Beauty and the Beat (The Go-Go's album)

For other uses, see Beauty and the Beat (The Go-Go's album) (disambiguation).

Untitled

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	(B+)
Rolling Stone

Beauty and the Beat is the debut album from Californian all-female band The Go-Go's. Released in 1981 on the IRS Records label, the album was preceded by the single "We Got the Beat," which became a massive club hit in Europe and, later, the United States. When the album was eventually released, it steadily climbed the Billboard 200 chart, ultimately peaking at number one, where it remained for six consecutive weeks. The L.P. sold in excess of three million copies and reached double platinum status, making it one of the most successful debut albums of all time. It is now widely considered as one of the cornerstone albums of 1980s new wave music. It was the first album entirely written and performed by an all-female band to top the charts.

The title is a play on the European fairy tale Beauty and the Beast.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 413 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. This album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005. The lead single and album opener, "Our Lips Are Sealed," has been covered over the years by numerous artists, and remains a staple of '80s playlists. It is frequently cited as one of the Top 100 and Top 50 songs of the '80s. Rolling Stone magazine has named it one of the Top 100 Pop Singles of all time. "We Got the Beat" has been named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

The album gained a deluxe remastered compact disc when EMI released the Beauty and the Beat 30th Anniversary Edition on May 17, 2011. Disc one features the remastered original album while disc 2 offers an entire live show, recorded at the Metro Club in Boston on August 20, 1981. Both Vacation (1982) and Talk Show (1984) were previously issued in remastered CD form in 1999.

Track listing

#	Title	Composer(s)	Time
1.	"Our Lips Are Sealed"	Wiedlin, Hall	2:45
2.	"How Much More"	Caffey, Wiedlin	3:06
3.	"Tonite"	Caffey, Wiedlin, Case	3:35
4.	"Lust to Love"	Caffey, Wiedlin	4:04
5.	"This Town"	Caffey, Wiedlin	3:20
6.	"We Got the Beat"	Caffey	2:36
7.	"Fading Fast"	Caffey	3:41
8.	"Automatic"	Wiedlin	3:07
9.	You Can't Walk in Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep)"	Caffey, Wiedlin	2:54
10.	"Skidmarks on My Heart"	Caffey, Carlisle	3:06
11.	"Can't Stop the World"	Valentine	3:20

Credits

Band

• Charlotte Caffey – lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
• Belinda Carlisle – lead vocals
• Gina Schock – drums, percussion
• Kathy Valentine – bass, backing vocals
• Jane Wiedlin – rhythm guitar, vocals

Production

• Rob Freeman: production, engineering, and mixing
• Richard Gottehrer: production
• James A. Ball: assistant engineer and mixing assistant
• Ted Blechta, Darroll Gustamachio, Gray Russell, John Terelle: assistant engineers
• Stuart Furusho, David Leonard: mixing assistants
• Doug Schwartz: remixing
• Greg Calbi: mastering

Staff

• Ginger Canzoneri, Mike Doud, Mick Haggerty, Vartan: art direction
• Mike Fink, Mick Haggerty: design
• George DuBose, Mick Haggerty, Cindy Marsh: photography
• Cindy Marsh: illustrations

Charts

Album

Chart (1982)	Peak position	Certifications	Sales
Australian Albums Chart	27	—
Canadian Albums Chart	2	Platinum	200,000+
U.S. Billboard 200	1	2× Platinum	2,000,000+

Singles

Year	Song	U.S. Hot 100	U.S. MSR	U.S. Dance	UK singles	CAN singles	AUS singles
1981	"Our Lips Are Sealed"	20	15	10	47	4	2
1982	"We Got the Beat"	2	7	35	-	3	29