Electric Youth (song)

"Electric Youth"
Single by Debbie Gibson
from the album Electric Youth
B-side	We Could Be Together (Campfire Mix/5:33)
Released	April 18, 1989 (U.K.) June 26, 1989 (United States)
Format	7", Cassette, CD3
Recorded	1988
Genre	Teen pop, freestyle
Length	4:55
Label	Atlantic
Writer(s)	Debbie Gibson
Producer(s)	Fred Zarr
Certification	Gold (U.S.)
Debbie Gibson singles chronology
"Lost in Your Eyes" (1989) "Electric Youth" (1989) "No More Rhyme" (1989)

"Electric Youth" (Atlantic 88919; Atlantic UK A8919; Atlantic Japan 09P3-6130) is the seventh single from American singer-songwriter-actress Debbie Gibson, and the second from her second album Electric Youth (LP 81932). Produced by Fred Zarr and engineered by Phil Castellano for BiZarr Music, Inc., it became one of her most famous songs, peaking at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 and fourteen on the UK Singles Chart. Douglas Breitbart was executive producer.

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.

Music Video

The music video was directed by Gibson and Jim Yukich and was nominated for a moonman 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 1980's hit single, "Let's Go to the Mall."^[1]

Track listing (Special DJ release, Atlantic UK A8919A)

"PROMOTIONAL COPY NOT FOR SALE"
"Electric Youth"

A. Special DJ Edit (3:37)

B. LP Version (4:55)

Track listing (Atlantic DM 86427)

"Electric Youth"

1. (Deep House Mix/7:35)

2. (Shep Pettibone House Dub/5:51)

3. (LP Version/4:55)

4. (The Electro Mix/6:37)

5. (Electric Dub Gone Haywire/6:31)

"We Could Be Together"

6. (LP Version/5:33) (Mislabelled Campfire Mix this DM)

_{Both songs written by Deborah Gibson - Music Sales Corp., ASCAP}

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1989) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[2] 21 Canada (RPM)[3] 28 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[4] 38 Ireland (IRMA)[5] 13 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[6] 35 Spain (Spain Top 40 Radio)[7] 40 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[8] 14 US Billboard Hot 100[9] 11 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[10] 3

Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments United States (RIAA)[11] Gold 500,000^^ ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. Video on YouTube
2. "Australian-charts.com – Debbie Gibson – Electric Youth". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
3. "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 4, 2016. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
4. "Ultratop.be – Debbie Gibson – Electric Youth" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
5. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Lost in Your Eyes". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
6. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Debbie Gibson search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
7. Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
8. "Archive Chart: 1989-04-29" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
9. "Debbie Gibson – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Debbie Gibson. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
10. "Debbie Gibson – Chart history" Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs for Debbie Gibson. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
11. "American single certifications – Debbie Gibson – Electric Youth". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH