Comments on: 1988 Countdown: Lacuna

By: Tom Nawrocki

Tom Nawrocki — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:08:50 +0000

I think there’s probably a very good explanation for why “Foolish Beat” didn’t make it: somebody goofed. Never ascribe to chicanery what can be explained by simple incompetence, I always say, and in this case, we’re dealing with a bunch of 23-year-old RTVF grads from SUNY Oneonta. I assume it got left out for the same reason that Metallica got left out of the last edition of the Rolling Stone Record Guide.

Having said that, Out of the Blue was awesome, or at least it was real good, and using Bill James’ theories of ballplayers’ aging, I thought that if Debbie Gibson could come up with that at age 17, by the time she was 24, she’d be Bruce Springsteen, or at least George Michael. Alas, not.

By: gavin

gavin — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 06:22:00 +0000

I don’t have the ability to provide many spoilers! I’m watching the videos (and ads) as I post about them, so the only information I have on what’s coming up in the countdown is my twenty-year-old memories (and VJs saying “coming up in the next hour,” which is how I know that there is indeed another Pet Shop Boys video on the way, as you predicted). But I do remember (because of our surprise at the “Foolish Beat” omission) that there was at least one other Gibson video, so I have to assume that “Out of the Blue” made it. I would guess that “Staying Together” didn’t, although I’m not sure.

By: Chris M.

Chris M. — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:41:43 +0000

Quick followup:

Oops, I forgot — there was a fifth single, (which kind of flopped): “Staying Together”.

Shoulda done the Wiki check before I commented. I would assume, though, that if there was a video for that song, it didn’t make the MTV list, either.

By: Chris M.

Chris M. — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:03:01 +0000

I don’t want to force you into more spoilers, but: Did any Gibson videos make the list?

IIRC, “Foolish” was the fourth and final single from Out of the Blue and the only ballad, and the first two singles were solidly 1987 hits (”Only in My Dreams,” “Shake Your Love”). Which leaves the title track, which was a big hit and I believe straddled ’87 and ’88.

So did “Out of the Blue” make the list? That would at least suggest that MTV can only be accused of discriminating against girly ballads, not Gibson in toto. (I say “girly” because I fully expect we’ll see “Love Bites” and “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” before this countdown is over.)