The Go-Go's

Emerging from the punk and new wave upheaval that defined the close of the 1970s and the dawn of the 1980s, the Go-Go's claimed the top spot among all-female bands of that period, standing as one of the earliest commercially viable female acts free from direction by male producers or managers. Their chart successes—"We Got the Beat," "Our Lips Are Sealed," "Vacation," and "Head Over Heels"—delivered bright, energetic new wave pop, yet the ensemble remained deeply rooted in California's punk community. They performed genuine punk rock, although many of the sharper edges had been smoothed away once they cut their debut long-player, Beauty and the Beat, in 1981. Even as they became national favorites, the Go-Go's embraced the unrestrained rock lifestyle, consuming vast quantities of pills and cocaine, destroying hotel rooms, and generally behaving recklessly. Their earliest recordings, later gathered on Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's, retained a raw, driving force that, while not the direct spark for the female alternative rockers and riot grrrls who followed in the 1990s, nonetheless anticipated their arrival.

The band first assembled in 1978 under the name the Misfits, with Belinda Carlisle handling vocals, Jane Wiedlin on guitar and vocals, Charlotte Caffey covering lead guitar and keyboards, Margot Olaverra on bass, and Elissa Bello on drums. They soon adopted the Go-Go's moniker and started performing at local parties and modest California venues. Gina Schock joined as drummer in 1979. That same year the group cut a demo and opened for the British ska revival act Madness in Los Angeles and England. The Go-Go's devoted much of 1980 to touring England, where they built a substantial audience and issued "We Got the Beat" on Stiff Records. An imported copy of that single gained traction as an underground club favorite in the United States, enabling the band to fill concert halls even as securing a domestic record deal proved elusive.

Late in 1980, Olaverra fell ill and withdrew from performing; Kathy Valentine, a guitarist with no prior bass experience, stepped in as her replacement. Early the next year the Go-Go's inked a deal with IRS Records. Their first album, Beauty and the Beat, arrived in summer 1981 and became one of the year's unexpected triumphs, holding the number-one position for six weeks and moving more than two million copies; "Our Lips Are Sealed" reached number 20 while a re-recorded "We Got the Beat" occupied the number-two spot for three weeks.

The follow-up, Vacation, appeared the next year. Though the set reached the Top Ten, earned gold certification, and yielded the Top Ten single "Vacation," it did not sustain the first record's pace. The group then suspended live work while Caffey healed from a broken wrist. They resurfaced in 1984 with Talk Show, their most musically ambitious effort to date. Despite two Top 40 entries—the number-11 "Head Over Heels" and "Turn to You"—the album failed to achieve gold status. Wiedlin departed before year's end, and the Go-Go's formally disbanded in May 1985.

Carlisle enjoyed the greatest solo success of any member, logging a series of mainstream pop hits in the late 1980s that included the chart-topping "Heaven Is a Place on Earth." Caffey spent time in Carlisle's touring band before forming the Graces, whose album Perfect View appeared in 1990. Wiedlin issued two solo albums and took roles in several films; she also arranged the group's short-lived 1990 reunion for a benefit concert supporting People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and oversaw the recording of a new version of "Cool Jerk" for that year's Greatest compilation. The Go-Go's reconvened again in 1994 to cut three fresh tracks for the double-disc anthology Return of the Valley of the Go-Go's.

After laying down additional material, the members chose to continue as a permanent outfit. In 2000 they were featured on VH1's Behind the Music series and released the companion collection VH1 Behind the Music: Go-Go's Collection. God Bless the Go-Go's, their first studio album of entirely new songs, followed in 2001.