Nowadays, numerous songs become hits after artists have built buzz teasing them on TikTok and other social platforms. By the time a song is released in its entirety, it’s common for fans to already be familiar with it.
In the late ‘80s, artists had fewer avenues to preview new music, but still one key one: playing unreleased songs on tour. Debbie Gibson took advantage of that opportunity during shows supporting her smash debut album, Out of the Blue, which yielded four Billboard Hot 100 top 10s in 1987-88, including her historic first No. 1, “Foolish Beat.”
In addition to spotlighting her breakthrough hits on the road, Gibson took to the piano to unveil the love song “Lost in Your Eyes.”
“I was so excited about this song that I couldn’t wait to perform, so I did a sneak preview live on tour way before it was ever released,” Gibson recalls to Billboard.
The song became the first single from the then-18-year-old’s sophomore 1989 album, Electric Youth. The ballad, which Gibson wrote and produced solo (as with “Foolish Beat”), soared to No. 1 for three weeks on the Hot 100 beginning with the chart dated that March 4. A week later, Electric Youth, released on Atlantic Records, began a five-week reign on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Wrote Paul Grein in the Chart Beat column in the March 11, 1989, Billboard issue, “Gibson this week becomes the first teen star to have the No. 1 pop album and single simultaneously since Little Stevie Wonder more than 25 years ago. Gibson [is] the first female teen star ever to achieve this double play.” Plus, “Gibson has equaled the achievement of several of her role models: Olivia Newton, in 1974; Elton John hit the jackpot twice in 1975; Billy Joel triumphed in 1980; and George Michael scored twice last year.”
Electric Youth produced four Hot 100 hits, with “Lost in Your Eyes” followed by two more top 20 singles, the anthemic title cut and contemplative ballad “No More Rhyme,” plus longtime fan-favorite sing-along “We Could Be Together.”
Gibson has continued to expand her Billboard chart history, as she sent her first seasonal collection, Winterlicious, into the top 20 of Top Holiday Albums in 2022. It followed her first proper LP of all-new music in two decades, The Body Remembers, which hit the Top Current Albums and Top Album Sales charts in 2021. A veteran of Broadway, film and TV, Gibson most recently appeared on Fox’s The Masked Singer, Celebrity Name That Tune (in a friendly face-off against Belinda Carlisle) and We Are Family. Currently, she’s working on her upcoming memoir.
Upon the 35th anniversary of “Lost in Your Eyes” topping the Hot 100, Gibson gives Billboard an exclusive countdown, below, of the chart that week in 1989, musing about each hit in the top 20. The song led over fellow enduring hits from acts including The Bangles, Rick Astley and Guns N’ Roses; a duet (co-written by Richard Marx) between Heart’s Ann Wilson and Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander; and classics from Tone-Loc, New Kids on the Block, Sheena Easton and more. –Gary Trust
Gibson: “A gorgeous, timeless ballad we want from Vanessa. She has always been a favorite of mine and a kindred spirit pop and theater gal! Classy song and classy lady who is always warm and welcoming, as are her vocals on this song.”
“I remember it being in the New Edition/New Kids on the Block lane. The boys were adorable, and all could do a backflip, which blew my mind! This song was masterfully written by Babyface, Darryl Simmons, and L.A. Reid.”
“I am quite certain I emulated every synth sound my DX7 could make after I heard this record, which I first discovered after Larry Yasgar, Bruce Carbone and Anthony Sanfilippo gave me the 12-inch vinyl up at the dance office of Atlantic Records.”
“My songwriter heart always loved this song and still does. Pop fans often mistook Susanna Hoffs’ voice for mine on this song. This band obviously broke ground inspiring young girls everywhere.”
“Midtempo pop featuring David Glasper’s raw vibrato, which I’ve always been a fan of. I love the verse melody most of all in the song.”
“This one stands the test of time, as do the boys in this band … and especially Jon, whom I got to see receive honors this year around Grammy time. Well deserved! This band has always had legs and it’s because of classics like this one.”
“One of my all-time favorite mainstream dance/pop records! The keyboard parts are rad. Everything about this song, from the melody to lyrics to chords to production to the vocals, defines an era. This track was often imitated but never duplicated, as the OG is flawless!”
“Classic Rod and a sexy video to bring Rod to us ‘80s kids. I love the production as it is a blend of strings, rock guitars and palatable keyboard elements … music for the masses.”
“Oh, Milli Vanilli. No matter what your take on the scandal and the tragic ending, this song was part of the soundtrack of our lives and oozed exotic coolness.”
“I love Rick! I loved him then and I love him now. He puts his classic vocal style and personality on everything he does, and this self-penned classic delivers just what you want it to deliver in its hooky chorus and four-on-the-floor groove.”
“I was obsessed with this song. Did I say obsessed? This song was and is in a lane all its own and managed to bridge the gap between hard rock/metal and pop, which sometimes rock fans did not appreciate, but this pop fan loved this incredible band. I will never forget hanging out with Axl post-AMAs when I co-hosted. Such a thrill, and what a nice guy.”
“The vocal performances on this song are astounding. I cannot say I saw this film, but what a fabulous movie anthem. And that modulation that happens at the bridge … I was always a fan of pop-rock theatrics and this song delivers just that.”
“I’m pretty sure this was on a mixtape made for me by Brian Bloom, who introduced me to all the great urban pop records.”
“This song defined a genre: hippie-chic. The way Edie pronounced the lyrics was emulated back then, the way the young modern vocalists have taken their annunciation cue from Adele.”
“I mean … This song is imprinted forever in our lives. He was one of the crossover artists who brought rap to the mainstream. I feel this track is due for a revamp in the modern landscape …”
“This was one of the songs that put my friends on the map. The ‘oh-oh-oh-oh-oh’ hook is why I love pop music. Everyone can sing it and everyone still does in arenas packed with crying women and, even though I am on that stage with them, I sing along and cry, too! This is pop music greatness.”
“I recently jammed with a friend at the piano to this song, as it is timeless and gorgeous. The line, ‘I wasn’t there that morning when my father passed away …,’ lives on as one of the great moving lyrics in a pop song of this time.”
“This is the song that really encapsulated Paula’s spirit and personality, and the urban freshness spoke to us suburban girls in a way that allowed us into the club. I had the honor of working with her as a choreographer on ‘Shake Your Love,’ but this video showcased Paula as the consummate solo entertainer. This song made me seek out the late great Elliot Wolff as a collaborator, as this production and so much of what he did with Paula was so relevant to the time but unique unto each song.”
“Loving that the top three was all women! Sheena kept her strut-pout vibe going with this classic.”
“I remember the day I got home from school and sat at the piano and this song poured out of me. It really was a composite of different things going on in my puppy love high school love life and I barely stopped to change a note or a word. It was simply my job to transcribe what the universe was dropping in. I was so excited about this song that I couldn’t wait to perform, so I did a sneak preview live on tour way before it was ever released.
“It has an unusual format where the chorus is more like a bridge, and the opening line of each verse is its own hook, proving that when you go with your artistic flow, magic happens. I was floored when this self-penned, self-produced song reached No. 1, for three whole weeks! I am even more floored that, 35 years later, I honor requests to wish people happy anniversary with this song, as it has been a part of love stories throughout the ages!”