For the first time in this column’s history, I am repeating myself. My first essay regarding The Go-Go’s masterpiece “Beauty and the Beat” was released years ago closer to its 40th anniversary. While that was a more casual deconstruction, I would argue it embodied how great this record is. Alongside the typical complaints as to whether they’re better than The Bangles, they’re one of those ubiquitous pop-rock girl groups that has withstood the test of time. In the past decade alone, they have achieved things that almost no other new wave band I’ve covered has. While it’s common for popular acts to get a documentary (theirs being especially fun), they also have sidestepped into a Broadway musical called Head Over Heels that ran from 2018-2019. Along with a noteworthy solo career from Belinda Carlisle, The Go-Go’s is one of the few bands that transcend the new wave genre into larger appeal.
The evidence is there in the accolades. “We Got the Beat” has been hailed as one of the most essential rock songs of the decade. Likewise, “Beauty and the Beat” remains one of the best-selling albums by a girl group who also wrote all of their music. There’s so much that makes them ubiquitous with youthful frivolities. It’s hard not to be in a good mood when pressing play and, as I’ll discuss later on, it’s there in the artistry. This isn’t just simple verse-chorus-verse set-up. The instrumentation is evocative of mini-hooks within a larger arc. You’re as invested in the singalongs as you are getting to the bridge where the bass amps up, the drums clacking along, all while teasing the audience. Something greater is on the way, but first there is a need to revel in it the musicality that I’d argue makes The Go-Go’s more than another pop group going through the motions.
Which is funny to think due to one reason. Their origins wouldn’t have you believe that any of them would write a great hook to save their lives. Prior to their formation, their experience was limited. That was keeping with the spirit of the L.A. punk community they circled around. By 1978, they were wayward musicians working with various groups. Under the pseudonym Dottie Danger, Carlisle performed with The Germs. Contrary to their name, she was let go following a temporary illness. Similarly, drummer Gina Schock started her career in Maryland playing in Edie and the Eggs: a group featuring John Waters collaborator Edith Masey. She became connected with the group when Charlotte Caffey caught a performance in Los Angeles. The rest wandered around from group to group before finding each other.
The story goes that Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin and former member Margot Olavarria met at what would become The Sex Pistols’ final show. Their interests in forming a punk band lead to a quick career boost as they quickly became a fixture in the punk scene, often frequently venues like Whisky A Go Go. While this would suggest influence over their name, it actually stemmed from a song they regularly covered. Following a brief time as The Misfits, The Go-Go’s landed on their name based on The Miracles’ “Going to a Go Go” while visiting a Denny’s they frequented on Sunset Boulevard. Soon they were touring with bands like Madness and The Specials before releasing demos on Stiff Records. By 1980, the band was shifting sound, causing members to quit over disagreement. The final line-up for their debut record would emerge as Carlisle (vocals), Caffey (guitar), Schock (drums), Kathy Valentine (bass), and Wiedlin (rhythm guitar).
While their sound would evolve gradually, a lot of potential could be found early. The most noteworthy was found in “We Got the Beat.” The song was inspired by their cover of The Miracles a well as the opening theme to The Twilight Zone. While introducing elements of pop during their punk era, there was desire to experiment. “Our Lips Are Sealed” was co-written by The Specials’ Terry Hall, whom Wiedlin had an affair with while on tour. Even if they hadn’t fully given up on their punk roots, it was now funneled through poppy hooks and harmonies more in line with girl groups of the 50s and 60s. While they lacked the satirical, winking angle of other new wave bands, there was a subversiveness that kept them appealing, in some ways looking like the more polite corner of the bad girl ethos.
This is a fantastic record. It’s one of my favorites that have been featured so far and I’d argue has some of the highest replay value. Much like The Knack, their carefree 60s pop style added to their potential. The aggressive guitars felt closer to innovation, demanding rebellious spirit that shined through every track. While I’d argue, like most records of this kind, the back half is less memorable, it’s far from the disposable lob that is often attributed.
“Our Lips Are Sealed” feels deceptively upbeat. Whereas the other songs have this snarl and growl, the opener has fluffiness closer to a beauty shoot than the wild energy on display elsewhere. It could be that the lyrics emphasize how “they talk about us” like they’re the popular girls debunking the gossip mill. There’s some secrets within the lyrics that are playful and silly, but the guitars are too high-pitched, sounding closer to dreamlike awe than dance rock. It’s only in the titular line on the chorus that the antagonism shines through, suggesting a distance the audience will never fully understand.
With that said, it’s still a track that has the swinging fun that remains a staple of their sound. Even the opening line suggests camaraderie. This is a hyper-feminine record. This is designed for shopping montages. While I think the production makes the clever elements more polished and less interesting, it’s still a successful start to a career that kept the listener invested in the winding labyrinth of their three minute ditties.
It's the second track where The Go-Go’s I love start to shine brighter. The opening guitar riff is reminiscent of Buddy Holly-style jangling. When the vocals come in, there’s a jerky melody that compliments the dissonant textures. The harmonies enter midway through like an old romantic ballads of a teenybopper. It feels tough while retaining introspection, reflecting wants of a woman who is desiring love but finding herself in a difficult situation. Every revelation is punctuated with a high pitched acceptance that rings like jubilation. Even if this song is closer to a conventional pop ballad structure, the electric component affectionately updates it to something contemporary. The drums have an infectious clacking that leads into the chorus with its simple “crazy, oh yeah.” As the forgotten single of this record, it’s still one of those numbers that can’t help but get the audience moving.
The following cut “Tonite” is more of the same. The genius is being drum-forward. As Carlisle sings, the guitars are in the background while the percussion drives her into the bigger concepts, she is punctuated by the great backing vocals repeating the title. As the bridge leads to the chorus, the guitars enter and provide momentum that pulsates the harmonies into something more aggressive. It’s not an intense track necessarily, but it still feels urgent. When the guitar transitions into the verse, it’s allowed to be a winding, mystical pattern that comes to symbolize the night air. As a soundscape, The Go-Go’s have done a great job of capturing the allure of being outside after hours, caught in the mysticism of an uninhabited world where the only company are those delicious backing vocals protecting the naïve protagonist of Carlisle’s lyrics.
The next track “Lust to Love” mixes things up yet again as the hollow, droned out sound of a stray guitar melody plays as the echoing drums pick up. It’s a journey out of the former song’s night. It’s also less tinny. The sound feels fuller and the drive creates emotional weight by the chorus. It’s more sparse, allowing the instruments to perplex the listener with each new thought. This is an early standout for me because it reflects the band’s ability to play with the format by creating personality within the instrumentation. The way it builds and draws back allows each band member to have their moment to shine. While I think it would come to a perfect culmination on their biggest hit, for now this is what I hold as the best example of why they were always more than trend chasing. There was thought put into the music that resonates.
Another fun thing about “This Town” is that it feels reminiscent of The B-52’s. Maybe it’s the way the guitar sounds anorexic, winding with the kookiness that makes you assume a synthesizer is coming up. Maybe it’s that Carlisle has her vocals stretch into the eccentricities of Kate Pierson. While it eventually settles into the formula, I love the mystery that comes with silence in between vocals as the drums bang like a heartbeat and the guitars act like an engine being revved up. It goes without saying that the harmonies are as clever as ever, punctuating individual lines with purpose. No two songs have used this feature the same way and as a result it allows their appeal to continue shining, creating a version of the girl group formula that is more artistic, guessing where it’ll show up next.
Then there’s “We Got the Beat.” This is one of their most beloved songs for a reason. Every element compliments each other so well that the intensity could last for 20 minutes and never lost steam. You’re in full trust of the band when this song starts. Maybe it’s that the drums have become so recognizable that the first 20 seconds make you smile. It’s how the bass has its own maneuvering, having this catchy little hook that welcomes in the guitars before exploding with the lyrics that in some respects are simple but speak to the youthful desire to go to the mall and just enjoy life. It’s the girl group update the record promised. While there’s a lot of intensity, this is so genuinely earnest and the titular message is hard to ignore. They do have the beat. Even the breakdown has a perfect break before getting an audience singalong. Few artists achieve a song this well constructed, and The Go-Go’s used it to cement their place in music history.
The back half is where things fall into formula. While it lacks any of the chart-topping majesty of Side A, there’s still a lot to love. “Fading Fast” has a great jaunty melody that shows how many hooks the band has in their arsenal. “Skidmarks on My Heart” and “You Can’t Walk In Your Sleep” have lyrical wit that reflects their balance of humor and melancholy. While these feel like the lesser songs, they reflect the potential to become more than the pop band that straddled the line of punk. They still had the edge, but given that the whole album opened with the glossy “Our Lips Are Sealed,” it is possible for them to land on a next big idea.
As a whole, I think “Beauty and the Beat” separates The Go-Go’s from more novelty-driven new wave acts like The Waitresses because of how sincere the whole listening experience is. What it lacks in the orchestration of The Soft Boys or Gary Numan, it more than makes up for in just being a fun record. The subversiveness of hearing women playfully screaming without losing their elegance is a balance that’s difficult to capture. In some ways, they are the perfect middle piece between outsider and socially acceptable. While they’re far from the confrontational absurdism of Bow Wow Wow, they are far from the clean-cut image their album cover would suggest. Sure they’ll go for a spa day, but they’ll also be down at the club that night seeing the hot new band.
The immediate success of “Beauty and the Beat” was evident in the record sales. Along with “We Got the Beat” topping the singles chart, the record would earn two million sales, becoming their most successful record. The reviews hailed it as one of the best debuts in history with even later critics, such as Rolling Stone, naming it one of the best records. It has become a cornerstone of new wave for a reason. The band would even go on to earn a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, eventually losing to Sheena Easton. Along with a successful tour, the future was looking bright for the little band from Los Angeles County.
The story from here becomes a bit familiar for those who know their new wave bands. They would release two more albums: “Vacation” and “Talk Show.” While both produced noteworthy hits, they never quite reached the highs of their earliest work. By 1985, conflicts caused the band to break up. This lead to solo careers, most notably with Carlisle who produced many hit singles including “Heaven Is a Place On Earth.” There would be reunions throughout the remaining decades, including one more album, “God Bless the Go-Go’s,” in 2001. They would reunited intermittently for tours and even induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Despite consistent suggestions that this gig would be their last, they would keep reuniting with another gig planned for 2025 following their “disbanding” in 2022. Along with the Alison Ellwood documentary The Go-Go’s (2020), the band would have their own Broadway musical with Head Over Heels.
At the end of the day, few bands have withstood the test of time quite like The Go-Go’s. While they may have not been the most prolific and lacked the expansive chart-toppers of their peers, the few songs they put out established them as a great new wave band worthy of defining the genre. I love the orchestration of “Beauty and the Beat” and think it holds up as a testament to what the genre can achieve. It also helps that it’s so much fun and makes you smile every time you press play. While this column has revealed how heady a lot of these groups can be, it’s nice to know there’s still a carefree attitude somewhere to keep the beat alive.
Coming Up Next: Squeeze – “Argbybargy” (1980)
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