Debbie Gibson--Lost In Your Eyes (1989)

     As I listened to this song again for the first time in a couple of decades, the first question that leaped in my mind was, "Why wasn't this woman more popular?", especially in wake of the massive success of Taylor Swift. For many of Ms. Swift's fans who were much to young to remember Debbie Gibson, she is the youngest to ever write, record, AND produce a  number 1 single on the Hot 100. One of the reasons is the country music crowd is much more flexible when it comes to the age of their stars. The country charts are littered with teen girls who had success, some of them long term, (Tanya Tucker was barely in her teens when her first single, 'Delta Dawn" was released in 1972) Teen pop idols has notoriously short shelf lives, and this was how Gibson was marketed and was never able to get out of the mold created for her.
     The good news was that although her music star had faded by 1991 here in the states, she has continued to record and perform dance, then adult contemporary albums that remain popular around the world, especially in Europe and Japan. More importantly, in 1992 she made her debut on Broadway and the bulk of her success in the United States stems from her time as a singer/actress. Many may not remember as much today, but it was her eight top 20 hits (including two number 1's) from 1987 to 1989 that laid the foundation for the successes of many teen singers (several like Ms. Swift, who has taken greater control over their art at a much younger age) over the last two decades.

 

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The B-52's--Love Shack (1989)/Roam (1989)/Deadbeat Club (1990)

     The B-52's have to be one of the quirkiest (and best) party bands ever. Taking the best elements of a 60's dance party esthetic (in sound and style), new wave (which in my opinion was a direct result of the 60's as well) and 80's style oddness that was always danceable has allowed them to continue to be popular over 20 years after the last hit.
      That shouldn't be surprising considering for the 10 years previous to these songs they held that mantle of "party band"as well. What was interesting was the top 40 success in the late 80'sseemed to have come out of nowhere. They had a influence on the US version of  new wave in 1979--1983 with their debut, "The B-'52's", "Wild Planet", and "Wammy". But with the death of guitarist Ricky Wilson in 1985, the group went into a tailspin and it was thought for the most part that it was over. 
     During the few years they were not touring, drummer Keith Strickland began to take up guitar and writing songs. After hearing his offerings, the rest of the group began writing together what was to become, "Cosmic Thing" which spawned three top 40 hits and gave them success they could never have imagined. They still tour, and although recording sporadically, each of their last two albums reached top 20 status.

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