Our Lips Are Sealed the Go-Go’s by
IN June 1980, an unsigned all-female American pop-punk group supported The Specials on a jaunt around British seaside towns. During the tour, Terry Hall and the band’s rhythm guitarist embarked on a clandestine love affair. Shortly afterwards, a classic song was born.
A co-write between Hall and Jane Wiedlin, the Go-Go’s debut single “Our Lips Are Sealed” isn’t simply an oblique comment on the pair’s relationship; it also captures the essence of a band formed out of the LA punk scene. “I knew the lyrics had a story behind them, and that it was a personal exchange between Jane and Terry,” says Go-Go’s singer Belinda Carlisle. “But I felt and still feel when I sing the song that I can relate to them.”
Lyrically, “Our Lips Are Sealed” subverted sexist stereotypes of gossipy girls whispering behind their hands, preaching instead strength and solidarity. Musically, it was an ingeniously structured three minutes full of unlikely swerves and hard hooks. “I didn’t know what I was doing!” says Wiedlin. “I didn’t know that certain chords didn’t go together, so I just did it. When I first showed it to the band, I was so nervous I played it in waltz time. [] Charlotte [] said, ‘Why don’t we play it in regular time?’, but
