The Go-Go's

The Go-Go’s went from punk to pop in the early ’80s and became the first mega-successful all-female band that played their own instruments and wrote their own songs. • The group was formed in 1978 by four members of the LA punk scene: guitarist Jane Wiedlin, bassist Margot Olavarria, singer Belinda Carlisle, and drummer Elissa Bello. None of them really knew how to play. • Following the addition of lead guitarist Charlotte Caffey, drummer Gina Shock, and bassist Kathy Valentine, The Go-Go’s signed with I.R.S. Records and recorded their 1981 debut, Beauty and the Beat. • Spurred by the US hits “Our Lips Are Sealed” (No. 20) and “We Got the Beat” (No. 2), Beauty and the Beat topped the Billboard 200. It was the first time an all-female band that wrote and performed its own songs had a No. 1 album. • The Go-Go’s notched another Top 10 hit with “Vacation”, the title track off their 1982 sophomore effort. • Amid growing tensions within the band, The Go-Go’s scored their fourth Top 40 hit with “Head Over Heels”, the lead single off their third album, 1984’s Talk Show. • The Go-Go’s split up in 1985 and reformed a couple of times before truly reuniting in 1999. The album God Bless The Go-Go’s followed in 2001. • In conjunction with the 2020 Showtime documentary The Go-Go’s, the band released “Club Zero”, their first new single in 20 years.