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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Samantha Fox--Touch Me (1986)

      From the earliest days of media in the 20th century, artists have attempted to cross over artistic mediums. From radio and records into movies, and later into TV, there has been attempted to "do it all". From Bing Crosby to Elvis to Rick Nelson to John Travolta to Miley Cyrus...there has been a fascination from those in other medias to attempt (?) to sing.
     Which brings us to Samantha Fox. There had been those had been a model turned singer before. The first which comes to mind is Andrea True who had a hit with, "More More, More" in 1976. Of course, some might argue that True actually fell in the category of movie star (well, at least if your forte was Porn). Given that, Samantha Fox then might be one of the first who became a hit singer after becoming a star as a model.
     Those who remember Fox might be surprised to know that she was a singer first. She had been on the stage before beginning school and had made her first appearance on TV at the age of ten. By 1980, at the age of 14 she had formed her own rock band and had been making a few recordings. It was in 82' however that her fortunes changed in a way that had nothing to do with music.
     Her mom had photographed her in lingerie for an amateur modeling contest run by The Sunday People newspaper. She came in second and drew the attention of The Sun newspaper who is famous for their "page six" girls. By 1984 at the age of 18 she had her first topless photo on "page six" and for the next three years became one of the most famous models in Britain   
     Her mind was never far from music however, and in 86' she retired from her role as the UK's top model to concentrate on her singing career. Signing with Jive Records that same year, she recorded five albums over the next six years. Three singles became top 10 hits in America. "Touch Me" in 86, "Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)", and "I Wanna Have Some Fun" both in 1988. Her star faded considerably by the early 90's, but it still a well known quantity in her homeland.

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