The dazzling track appears on the once and future pop queen’s 2021 album, The Body Remembers
BY ROB SHEFFIELD of Rolling Stone
THE ONCE-AND-FUTURE POP queen Debbie Gibson goes for a classic Seventies disco trip in her excellent new video for “Love Don’t Care.” It’s part of a triumphant musical rebirth for the “Electric Youth” legend, getting her mirrorball groove on with a very Cher flamboyance. “Love Don’t Care” is a dance banger from her 2021 comeback album, The Body Remembers, with a wide-open inclusive spirit. It’s a message that love isn’t restricted by boundaries of gender, age, race, or sexuality. It’s also proof that Debbie’s electric youth is timeless.
“I feel there’s been a modern disco resurgence thanks to artists like Kylie Minogue, Dua Lipa, and Lizzo,” Gibson said. “This video pays homage to Seventies queens like Cher and Donna Summer and the era of the variety show. I went full tilt with a younger man as a love interest and all because…hey, it was the Seventies!”
As Debbie told Rolling Stone in 2021, “I miss Donna Summer. I think we all do.” She’s always had a flair for disco, going back to her Eighties teen-pop bangers like “Shake Your Love” and “Only In My Dreams.” Her return with The Body Remembers was rooted in the spirit of classic dance music. As she said, “I was gravitating toward the upbeats just because everybody needs that energy shift now. Pop music does that—it shifts energy. That’s where the title comes from—the body remembers all the visceral moments tied to your favorite pop songs.”
The video was directed by Nick Spanos and Debbie herself, with a festive Seventies party vibe. Guest stars include Elliott with 2 T’s from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Jimmy Van Patten from the cult-fave 1979 trash-disco flick Roller Boogie, model Rachel Pizzolato, and longtime dancer Kevin Stea.
Debbie is finally getting her rightful glory these days as a classic pop pioneer. The Body Remembers, her first album in 20 years, was a statement about adult life, love, and renewal. But back in the Eighties, she invented the idea of a teenage girl writing and singing her hits, which was unheard of in those days. She opened the doors for modern stars like Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo. With “Foolish Beat,” at 17, Debbie became the youngest female artist ever to write, sing, and produce a Number One hit. She still holds the record today.
Last year Gibson teamed up with her long-time friend and collaborator, Joey McIntyre from New Kids on the Block, for a duet remake of her 1989 Number One hit “Lost In Your Eyes.” They also did a Las Vegas residency together. She dropped her first holiday album, Winterlicious. Earlier this year, she appeared on Criss Angel’s Magic with the Stars, doing an illusion with Donnie Osmond. She also rocked hard on The Masked Singer as the “Night Owl.” She brought down the house on Abba Week, singing “Fernando” and “The Winner Takes It All.”
CBS also interviewed Debbie as part of their Morning Mixtape series at her home in Las Vegas, playing her hits on her bedazzled piano, which originally belonged to Liberace himself. She also gave a look inside the making of the “Love Don’t Care” video.
Gibson is spending the summer on her “The Body Remembers Encore” tour. More information on the tour here.
The Body Remembers Encore Tour Dates
June 10 – Middletown, NY @ The Paramount Theatre
June 15 – Newton, NC @ Newton PAC
June 16 – Franklin, NC @ Smoky Mountain PAC
June 17 – Nashville, TN @ The Skydeck on Broadway
June 23 – Morgantown, WV @ Ruby Amphitheater
June 24 – Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre
June 29 – Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
June 30 – St Louis, MO @ River City Casino
July 13 – Livermore, CA @ Livermore PAC
July 15 – Laughlin, NV @ Edgewater Casino
July 20 – Albany, OR @ Oregon Amphitheater
July 22 – Ridgefield, WA @ Ilani Casino
