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"Electric Youth"
North American single cover
Single by Debbie Gibson
from the album Electric Youth
B-side	"We Could Be Together (Campfire Mix)"
Released	March 17, 1989 (1989-03-17) (U.S.) April 24, 1989 (1989-04-24) (UK)
Recorded	1988
Genre	Dance-pop freestyle
Length	4:55
Label	Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Deborah Gibson
Producer(s)	Fred Zarr
Debbie Gibson singles chronology
"Lost in Your Eyes" (1989) "Electric Youth" (1989) "No More Rhyme" (1989)
Music video
"Electric Youth" on YouTube

"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 17, 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.

"Electric Youth" became one of Gibson's most famous singles of her career, peaking at number eleven on the US Billboard Hot 100, while also entering the top forty in twelve other countries including top ten positions in Israel, the Netherlands, and Panama. In 2012, Gibson re-recorded the song as "Electric Youth Reloaded", featuring arrangement and rap lyrics by American actor Jace Hall.

Content

Unlike the majority of Gibson's songs at the time, which focused on finding or losing love, "Electric Youth" is an anthem with her calling for her generation to be heard.

Critical reception

Bryan Buss from AllMusic described the song as "a bouncy, frenetic song that is ridiculously sing-alongable, but at the same it is time hard to really identify with it unless you're 12 (or at least young at heart)." The Daily Vault's Christopher Thelen noted that it "capture the playfulness of Gibson's music and the carefree feeling of youth." Pop Rescue said it is "by far the best song" on the album.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Gibson and Jim Yukich and was nominated at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Art Direction In A Video.

In 2006, elements of the music video (particularly the silhouette dance clips) were parodied by Cobie Smulders in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother for her character Robin Sparkles' own 1990s ("The 80's didn't come to Canada 'til like '93.") hit single, "Let's Go to the Mall."

Track listing

All songs are written by Deborah Gibson

Charts

References

1. ^ "American single certifications – Debbie Gibson – Electric Youth". Recording Industry Association of America.
2. "The New Single Out Now on 7", 12", 3" CD & Cassette Single". Music Week. April 22, 1989. p. 1. ISSN 0265-1548.
3. "Electric Youth Reloaded". Debbie Gibson Official Website. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
4. Hall, Jace. "Electric Youth Reloaded by JaceHall". SoundCloud. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
5. "Electric Youth by Debbie Gibson - Songfacts". Songfacts. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
6. Buss, Bryan. "Debbie Gibson – Electric Youth". AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
7. Thelen, Christopher (February 14, 1999). "Electric Youth – Debbie Gibson". The Daily Vault. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
8. "Review: "Electric Youth" by Debbie Gibson (CD, 1989)". Pop Rescue. July 18, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
9. "Quotes from "How I Met Your Mother: Slap Bet"". IMDb. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
10. Video on YouTube
11. "Debbie Gibson – Electric Youth". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
12. "Debbie Gibson – Electric Youth" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
13. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada (Top Singles – Volume 50, No. 5 May 29, 1989)". RPM. www.collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
14. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 6343." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
15. "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. May 27, 1989. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
16. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Debbie Gibson". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 89. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
17. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Electric Youth". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
18. "J-Wave: Tokio Hot 100 Chart". Tokio Hot 100. May 28, 1989. Retrieved February 15, 2024. (To access the chart date, visit the Tokio Hot 100 Chart and select year 1989, month 5 and week 4)
19. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Debbie Gibson" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
20. "Debbie Gibson – Lost in Your Eyes" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
21. "Discos más populares de Latinoamérica". El Siglo de Torreón. July 17, 1989. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
22. Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
23. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
24. "Debbie Gibson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
25. "Debbie Gibson Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
26. Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
27. "The Back Page: CHR". Radio & Records. No. 787. May 5, 1989. p. 112.
28. "the Gavin Report: Top 40". Gavin Report. No. 1756. May 12, 1989. p. 8.
29. "Offiziellecharts.de – Debbie Gibson – Electric Youth" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
30. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – 1989". ARIA, via Imgur.com. Retrieved January 7, 2020.

External links

• "Electric Youth" at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
• "Electric Youth" at Discogs (list of releases)

• 1989 singles
• 1989 songs
• Debbie Gibson songs
• Songs written by Debbie Gibson
• Song recordings produced by Fred Zarr
• Atlantic Records singles