You also speak to the large bubble of Boomers (like me) who witnessed and were captivated by the Beatles’ debut on the "Must Be Watched with All of America" Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. Right time. Right place. Right sound. Right guys. Right everything. And the rest is history.
Oh man. There was no "rivalry" with the Beatles, though. I mean, I guess people pointed to the Rolling Stones or whatever early on, but seriously? No.
Kids of my generation got to watch reruns of the Monkees, so the comparison with the Beatles was inevitable (and equally silly to the Stones comparisons from previous years).
The Beatles were the first band I became obsessed with, shortly before discovering Debbie and Tiffany! full circle, kinda.
For a while, the Dave Clark Five were running with the Beatles as far as the record charts went, and we loved the debate. Of course, social media then was gabbing in school hallways and in the garages where many a garage band (of course) was born.
I have found it pleasantly annoying that the Beatles have been tagged as a "Boy Band" by small factions of the historically uninformed. I was well into my thirties by the time Debbie Gibson arrived on the pop scene, but I gotta admit, I liked her and her music.
I truly think she wrote some incredible songs, and at 14 and 15 years of age!!!
The more I've thought about it, the more youth seems like an advantage when writing songs. The best way I can explain this is that younger people are much more strongly connected to their emotions. They're profound and overwhelming in ways we learn to make them NOT BE later in life. Therefore, some of the best music ever written (almost as a rule) has been created by young people.
Hahaha one of my best music buddies is a total Debbie Gibson fan! So, I would have to go with Debbie. My sister, Tiffany, was obsessed with Tiffany hahahaha, thus I couldn’t stand Tiffany! She was my younger sister, and ended up going to her first concert before me to see Tiffany, of course. But, that meant my mom said yes when I asked to go see REM a few months later!
By 17, I was definitely all about going to see shows! I discovered punk rock around the tail end of 16, probably, and never turned back. It all kinda started w/Debbie, though, or at least she was a notable stepping stone for my early music interest.
Love it! I was into punk too, but my mom never let me go to concerts! That summer after I graduated though, I went to some awesome concerts in Chicago (3-1/2 hour drive).
I had to get to the point where I could drive at night (over 16) before my nighttime explorations could truly begin. I think I was 17 when I hit my first punk show, having only been to a couple of concerts in my life prior to that. Let me just say: I was hooked.
I adored Tiffany as a kid. I also listened to Debby, but I had no idea people were picking teams with them. I just liked their music, but something about Tiffany clicked with me more. Maybe it was the red hair that reminded me of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, which I was also all about. LOL
Maybe! Little Mermaid came out at the end of 89... Tiffany's popularity peaked in like late 87 and early 88, but even still, these songs were inescapable right up to 1990.
I liked Tiffany's music more but I wasn't hugely into either of them. I liked their music but assume that I probably like Tiffany's music more because I had a thing for redheads. I've always had a thing for redheads. My favourite was Madonna as far as music went though. I think they were inspired by her but many were at that time. It's just that style...
That makes sense (about the redhead thing). It's often surprising how much our subconscious kind of sneaks into the driver's seat! Also: Madonna was 100% the template they were going for, and while nobody got close, you can really see the similarities w/the way both "Only in My Dreams" and "Foolish Beat" were filmed, and with the way Tiffany presented her image more broadly (though Cindy Lauper may have entered for obvious reasons)
I remember this well, especially the mall video. I was much more into Tiffany’s music, but neither were that big in my life. The big love would come later, middle school, when I discovered U2. The big group at the time was New Kids on the Block, and there was a big rivalry between my friends who were NKOTB fans and those who were U2 fans.
I remember this well, especially the mall video. I was most definitely into Tiffany more, but I can’t say I was a huge fan. My big music rivalries game later, in middle school when it seemed like all the girls were really into new kids on the block.
I had to listen to the songs to connect them to my memory and recognize them. I was 6 at the time and in (still-Soviet) Ukraine, so the whole Debbie vs. Tiffany thing must've sailed completely under my radar. I might've had some early opinions about Ninja Turtles at the time, but I can't be sure.
86-87 was a real year of awakening for me. I symbolically left my youth behind by seeing Transformers the Movie in theaters, and then middle school and puberty just wrecked my world. I discovered the Beatles, and suddenly the world looked and sounded very different.
😂 Nintendo. Yes, we had that one too. For the longest time, I refused to feed the addiction and ignored all gift requests for any game-related items (systems, controllers, accessories, chairs, games)… and yet, we have SO MANY!
Oh, yes, the Xbox vs PS debate was wild in our house. Each boy had their opinion and thus their own gaming system. My hubby and brother tried to convince them Atari was the only way to go 😝 that didn’t go over very well though!
Working for Microsoft I was a cheerleader for Xbox; also I got a discount. But Spiderman came out on PlayStation so that was a big plus for them. Nintendo was scrappy with less resources but amazing characters and if I was buying one today, it'd be the Swtich. So cute! And I want to play Stardew Valley
There were and still are many such debates in the history of music, in all genres. (P.S. I'm more of a Tommy James fan; he had the original hit version of "I Think We're Alone Now" in the '60s.)
You also speak to the large bubble of Boomers (like me) who witnessed and were captivated by the Beatles’ debut on the "Must Be Watched with All of America" Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. Right time. Right place. Right sound. Right guys. Right everything. And the rest is history.
Oh man. There was no "rivalry" with the Beatles, though. I mean, I guess people pointed to the Rolling Stones or whatever early on, but seriously? No.
Kids of my generation got to watch reruns of the Monkees, so the comparison with the Beatles was inevitable (and equally silly to the Stones comparisons from previous years).
The Beatles were the first band I became obsessed with, shortly before discovering Debbie and Tiffany! full circle, kinda.
For a while, the Dave Clark Five were running with the Beatles as far as the record charts went, and we loved the debate. Of course, social media then was gabbing in school hallways and in the garages where many a garage band (of course) was born.
I have found it pleasantly annoying that the Beatles have been tagged as a "Boy Band" by small factions of the historically uninformed. I was well into my thirties by the time Debbie Gibson arrived on the pop scene, but I gotta admit, I liked her and her music.
I truly think she wrote some incredible songs, and at 14 and 15 years of age!!!
The more I've thought about it, the more youth seems like an advantage when writing songs. The best way I can explain this is that younger people are much more strongly connected to their emotions. They're profound and overwhelming in ways we learn to make them NOT BE later in life. Therefore, some of the best music ever written (almost as a rule) has been created by young people.
#teamdebbie
It's probably clear from what I wrote, but #debbietoo
Hahaha one of my best music buddies is a total Debbie Gibson fan! So, I would have to go with Debbie. My sister, Tiffany, was obsessed with Tiffany hahahaha, thus I couldn’t stand Tiffany! She was my younger sister, and ended up going to her first concert before me to see Tiffany, of course. But, that meant my mom said yes when I asked to go see REM a few months later!
Isn't it funny that you almost like had to hate Tiffany? What a crazy time!
My first concert was years later, when I was around 15 or possibly even 16.
And yes, I definitely had to hate Tiffany! Hahaha!
I’m going to say my sister was about 12 or 13 - I was probably almost 18 in my senior year of high school.
By 17, I was definitely all about going to see shows! I discovered punk rock around the tail end of 16, probably, and never turned back. It all kinda started w/Debbie, though, or at least she was a notable stepping stone for my early music interest.
Love it! I was into punk too, but my mom never let me go to concerts! That summer after I graduated though, I went to some awesome concerts in Chicago (3-1/2 hour drive).
I had to get to the point where I could drive at night (over 16) before my nighttime explorations could truly begin. I think I was 17 when I hit my first punk show, having only been to a couple of concerts in my life prior to that. Let me just say: I was hooked.
I am incensed at your GLARING OMISSION from 1987.
https://youtu.be/Ud6sU3AclT4?si=vkf7tXqJptvo6_SN
Come, now. Debbie and Tiffany were children, Rudy. Children!
Taylor Dayne was all woman.
But yes, this song is incredible and it absolutely rocks.
I adored Tiffany as a kid. I also listened to Debby, but I had no idea people were picking teams with them. I just liked their music, but something about Tiffany clicked with me more. Maybe it was the red hair that reminded me of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, which I was also all about. LOL
Maybe! Little Mermaid came out at the end of 89... Tiffany's popularity peaked in like late 87 and early 88, but even still, these songs were inescapable right up to 1990.
I liked Tiffany's music more but I wasn't hugely into either of them. I liked their music but assume that I probably like Tiffany's music more because I had a thing for redheads. I've always had a thing for redheads. My favourite was Madonna as far as music went though. I think they were inspired by her but many were at that time. It's just that style...
That makes sense (about the redhead thing). It's often surprising how much our subconscious kind of sneaks into the driver's seat! Also: Madonna was 100% the template they were going for, and while nobody got close, you can really see the similarities w/the way both "Only in My Dreams" and "Foolish Beat" were filmed, and with the way Tiffany presented her image more broadly (though Cindy Lauper may have entered for obvious reasons)
I remember this well, especially the mall video. I was much more into Tiffany’s music, but neither were that big in my life. The big love would come later, middle school, when I discovered U2. The big group at the time was New Kids on the Block, and there was a big rivalry between my friends who were NKOTB fans and those who were U2 fans.
Ha! Never mind that other question.
I remember this well, especially the mall video. I was most definitely into Tiffany more, but I can’t say I was a huge fan. My big music rivalries game later, in middle school when it seemed like all the girls were really into new kids on the block.
Wait, weren't you in middle school when Debbie and Tiffany had their epic pop battles? Or were you a year behind me?
I had to listen to the songs to connect them to my memory and recognize them. I was 6 at the time and in (still-Soviet) Ukraine, so the whole Debbie vs. Tiffany thing must've sailed completely under my radar. I might've had some early opinions about Ninja Turtles at the time, but I can't be sure.
86-87 was a real year of awakening for me. I symbolically left my youth behind by seeing Transformers the Movie in theaters, and then middle school and puberty just wrecked my world. I discovered the Beatles, and suddenly the world looked and sounded very different.
Mac v PC, AKA creative v nerd. iPhone v android, AKA bougie v basic. Xbox v PS2, AKA oh hell I don't even know what those fools were on about
😂 Nintendo. Yes, we had that one too. For the longest time, I refused to feed the addiction and ignored all gift requests for any game-related items (systems, controllers, accessories, chairs, games)… and yet, we have SO MANY!
My favorite is the Donkey Kong bongo drum controllers!!
Oh, yes, the Xbox vs PS debate was wild in our house. Each boy had their opinion and thus their own gaming system. My hubby and brother tried to convince them Atari was the only way to go 😝 that didn’t go over very well though!
Those kids don't know what they're missing. Those 2600 graphics!
Working for Microsoft I was a cheerleader for Xbox; also I got a discount. But Spiderman came out on PlayStation so that was a big plus for them. Nintendo was scrappy with less resources but amazing characters and if I was buying one today, it'd be the Swtich. So cute! And I want to play Stardew Valley
I got to play a PS Spiderman game with VR goggles on a few years ago. I was really impressed with the way they made heights feel scary!
me: I'll take them all!
Tech slut
I prefer pantechian.
Omnitech
They used to call me "OT" for short.
GOOOOT FURY
There were and still are many such debates in the history of music, in all genres. (P.S. I'm more of a Tommy James fan; he had the original hit version of "I Think We're Alone Now" in the '60s.)
The original is rock solid! Do you like the cover? I actually think it's pretty decent.