"We Got the Beat" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by the Go-Go's | ||||
from the album Beauty and the Beat | ||||
B-side | "Can't Stop the World" | |||
Released | 1981 | |||
Recorded | 1980–1981 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:32 | |||
Label | Stiff (1980), I.R.S. (1981, 1982), A&M (1982) | |||
Songwriter(s) | Charlotte Caffey | |||
Producer(s) | Paul L. Wexler (original version) Richard Gottehrer, Rob Freeman (re-recorded version) | |||
The Go-Go's singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"We Got the Beat" on YouTube |
"We Got the Beat" is a song by the American rock band the Go-Go's, written by the group's lead guitarist and keyboardist Charlotte Caffey. The band first recorded the song in 1980 for a single on UK-based Stiff Records, and later rerecorded it for their debut album Beauty and the Beat on I.R.S. Records. The initial single release brought the Go-Go's underground credibility during their first UK tour and in the band's hometown of Los Angeles. The first version reached No. 35 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart due to its popularity in clubs as an import, and the second version was a top 10 hit in both the United States and Canada. It is considered a new wave classic hit, as well as being the Go-Go's' signature song. [2] [1] The song was named one of "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". [3]
"We Got the Beat" evolved in part out of the Go-Go's covering the Smokey Robinson song that served as the group's namesake: The Miracles' "Going to a Go Go" (1965). [4] Taking inspiration from that, and from the opening theme of The Twilight Zone , lead guitarist Charlotte Caffey wrote "We Got the Beat" and offered it to the band with hesitation, afraid that it would not be punk enough for the other members' tastes. When the rest of the Go-Go's heard the song, they loved it – and its incorporation into their set marked a stylistic change for the group as they moved away from punk rock and toward a more pop sensibility that would align the Go-Go's with the music that was being termed "new wave".
Go-Go's manager Ginger Canzoneri secured a deal with British indie label Stiff Records to release the original version of "We Got the Beat" as a single, in support of the band's 1980 UK tour with Madness and the Specials. In the 2020 documentary The Go-Go's, Canzoneri recalled that Stiff Records had also wanted to secure publishing rights for "We Got the Beat" and its B-side, "How Much More" (both produced by Paul L. Wexler), but she declined, thinking it was important for the band to hold the publishing rights to their own songs. [5]
After the tumultuous UK tour, the Go-Go's returned home to Los Angeles and packed clubs when they performed, due to the single's popularity – leading them to finally sign a deal with newly established I.R.S. Records. The band headed to New York City to record their debut album at Pennylane Studio, where producer Richard Gottehrer advised the group to slow their songs down. "We Got the Beat" remained an exception to this advice, though the band lengthened it slightly by adding a few bars to the song's instrumental intro.
"We Got the Beat" led off the second side of the Go-Go's debut album, Beauty and the Beat , released in July 1981. It served as the album's second single in January 1982, now with another album track, "Can't Stop the World", on its B-side. Clocking in at 2+1⁄2 minutes, the second studio version of the song is recognizable by its drumming intro. [6] The song's lyrics mention various early 1960s dances such as the Pony, the Watusi, and Go-Go dancing.
The song's music video, filmed at a live performance at Palos Verdes High School in Los Angeles on December 4, 1981, received heavy airplay on MTV at the time.
The song was later included in the jukebox musical Head over Heels that debuted on Broadway in 2018.
The Go-Go's performed the song, along with "Vacation" and "Our Lips Are Sealed", during the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. [7]
Cash Box said "The Grammy Awards-nominated Go-Go's continue on their winning ways with this new recording of the cut that started it all for the girls in 1980 as an English single on Stiff; punchy, to-the-point power-pop." [8] Billboard called it a "catchy rocker" that has "the same endearing charm" as "Our Lips Are Sealed." [9]
"We Got the Beat" became the Go-Go's biggest hit, spending three weeks at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, behind Joan Jett & the Blackhearts' "I Love Rock 'n Roll". It was during the song's time in the U.S. top 10 that Beauty and the Beat topped the U.S. Billboard 200. [10]
Chart (1981-1982) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Dance Club Songs ( Billboard ) [11] | 35 |
Australia (Kent Music Report) | 29 |
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [12] | 3 |
US (Billboard Hot 100) [13] | 2 |
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [14] | 7 |
Year-end chart (1982) | Rank |
---|---|
Canada Top Singles (RPM) [15] | 32 |
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard) [16] | 25 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [17] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [18] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
A cover of "We Got the Beat" was recorded in 2012 by American singer-songwriter Debby Ryan from the soundtrack of the movie Radio Rebel . [19] It was produced by Matthew Gerrard, Ali Dee Theodore and Matthew Tishler. [20]
A music video was released on Disney Channel on February 13, 2012. [21] The video was directed by Ryan and choreographed by Alyson Stoner. [22] [23]
The Go-Go's are an American all-female rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. 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.
Beauty and the Beat is the debut album from California new wave band the Go-Go's. Released July 14, 1981 on the I.R.S. Records label, the album reached number one on Billboard's Top LPs & Tape chart in March 1982, bolstered by its two big Hot 100 hit singles: "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got the Beat", released in 1980, but in a different version. After a long and steady climb, Beauty and the Beat reached number one in the album chart dated March 6, 1982, the week before "We Got the Beat" entered the Top Ten of the Hot 100. The album stayed at the top for six consecutive weeks, and ranked second in Billboard's year-end Top 100 of 1982. The album sold in excess of two million copies, and was RIAA-certified double platinum, qualifying it as one of the most successful debut albums of all time. Critically acclaimed, it has been described as one of the "cornerstone albums of American new wave".
Belinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer and songwriter. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female rock bands of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist.
Charlotte Irene Caffey is an American guitarist and pianist, best known for her work in the rock band the Go-Go's in the 1980s, including writing "We Got the Beat".
The Lords of the New Church were a British-American rock band. A supergroup, the line-up originally consisted of four musicians from 1970s punk bands. This line-up comprised vocalist Stiv Bators, guitarist Brian James, bassist Dave Tregunna and drummer Nick Turner. Launched in 1981, the band released three studio albums prior to their dissolution in 1989. During this time, they underwent several line-up changes.
I.R.S. Records was a major American record label founded by Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave and alternative rock artists, including R.E.M., The Go-Go's, Wall of Voodoo, and Fine Young Cannibals. Currently the label is distributed by parent company Universal Music Group.
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Vacation is the second studio album by American rock band the Go-Go's, released on July 20, 1982, by I.R.S. Records. The album reached number eight on the Billboard 200, and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The title track reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.
Regina Ann Schock is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band The Go-Go's.
Kathryn Valentine is an American musician who is the bassist for the rock band the Go-Go's. She has maintained a career in music through songwriting, recording, performing and touring as well as additional academic and creative pursuits. Valentine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October 2021 as a member of The Go-Go's.
"Good Boys" is a song by American rock band Blondie. Issued on August 11, 2003, it was the only single released from their eighth studio album, The Curse of Blondie (2003). The single was released as part of a two-CD set and on 12-inch vinyl. CD 1 features live versions of "Maria" and "Rapture", plus the video for "Good Boys" directed by Jonas Åkerlund. CD 2 features a remix by Giorgio Moroder. The 12-inch vinyl features remixes by Giorgio Moroder, Arthur Baker, and Scissor Sisters.
"Our Lips Are Sealed" is a song co-written by Jane Wiedlin, guitarist of the Go-Go's, and Terry Hall, singer of the Specials and Fun Boy Three.
David Wakeling is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known for his work with the band the Beat and General Public.
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"Once in a Lifetime" is a song by the American new wave band Talking Heads, produced and cowritten by Brian Eno. It was released in January 1981 through Sire Records as the lead single from the band's fourth studio album, Remain in Light (1980).
"Vacation" is a 1982 single released by the all-female rock band, the Go-Go's. The song was the first single from the album, Vacation.
"How Much More" is a song written by Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin that was first released as part of the Go-Go's debut single along with "We Got the Beat" in 1980. A re-recorded version was released on their 1981 debut album Beauty and the Beat.
Deborah Ann Ryan is an American actress and singer. She started acting professionally onstage at the age of seven, and was later discovered during Disney Channel's nationwide search for new talent. She had starring roles in the series The Suite Life on Deck (2008–2011), the film 16 Wishes (2010), the series Jessie (2011–2015), and the film Radio Rebel (2012). She also appeared in the drama film What If... (2010), the series Insatiable (2018–2019), the comedy films The Opening Act (2020) and Shortcomings (2023), the thriller film Night Teeth (2021), and the Jeff Baena films Horse Girl (2020) and Spin Me Round (2022).
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"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is a rock song written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker and first recorded by the Arrows, a British rock band, in 1975. A 1981 cover version by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, released as the first single from her album of the same name, became Jett's highest-charting hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the No. 3 song for 1982. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, representing two million units shipped to stores. Jett's version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016.
1 - Beauty And The Beat - Go-Go's
2 - We Got The Beat - Go-Go's