Sony Music Japan, the album features Gibson's English-language covers of popular male-oriented Japanese songs. In addition, the album includes a duet with Mr. Big vocalist Eric Martin and two re-recordings of her number one hit "Lost in Your Eyes", with one version sung in Japanese. A deluxe edition release features four extra re-recordings of songs from her 1987 debut album Out of the Blue, plus a DVD featuring interviews and the music video for "I Love You".
The Body Remembers is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson, released on August 20, 2021, independently by her own label StarGirl Records. It is her first studio release to feature completely original songs since her seventh studio album M.Y.O.B. (2001).
Mr. Vocalist is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Eric Martin. Released on November 26, 2008 exclusively in Japan by Sony Music Japan, the album features Martin's English-language covers of popular female-oriented Japanese songs.
Mr. Vocalist 3 is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Eric Martin. Released on November 3, 2010 exclusively in Japan by Sony Music Japan, the album features more of Martin's English-language covers of popular female-oriented Japanese songs. It includes "Sekaijū no Dare Yori Kitto", a duet with Debbie Gibson; an alternate recording of the song is included in Gibson's 2010 cover album Ms. Vocalist.
30 years ago today, Debbie Gibson released her sophomore album
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