The Go-Go's 6 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jane Wiedlin

Jane solely wrote "He's So Strange" and it's one of her three sole-writing credits on The Go-Go's second album "Vacation."

According to a review of the album "Vacation" on the Music Musings & Such blog, "But nearly every song on Vacation is eager to demonstrate some new skill. 'He's So Strange,' for instance, might be just another I-don't-know-what-boys-like anthem except for the cutting guitar line that razors across the last verse...it slices the song with urgent aggression. You're left feeling that Carlisle doesn't think this strange boy is worth another second of her thoughts, and that decision is exhilarating...for her, for us" (Liddicott, 2022).

Answer: Charlotte Caffey

Charlotte exclusively wrote "We Got the Beat" and it's one of her three sole-writing credits on The Go-Go's debut album "Beauty and the Beat."

From club Masque to "Club Zero", let's "Get Up and Go" with Charlotte on a Beat Seeker!

On 31 May 1978, Charlotte debuted with The Go-Go's at the Masque clubhouse in Hollywood and almost 45 years later on 11 May 2023, Charlotte sold her masters and publishing catalog to Seeker Music company.

Of The Go-Go's 61 original songs on seven albums and 16 singles, Charlotte solely wrote four and co-wrote 30; therefore, Charlotte contributed the second most by composing 27% of the lyrics for The Go-Go's. In addition to Charlotte's four sole-writing credits, Charlotte teamed with two outside writers on two songs to be the only Go-Go with lyrical credit on six songs.

Of The Go-Go's 11 chart hits, Charlotte has lyrical credit on seven (64%): "We Got the Beat," "Vacation," "Get Up and Go," "Head over Heels," "Turn to You," "Unforgiven" and "Club Zero."

Answer: Paula didn't write any lyrics for The Go-Go's.

Paula isn't credited for any lyrics during her six months with The Go-Go's.

Although Paula co-wrote "Mad About You" while with The Go-Go's, Belinda recorded this song on her self-titled debut album one year after The Go-Go's disbanded, as well as two more of Paula's co-writes: "Gotta Get to You" and "Shot In the Dark."

Other than being a Go-Go, Paula didn't contribute much to The Go-Go's. According to Setlist.fm, Jane's last performance with The Go-Go's was on 11 Oct 1984 and the group disbanded six months later on 10 May 1985. During this time, The Go-Go's only performed two shows at the Rock in Rio festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 13 and 18 Jan 1985.

Although Paula didn't contribute lyrically, Paula did contribute compassionately. According to Charlotte's interview in the documentary "The Go-Go's," "I am forever grateful to her for giving me that information [drug rehabilitation] because it totally changed my life and saved me" (Ellwood, 2020).

Answer: Surfing and Spying

The Go-Go's released "Our Lips Are Sealed" backed with "Surfing and Spying" as a single; however, "Surfing and Spying" was not recorded on the album. Thirteen years later, The Go-Go's released "Surfing and Spying" on their retrospective album "Return to the Valley of The Go-Go's" in 1994. The Go-Go's must have been spying a strategic time to get this song onto an album.

Answer: Remember (Walking In The Sand)

The Go-Go's cover the song "Remember (Walking in the Sand)"; however, George Morton wrote the lyrics and The Shangri-Las originally released this song as a single in 1964.

In addition to "Remember (Walking In The Sand)," The Go-Go's covered three more songs on their retrospective album:
1) "Cool Jerk" was written by Donald Storball and the Capitols originally released as a single in 1966.
2) "Johnny Are You Queer?" was written by Bobby and Larson Paine and Josie Cotton originally released as a single in 1981.
3) "Let's Have a Party" was written by Jessie Mae Robinson and Elvis Presley originally released for the film "Loving You" in 1957.

Answer: Return to the Valley of The Go-Go's

The compilation album "Return to the Valley of The Go-Go's" was released with two different track listings.

The one-disc version of this album contains 18 tracks and the two-disc has 36. Both versions contain live recordings at rehearsals, clubs and concerts as well as songs from their five-song demo with Gold Star Studios in 1979. Both versions also contain three new Reunion Tracks: "Beautiful", "Good Girl" and "The Whole World Lost Its Head."

The Go-Go's "Return to the Valley of The Go-Go's" ranked at number 52 on the UK Albums Chart and number 76 on the Scottish Albums Chart for one week from 18-24 March 1995.

Answer: Me

Lyric: "Beautiful...Is all I see when I look at me."

There is no narcissism here. Gina and Kathy are inviting you into their world to be who you want to be, think how you want to think and live how you want to live. Don't you deserve a perfect life?

Although "Return to the Valley of The Go-Go's" is a compilation album, "Beautiful" is one of three new "Reunion Tracks" on the album.

Answer: Outta control

Lyric: "Head over heels...Where should I go...Can't stop myself...Outta control"

According to Kathy's interview with Songfacts, "[the lyrics] were really about self-reflecting and a dawning awareness that the band and certain areas of life were getting kind of out of control" (Wiser, 2020). Also with Songfacts, if Jane had to pick a favorite song she hadn't written, "I would probably say, 'Head Over Heels.' I just think it's just a classic. Like a little pop truffle of chocolate that's just completely delicious" (Wiser, 2007).

Answer: Talk Show

The Go-Go's released "Turn to You" on the album "Talk Show" in 1984.

The Go-Go's "Turn to You" ranked on three music charts in two countries during one year and peaked at number 28 on one chart: Canada and the United States (2).

According to Setlist.fm, The Go-Go's performed all their chart hits at 85% of their shows since their reunion in 1990; however, The Go-Go's only performed "Turn to You" at 9% of these shows.

According to Jane's interview in the documentary "The Go-Go's," "I can't even listen to it [album "Talk Show"] because to me I was so miserable during that time" and Jane evokes her three greatest miseries:

1) During Charlotte's writing block, "I was really writing a lot because Charlotte was in a lot of trouble with the drugs."
2) After asking to sing lead vocals on a "super personal" song, Jane was humiliated with "'What makes you think you're good enough to sing a song?' which is something I'll never forget hearing. It was a huge betrayal, and I did not know how to get past it."
3) After succumbing to share her royalties on the next album, management reneged and mandated Jane share her royalties on their current album, "I'm like, 'I won't do it.' 'You've gotta do it.' 'I won't do it.'...and that's when I quit the band. But, of course, I couldn't leave the band yet because we had a whole, huge tour planned to support the new album" (Ellwood, 2020).

Jane must have a lot of influence on which songs get onto a playlist because if she "can't even listen to it," The Go-Go's won't perform it.

Answer: Skidmarks on My Heart

The song "Skidmarks on My Heart" from the album "Beauty and the Beat" forsakes Belinda in the exhaust. "Rev her engine for your pleasure...Caress and fondle her steering wheel...But when you moan and hug her gear shift...Stop! Think how it makes me feel." Thankfully, no mention of gas treatment.