A thread specifically for the Go-Go's

And once the chorus in Vacation arrives the song doesn't ever return to the verse, just the "One week without you..." bridge-y part. This is another change from Kathy Valentine's original version.

I'm slightly obsessed with this Rockpalast video from 1982. (For the curious, "Vacation" starts around 35 minutes in; "Our Lips Are Sealed" about 46; "We Got the Beat" at 56.) Everything one could plausibly say about this band is true. Pop or punk? Yes. Serious or fun? Yes. A live act or a studio creation? Yes.

I didn't see them live in this period (partly because I was 10 years old). I did see them much later, on one of those nostalgia bills with Psychedelic Furs and B-52s. Fun, but it must have been quite something to see them when they were at their peak.

Extraordinary how little attention the recieved over here, none of their big hits went anywhere, and even Beauty And The Beat did nowt.

https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/4803/go-gos/

― piscesx, Thursday, September 10, 2020 7:43 AM (

yet y'all loved Belinda Carlisle! Go figure.

There is something in their aesthetic that seems very American, but it would be hard to define precisely.

Like, a cheerful surface sheen with teeth beneath. Vs. I guess a more British mode of the time is a surface of purported gloom, with joy beneath (lots of Cure and Smiths has this aspect).

As soon as I type that I realize it's riddled with exceptions and caveats so I should probably just shut up.

That Rockpalast show is awesome. IIRC, at some point Caffey fumbles the opening riff on one of the songs, and you can see Carlisle quickly hop over to her and kind of pat her shoulder.

C. Grisso/McCain, I love it all so much. For all her dorky white-girl arm-swinging, Carlisle has a determined, possibly tired, air. Caffey is self-critical and precise. Valentine and Schock are solid professionals at this point. Weidlin alone appears to be having a good time, bopping about in furry boots and a swishy skirt, then her tone is so greBt in the bridge of "Our Lips Are Sealed." I love seeing seemingly effortless performances that nevertheless reveal how much fucking WORK went into them.

xpost It was really difficult for new bands to get popular on both sides of the Atlantic back then. Devo, B-52s, Psychedelic Furs etc did next to nothing in the UK, while bands that were huge in the UK like Specials, Human League, Squeeze etc couldn't do anything in the US.

“couldn’t do anything” perhaps not quite the right assessment of the Human League’s US chart career: two #1 hits, one more that went top 10, plus three lower-charting top 40 hits.

(they only had one UK number one!)

So I have the Valentine book and am reading it. So far my favorite thing is meeting Jane Wiedlin.

Jane is described as elfin - but not metaphorically, as in, impish or cute, but actually frickin dressed as an elf. Like literally, in green felt with a pointy hat and curly shoes.

I loved that frosted album that Jane did.

Was pleased to see it's on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/2wYTkj39bBAvQcOtpJJ4fW?si=zk5tpz_lRKKEiLNxtNt6JQ

I had it on cassette back in the day but got rid of them all about a year ago.

Oh shit I'd completely forgotten about Frosted

I never really payed much attention to Vacation (the song) before but I've been more or less obsessed with it lately. Someone upthread mention the time it takes for the chorus to arrive and I think this is enhanced by the fact that it has not one but two pre-choruses.

It goes:

intro - verse - pre-chorus #1 - verse - pre-chorus #1 - pre-chorus #2 - chorus - bridge (same as intro) - pre-chorus #2- chorus

And it still manages to be just under 3 mins long!

Yay! I just scored a copy of Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's!

unless I remember incorrectly, Vacation was the very first cassingle ever produced.

that would be very appropriate

daavid, that's a unique take on Vacation, I'd notate it as:

intro
verse 1 ("Can't seem to get my mind")
verse 2 ("When you looked at me...")
prechorus ("A week without you...")
chorus ("Vacation's all I ever wanted") repeat 2x
intro reprise
prechorus reprise
chorus repeat 3x
outro

But I do agree it is unusual in that it opens with 2 verses back-to-back without ever returning to those progressions or structure.

Yes, my ears hear the section "now that I'm away..." as distinct (maybe because there is a change in chord progression?) but I guess it's not technically a prechorua if it's not followed by a chorus.

unless I remember incorrectly, Vacation was the very first cassingle ever produced.

in the US, apparently it was. not the rest of the world though

i've been learning to play the drum part of "how much more" and it's sooooo fun

Yes, my ears hear the section "now that I'm away..." as distinct (maybe because there is a change in chord progression?) but I guess it's not technically a prechorua if it's not followed by a chorus.

― daavid, Wednesday, September 23, 2020 2:27 AM (nine hours ago)

Ah... now I hear what you're saying.

One thing that happens at the end of (what I call) the 2nd verse is instead of ending upbeat on the V (B-major) like the first verse does ("you won't be IN"), the 2nd verse instead ends in the minor ii (F#-minor... "time would TELL")... which is a fantastic cue to the listener that things have changed and forecasts the melancholy/longingness of the prechorus, the backing vox on this part are also such a great touch.

Sorry to get all "Inside Baseball" on this song, "Vacation" is one of my karaoke faves and I've probably sang it dozens of times.

I had not noticed that. Yeah, that change really bridges the transition into the prechorus. This really is some top-notch songwriting!

The band uploaded their 1982 performance on The Tube to their official (You)Tube today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YZlKQXERK8

Vacation Deep Cuts!