Music Review: Debbie Gibson "We Could Be Together"

We Could Be Together
Album: Electric Youth
Year: 1989

Debbie Gibson is ready to take any risk to be with a guy in the mealy "We Could Be Together."

Pealing Cadillac horns open the single, setting a sour tone. In the first verse, she says she can't be alone. She tells her crush that unlike the past, there aren’t any obstacles stopping them. She adds that she’s independent and no one is telling her what to do. She will make up for making the wrong decision to listen to her friends. She won't be ashamed to say how she likes him. It'll be worth it for the few months they may or so being a couple.

"If I were an only child/I would be a lonely child/But baby we've got nothing to lose/I'm standing tall in my own shoes/I'll take this chance/I'll make this choice/I'll right this wrong/I'll raise my voice/If it means/We'll be together/For a while."

In the second verse, she thought they would get together eventually. It doesn't matter if it's a week or a year, she'll maneuver her schedule in any way. She plans to dump her current steady boyfriend, who had plans of marrying her.

"I have never had a doubt/But for you I'll take time out/I'll push his love far away from me/And then I'll be completely free/I'll give up my security/For just the possibility/That we could be together/For a while."

In the chorus, she says she will lick his boots and go above and beyond to please him. She says he will be her master and she will only answer to his commands.

"If you said jump! I'd say how high?/If you said run! I'd run and fly/Just for the chance/Just for the moment/Should the moment pass us by/And if you ask once I'll tell you twice/
I'll ignore the world’s advice/If we could be together/For a while."

In the third verse, she respects his guts for standing up for what he believes in and not caring what other people think. It's a quality she wished she had. She realized she shouldn't settle and set her sights on what she wants. She opts to wait by the phone to find when her crush is coming home again.

"I am taken by your strength/I've thought about it at great length/I thought that I was happy now/But there are things that I found out/Happiness means greater things/I'll sit here 'til that telephone rings/Then we could be together/For a while."

The chorus is sung again.

In the bridge, she plans to break up with her boyfriend and announce to her close friends that her sorta-kinda-but-not-really boyfriend is back in town! She knows what they say: she's acting silly and not thinking. They'll try to convince her out of the relationship. It will be only a fling and soon, she'll regret leaving the stable boyfriend behind. However, she adds it may be the only opportunity she may ever get to be with him and she should follow her heart's impulses.

"Wait'll I tell my guy (wait'll I tell)/Wait'll I tell my other friends/They'll all think I’m crazy/And ya know what?/That depends/Cause I'm crazy in love/With you/And everyone's best won’t do/They'll say my hopes/Will not come true/But I'm taking the chance/Because you only live once/Only live once (only live once."

The chorus is sung again.

In the second bridge, she says she isn't sure if it'll work out or not. However, she would like to know. She's dated guys who have been wrong for her. Again, he could turn out to be a jerk. But at least she won't be wondering what it will be like to be with him.

"There are no guarantees/But if it means/There's even a possibility/Then I'll give up whatever it takes/I know I've made some mistakes before/It may be just another closed door/But we could be together/For a while."

The chorus is sung again.

The chorus is sung without accompiant for the first half and with for the second half.

At at an excruciating 5 minutes, 34 seconds, the single runs too long. The first verse should've been cut. Its random lyrics("if I were an only child, I would be lonely child") and hollow proclamations of bravery are bratty. The second bridge is excessive and nulls the points of the entire single. Suddenly, she begins to care what people are saying and backtracks. She's simply mustering any excuse to rationalize her impulsiveness.

Gibson's perpetual optimism makes her smug and spoiled in the song. Her guy is back and she will be happy, even if it's at everyone's expense. Her selfishness is also unparalleled. Her willingness to hurt a boyfriend, alienate her friends, and fight with her parents is appalling.

The shrill keyboards and obnoxious Cadillac horns are wallflowers, blending and muted to the point they are nonexistent. The Cadillac horns grab for any notice, jumping in with short bursts.

The atrocious "We Could Be Together" could permenantly put listeners off pop music for good.

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