The Go-Go's

The Go-Go's
The Go-Go's, c. 1981
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	New wave power pop pop rock punk rock (early)
Years active	1978–1985 1990 1994 1999–2022
Labels	Stiff Beyond IRS A&M
Past members	Belinda Carlisle Jane Wiedlin Charlotte Caffey Gina Schock Kathy Valentine Margot Olavarria Elissa Bello Paula Jean Brown
Website	gogos.com

The Go-Go's were an American all-female rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978.^[1] Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboards, Belinda Carlisle on lead vocals, Gina Schock on drums, Kathy Valentine on bass, and Jane Wiedlin on rhythm guitar. They are widely considered the most successful all-female rock band of all time.^[2]

The quintet emerged from the L.A. punk rock scene of the late 1970s and in 1981 released their debut album Beauty and the Beat. A first for an all-female band writing their material and playing their instruments, the LP topped the Billboard album chart and remains an achievement yet to be matched.^[3][4] Beauty and the Beat is considered one of the "cornerstone albums of US new wave" (AllMusic), having broken barriers and paved the way for a host of other new American acts. It yielded two of the Go-Go's four biggest Hot 100 hits—"Our Lips Are Sealed" (no. 20) and "We Got the Beat" (no. 2)—and, after a long and steady climb, reached number one in the chart dated March 6, 1982. The album stayed at the top for six consecutive weeks, eventually selling over two million copies.^[5] The group, credited as simply Go-Go's on all of their US releases, was nominated for the Best New Artist award at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards.

Two more albums followed: Vacation (1982)—whose title track reached no. 8 on Billboard's Hot 100—and Talk Show (1984), which included the hits "Head over Heels" (no. 11) and "Turn to You" (no. 32).^[6] The Go-Go's have sold more than seven million records worldwide.^[7][8]

The Go-Go's broke up in 1985, with each member embarking on a solo career and Carlisle being the most successful, having several top-5 singles through the late 1980s. They reconvened several times in the 1990s, releasing a new album in 2001, God Bless the Go-Go's, and touring. They received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.^[9] Though the band's 2016 performances were billed as a farewell tour, the band remained active on an ad hoc basis for several years afterward. Head Over Heels, a musical featuring the songs of the Go-Go's, ran on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre from 2018 to 2019.^[10] The group was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame^[11] and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, and shortly after that announced their disbandment.^[12]