The Go-Go's - They've Got the Beat!

"Our Lips Are Sealed" [ 2, 3, 4 ] "We Got The Beat" [ 2, 3 ] "Get up and Go" "Head Over Heels" "Vacation" [ 2, 3, 5 ] "Turn To You"

"Yes or No" "Mad About You" "Can't Stop the World" Go-Gos Montage Go-Go's on the Tonight Show Kids: "We Got The Beat"

When I was in high school, none of my friends would ever admit to owning a copy of a Go-Go's album, even when I inevitably found a Go-Go's album in their record stack.

It just wasn't cool to own a girl's pop bubblegum album. I always heard the same excuse about Go-Gos albums, "Oh, it belongs to my sister," "Somebody gave it to me," or "How did that get in there?"

When I took their Go-Go's albums out of the sleeves, the same tracks would invariably be worn down to scratchy obscurity, regardless of who's album it was. Songs like "We Got The Beat" and "Our Lips Are Sealed" were universal teen anthems.

You would always hear the Go-Go's played as dance music at high school parties, where a lamp always got broken, some guy always puked, a girl always cried - and the bathrooms were always occupied. Some moron would always put Yes or Journey on the stereo, and those bands would be quickly ousted for some proper upbeat dance music, like the Go-Go's. Now the party could get started!

All of the women in the band were immediately hot just because they were in an all girl rock group, but Belinda Carlisle was extra prom queen yummiliscious wonderful! She wore cut-up sweatshirts and capri pants, truncated sweaters or tiny summer dresses.

Belinda danced in her own unique "girls just gotta have fun" style. All lead vocalists have the dilemma of what to do with their hands while they sing, whether or not to dance, or tap their foot, or stand stock still - or whatever. Belinda Carlisle had her own retro-beatnik love goddess shuffle. She would swing her torso to the left and lift her right leg, and then reverse it, over and over. Sometimes she would clap or snap her fingers as well.

It sounds so simple! But it was different and playful, and she was delicious with every step! She always looked casual, fun loving and most importantly cool. Not an aloof punk rocker cool, but a "girls have way more fun than guys" cool. She knew a secret and she was letting you in on it, with a knowing sideways glance and a sly endearing smile.

According to Wikipedia, the Go-Go's made "rock history as the first all-woman band that wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard charts with a number-one album."

Another interesting fact is that Go-Go's guitarist and vocalist Jane Wiedlin played Joan of Arc in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure". She helped the "Wyld Stallyns" find the key to world peace and ultimate truth! And she also helped Bill and Ted finish their history report, of course.

Oh, and a very young Rob Lowe is featured in the gender-bending 1984 music video for "Turn To You".

We Got The Beat
Head Over Heels
Vacation
Can't Stop The World
Our Lips Are Sealed

UPDATE: Ben Varkentine has kindly submitted three links to articles that he has written about the Go-Go's! [ "VH1 Behind the Music: Go Go's Collection", "God Bless the Go-Go's", "Happy birthday, Jane Wiedlin!" ]

UPDATE: Splotchy has a great post with a version of "Our Lips are Sealed" done by the The Fun Boy Three. Check it out!