Stream Losin' Myself here (Spotify)
Buy Losin' Myself here (Apple Music)
Read all of my Debbie Gibson (& related) remixes-from-the-vaults posts here
2020 has been the year for artists digging into their vaults and releasing long-unavailable mixes of fan favourite tracks and singles. Getting to stream all of Madonna's Vogue mixes like it is 1990 was a giddy treat. Uncovering the meaning of Mariah through a steady stream of single EPs hitting streaming is a treasure trove of urban pop riches. And seeing Debbie Gibson pop up on the New Releases page of Spotify - even with a song I know and love - is still an endorphin rush of a thrill. Following her unveiling a few weeks ago of the 1991 mixes of her Anything Is Possible album song, One Step Ahead, Ms Gibson is returning to her 1993 opus, Body, Mind & Soul. She wisely choses the sultry first single and today has unleashed the remix package for Losin' Myself. It was perhaps because of her time in Les Miserables that we got to hear a more prominent representation of her lower register; in its original format, the song is a moody urban-pop groove which is bolstered by her gorgeous deep (and confident) vocal style. Handed over to Masters At Work, the track turns into a hip-hop and house music vibe which were rightly described by Billboard magazine as "quite tasty"...
The song was widely considered a flop when it was released - possibly because it stalled at number 86 on the Hot 100. It was actually a bigger hit than people think. It made 45 on the Billboard Sales Chart, 46 on the Club Chart and 49 on the Adult Contemporary chart - plus was top twenty in some key markets including New York, Dallas and San Francisco. Sure, not the chart topping halcyon days of Lost In Your Eyes but no slouch either. Whether you are revisiting the song or discovering it for the first time, it remains surprisingly contemporary. It was (and is) a sensuous companion to the more overt Erotica by Madonna. Debbie justifies her love by sending her voice soaring as the music flows into cascades of incrementally harder, shimmering rhythms. It crescendos into the "I won't hold back/I want to know no shame" middle 8, where it all coalesces into an explosion of textured sound so satisfying that you needed to take a breath just to gather yourself afterwards. The M-A-W mixes are sizzling but but its T-Ray's Acoustic Mix (with exquisite percussive beats and sumptuous keyboards) which reveals the beating heart of the lyrics. Leave your preconceptions at the door and immerse yourself in this timeless pop gem.
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