The Go-Go’s absolutely lit up the pop music world when they burst onto the scene at the beginning of the 80s. Just a few years and a handful of albums later, they imploded. They wouldn’t make another record until the new millennium.
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As a result, their Top 40 success was confined to a very short span of time. And their last hit came in the middle of an album filled with turmoil.
‘Beat’ Music
The Go-Go’s formed in 1978. Just four years later, they had the No. 1 album in the world. And three years later, they were no more. Even within the context of the fickle nature of the pop scene, theirs was a head-spinning rise and fall.
They began playing punk-oriented music in West Coast clubs in the late 70s. Once they secured a record deal, they sanded off some of the harder edges of their sound, while still maintaining their effervescence and energy. Their 1981 debut album, Beauty And The Beat, still sounds unstoppable today.
Hit singles “Our Lips Are Sealed” and “We Got The Beat” put the band into the pop stratosphere. The album made No. 1, a rare feat for a debut LP and rarer still for one by an all-girl group. Who knew that, in terms of commercial and artistic success, that album would also be their peak?
The Inevitable Decline
The 1982 follow-up album Vacation produced another smash single in the title cut. But there was definitely a bit of a sophomore slump that set in, perhaps because of the need to come up with more material in such a short time. Still, The Go-Go’s were standing tall within the pop music world at that point.
But the run-up to the making of their next album, Talk Show, was anything but smooth. Their original manager, Ginger Canzoneri, left the band suddenly. Drummer Gina Shock had surgery to repair a congenital heart defect. They had to battle their record label for unpaid royalties.
In other words, the vibes weren’t exactly great as they made the record. It also didn’t help that several of the group’s members were heavy into drugs at the time. Put it all together, and it was a recipe for disaster. To their credit, the band was able to rise above it, delivering a solid third album with a couple of hit singles.
A Clever “Turn”
Talk Show arrived in 1984, and the bouncy lead single “Head Over Heels” went to No. 11. Following that up was “Turn To You”, a power pop head-rush of a song, Written by Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin, it did a little bit less business but still made it to No. 32. Third single “Yes Or No” only made it to No. 84.
On the whole, Talk Show proved a solid success, seemingly setting them up for more. But behind the scenes, The Go-Go’s were falling apart. On top of all the aforementioned problems, Wiedlin, fed up about not getting the opportunity to sing the songs she had written (Belinda Carlisle handled most of the vocal chores), quit after the album’s release. The band played a few shows in 1985 with a replacement bassist before shuttering things entirely.
Although they’d eventually reunite and record together again, their window for pop song success had long closed. As a result, “Turn To You”, a somewhat unheralded and forgotten gem, was their last Top 40 hurrah.
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