Wednesday, June 3, 2020

The 1980 Go-Go's single that made the UK fall for them head over heels.


The Go Go's : We Got The Beat


In June of 1980 The Go Go's headed back to California after taking the UK by storm. Their Stiff Records single "We Got The Beat" would do very well there and the tour had some critics falling heads over heels. When you look at the cover of the single you see a band that isn't trying to sell you a record on sex appeal. They probably just got off stage. But thoughout the 80's The Go Gois would be objectified as sex objects.

This is Tony Mitchell writing for Sounds Magazine about a gig he saw at The Venue in London:

The Go-Go's are a real dolly mixture of sizes and shapes, from the buxom-ish, Fifties-starlet looks of singer Belinda Carlisle to the diminutive but perfectly-formed figure of rhythm guitarist Jane Weidlin. Doin' their thang each night in a motley collection of mini-shorts, Doc Martens and what looked like a job-lot of footless tights, they gave the impression that the five of them could have been thrown together as much by their unconventional looks and non-conformist fashion tastes  as by any shared interest in music. The Go-Go's bubble without gushing, their sparkle is genuine and not injected for easier consumption, and they're sweet without being sickly. They're special-count on it-but at the same time they're just like the girls next door.




Guitarist Charlotte Caffey wrote the song by herself on New Year's Day in 1980:

I really wanted to write a beat-centric song. So I locked myself in my apartment, got high as a kite, and listened to a ton of Motown while the annual Twilight Zone marathon played in the background on TV. I sat down a couple of times and tried to write something, but nothing happened. I gave up, did more drugs, and started watching TV . Around midnight this idea came into my mind. I scrambled to turn on my cassette player, and the entire song came to me in just a few minutes. I remember thinking "oh shit" because I believed I had just written a hit song. I still have that original cassette. 

The single and its B-side ,"How Much More", would be re-recorded for the Beauty and The Beat album. In 1982 it would hit US#2


2 comments:

  1. That Sounds review could never be written today. Imagine having to write something about the band's music, not their looks!

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    1. Good point.And judging by the photo on the cover the Go Gos were not selling sex, just good rock and roll

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