Search results
[1] Caffey wrote the book, music, and lyrics for Lovelace: A Rock Musical with Anna Waronker. The rock musical debuted at the Hayworth Theatre in Los Angeles in 2008. A new production of Lovelace: A Rock Musical made its United Kingdom debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2010.
Sep 10, 2020 · In mid-1983, the Go-Go's were one of the biggest bands in American music but weathered major tensions from guitarist Charlotte Caffey's health crisis. Just as the Go-Go's began work on third album Talk Show, Caffey realized she couldn't move several fingers on her left hand.
Aug 5, 2020 · Those singles, written by guitarists Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin, had evolved over the course of many nights spent sweating and screaming alongside their friends and fellow musicians...
Jun 2, 2021 · When the Go-Go's stabilized with Belinda Carlisle on lead vocals, Gina Schock on drums, Jane Wiedlin on rhythm guitar, Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar, and Margot Olavarria on bass, the band began to gain some traction.
- Jeff Somers
- Overview
- Mainstream success
- Breakup and legacy
the Go-Go’s, American all-female post-punk rock band that emerged during the late 1970s, known for mixing pop melodies and punk rhythms and for pioneering the establishment of women in new wave and in the music industry at large. The Go-Go’s were remarkable for being the first commercially successful all-female band to make a number one album by wr...
The sound of the Go-Go’s, most of which combined vibrant vocal harmonies with surf-music-inspired guitar lines and fast-paced, punk-pop rhythms, was unique in popular music. Most of the band’s material was cowritten by Caffey, who was also a classically trained pianist, and Wiedlin. The music-and-lyric concoction of Caffey’s lush, reverb-laden guitar, the pounding urgency of Schock and Valentine, and catchy hooks anchored by Carlisle and Wiedlin helped to frame explorations into love and loss, female empowerment, and wistful summer crushes—all of which contrasted strongly with the angry machismo and the overtly political and darker themes prevailing in the London and New York punk scenes.
After honing their skills in punk clubs in Los Angeles and touring with the English bands Madness and the Specials, the Go-Go’s signed with I.R.S. Records and released their first album, Beauty and the Beat (1981). The record—whose iconic cover art featured a washed-out image of the quintet wrapped in towels and wearing white face-creamed masks—peaked at number one on the Billboard album chart. It remains the only such record by an all-female band who wrote and performed their own songs. The album’s success, and the band’s sudden launch into the public eye, rested largely on the work of its standout singles and the heavy rotation of their associated music videos on the then fledgling MTV; “Our Lips Are Sealed” rose to number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, whereas the percussive, punk-infused anthem “We Got the Beat” peaked at number 2.
Following the release of Talk Show, personality conflicts and differences over finances and musical direction led to Wiedlin leaving the band in 1984, with the rest of the band going their separate ways by May 1985. The remainder of the decade saw Carlisle and Wiedlin pursuing solo careers, Wiedlin also making appearances in film. The band reunited during the 1990s to produce compilation albums and perform occasionally. Their first album during this time, Greatest, was released in 1990, and their second, Return to the Valley of the Go-Go’s, was released in 1994—the latter featuring three new songs, including “The Whole World Lost Its Head,” which failed to chart in the U.S. but reached number 29 on the U.K. singles chart.
Although they re-formed in 1999, the Go-Go’s performed only sporadically over the next two decades before disbanding in 2023. They produced only one new album during this period, God Bless the Go-Go’s (2001), which, while lacking a breakout single, remained true to the band’s form. The band’s do-it-yourself reputation, energy and enthusiasm, and success are often cited as inspiration for numerous all-female bands that followed, including Bikini Kill and HAIM. The Go-Go’s were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
Special offer for students! Check out our special academic rate and excel this spring semester!
Learn More
- John P. Rafferty
Jul 30, 2020 · When I spoke with The Go-Go's' guitarist Charlotte Caffey and drummer Gina Schock, I asked them about the band's duality - their punk roots and their later image as America's sweethearts.
People also ask
Who is Charlotte Caffey?
Why did Charlotte Caffey leave the Go-Go's?
What happened to Charlotte Caffey?
Did Charlotte Caffey get money from Go-Go?
Who is Charlotte Caffey boyfriend Leonard Phillips?
Did Caffey snort a matchstick tip?
Jul 29, 2020 · Caffey was “terrified” when she first brought the group a demo tape of a little ditty she’d written called “We Got the Beat”: “I was thinking, man, these girls are going to throw me out of this...
