Lordy, lordy, look who’s forty! ’80s teen singing sensation Debbie Gibson marked her fourth-decade milestone earlier this week. And yes, after a several-years effort to be known as Deborah, she’s wisely returned to the shortened form that made her famous in the first place.

File Gibson’s 40th birthday under the unavoidable signs that my own teenage days are well behind me, though no matter the year I can certainly still appreciate a good teenage dream. And 23 years ago this very week, the fresh-faced 17-year-old must have been living out her own teen girl fantasy as Gibson’s debut single, “Only In My Dreams,” peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The perky dance-pop tune would go gold, selling 500,000 copies.

As was heralded in the press surrounding the newly-minted popstar’s rise, Gibson wrote “Only In My Dreams” herself, as she did all of the songs on her debut album, Out Of The Blue (and her 1989 follow-up, Electric Youth). Hear here:

Gibson just wrapped a turn as Mother Nature in a circus-themed show, and we’re all eagerly awaiting the premiere of Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, the Syfy original movie in which Debbie battles her ’80s teen pop rival Tiffany in an epic catfight not seen on TV since the halcyon days of Dynasty‘s Krystle and Alexis. No joke: Here’s the trailer.

Purchase Debbie Gibson – “Only In My Dreams” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.