Saturday, February 6, 2021

"Out of the Blue" by Debbie Gibson

Top 10 Alert!
Song#:  3397
Date:  01/30/1988
Debut:  57
Peak:  3
Weeks:  17
Genre:  Pop


Pop Bits:  This teenager's debut album, Out of the Blue, quickly turned her into a pop star with its first two singles, including "Only in My Dreams," each getting to #4 and going gold. She then kept the ball rolling with this title-track third single. It would easily follow the previous two singles into the Pop Top 10 and even peak a notch higher. The tune also got to #16 at AC and #44 Dance. Just after the release of this single, the album would be certified platinum. By the end of February, it would reach its peak on the Album chart at #7.

ReduxReview:  I wasn't the biggest fan of "Shake Your Love," but Gibson got me back on board with this third single. The album-opening track was a sweet pop tune that was well-crafted by Gibson and co-producer Fred Zarr. It was a dreamy tune that was perfect for a teen audience and it had a chorus that was hooky enough to draw in sentimental adults as well. There was no doubt it was going to be a hit.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Just a few weeks after this song reached its #3 peak, Gibson's label, Atlantic Records, held a massive concert at New York's Madison Square Garden to celebrate the label's 40th anniversary. The all-day concert was arranged like the 1985 Live Aid event with various celebrities and musical acts making appearances. The idea was simple - celebrate the anniversary by having acts past and present who recorded for Atlantic perform anywhere from one to several of their hit songs. Performers included classic early acts like The Coasters, Ben E. King, and The Rascals, along with newer 70s/80s hitmakers such as Yes, Genesis, CSN, Bee Gees, Foreigner, and Roberta Flack. The most current act on the bill was Atlantic's newest teen star, Debbie Gibson. However, a good majority of fans who got tickets to the event were mainly there for one reason - to see a reunion of the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin. Of course, their performance would anchor the event so until then, Zep fans had to endure over 12 hours of music from other artists, which included some non-rock acts like the AC/jazz vocal quartet The Manhattan Transfer. As the day wore on, Zep fans were getting tired of waiting and were antsy. Debbie Gibson came on stage late in the day (around 8 pm) for her set and according to an article in the South Florida Sun Sentinel, "was greeted quite angrily by the Zeppelin-primed audience." However, the teen kept her composure and managed to win over the tough crowd during her set. The audience went from catcalls to generous, appreciative applause by the time she was done. The newly minted star certainly proved she had the right stuff to hang in with all the veteran acts and industry folks at the event.

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