Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child
Encyclopedia
"Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child" is a song by Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper, released on the album Root Hog or Die! in 1989.
performing the ceremony at a chapel in Las Vegas
). He also manages to insult Rick Astley
("a pantywaist"), Spuds McKenzie ("hate that dog") and Tiffany
("wrestling in Jello
") along the way, all in just two minutes and three seconds. The song is not, however, a direct attack on any one artist, but rather a parody of tabloid gossip (hence the title) and pop culture in a similar vein to Weird Al Yankovic's "Headline News" of several years later.
Not surprisingly, the song caused a bit of controversy. Gibson herself was even moved to write an answer song
, "Stuffy White Girl", which she planned to release as a b-side, but ultimately thought better of it. It did give Mojo his first Billboard
chart appearance, as the tune peaked at #16 on the Modern Rock listings in the summer of 1989.
T'Boo Dalton) and directed by Scott Kalvert, features Nixon and Roper with lookalikes of Tiffany, Astley and Collins—and actress Winona Ryder
as Debbie Gibson. Ryder (who once called the video "my favorite role of all time") wears a wedding dress and gives birth to "a Bigfoot
baby, all covered in fur" with the requisite two heads.
However, MTV
(perhaps fearing legal action) declined to add the video to its regular rotation, despite having Nixon as a network spokesman (itself surprising, since Mojo had first won fame with his song "Stuffin' Martha's Muffin", a reference to then-VJ Martha Quinn
). Mojo and Skid did perform the song on MTV's late-night 120 Minutes
(even then, Nixon was forced to mumble the word "fornication
"), but the channel's refusal to air the video led to Mojo Nixon severing ties with the network.
"Incubating the incubus"
Known for their cultural parodies, Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper released two EPs and four full-length albums in the 1980s; their 1989 LP, Root Hog or Die!, considered by many fans to be their best, contained "Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child" as its lead single. In the song, Nixon not only asserts that he is the father of Gibson's child, but is also married to her (with Joan CollinsJoan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
performing the ceremony at a chapel in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
). He also manages to insult Rick Astley
Rick Astley
Richard Paul "Rick" Astley is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and radio personality. He is known for his 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", which was a #1 hit single in 25 countries...
("a pantywaist"), Spuds McKenzie ("hate that dog") and Tiffany
Tiffany (singer)
Tiffany Renee Darwish , known popularly as Tiffany, is an American singer and former teen icon. She is most notable for her 1987 cover version of "I Think We're Alone Now", originally recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells in 1967. Released as the second single from her eponymous album, Tiffany,...
("wrestling in Jello
Jello
Jello may refer to:* Jello Shoecompany, an Austrian shoe retailer* Jell-O, a brand name for gelatin desserts* A genericized brand for gelatin desserts in general* Sphyraena jello the pickhandle barracuda-People:...
") along the way, all in just two minutes and three seconds. The song is not, however, a direct attack on any one artist, but rather a parody of tabloid gossip (hence the title) and pop culture in a similar vein to Weird Al Yankovic's "Headline News" of several years later.
Not surprisingly, the song caused a bit of controversy. Gibson herself was even moved to write an answer song
Answer song
An answer song is, as the name suggests, a song made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. It is also known as a response song. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s through 1950s...
, "Stuffy White Girl", which she planned to release as a b-side, but ultimately thought better of it. It did give Mojo his first Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
chart appearance, as the tune peaked at #16 on the Modern Rock listings in the summer of 1989.
Video
The music video, produced by Nixon (under the pseudonymPseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
T'Boo Dalton) and directed by Scott Kalvert, features Nixon and Roper with lookalikes of Tiffany, Astley and Collins—and actress Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1986 film Lucas. Ryder's first significant role came in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice as a goth teenager, which won her critical and commercial recognition...
as Debbie Gibson. Ryder (who once called the video "my favorite role of all time") wears a wedding dress and gives birth to "a Bigfoot
Bigfoot
Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid...
baby, all covered in fur" with the requisite two heads.
However, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
(perhaps fearing legal action) declined to add the video to its regular rotation, despite having Nixon as a network spokesman (itself surprising, since Mojo had first won fame with his song "Stuffin' Martha's Muffin", a reference to then-VJ Martha Quinn
Martha Quinn
Martha Quinn is best known as one of the original video jockeys on MTV .-Early life:...
). Mojo and Skid did perform the song on MTV's late-night 120 Minutes
120 Minutes
120 Minutes is a television show in the United States dedicated to alternative music, originally airing on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then on MTV's sister channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003....
(even then, Nixon was forced to mumble the word "fornication
Fornication
Fornication typically refers to consensual sexual intercourse between two people not married to each other. For many people, the term carries a moral or religious association, but the significance of sexual acts to which the term is applied varies between religions, societies and cultures. The...
"), but the channel's refusal to air the video led to Mojo Nixon severing ties with the network.