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Welcome aboard the 5-Minute Time Traveller,  your express ride through the unforgettable sounds of the 70s and 80s.  From disco floors to neon lights,  we're bringing your favourite memories back.  So strap in.

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Welcome aboard time travellers. Today we're heading back to the glitter, grit and girl power of the early years.  A time when punk was mutating, MTV was launching and five women from Los Angeles were about to rewrite rock history.

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What's the Go-Go's  and the beat?  Well it wasn't just catchy, it was historic.  Because the Go-Go's weren't just another  80s band. They were the first and still only all-female band to top the Billboard album charts by writing their own songs and playing their own instruments. No boy band behind the scenes, no producer writing their hits, just raw talent, friendship and a bit of punk attitude. Our success was pretty much, you know, and you know...

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relatively speaking, overnight. I mean, to go from not knowing how to play your instruments to  within  three years being the biggest band in America, I mean,  you can't prepare for that. I mean, we were on the cover of every single magazine. The story begins in the late 70s in LA. Punk clubs, gritty bars, and a scene dominated by leather jackets and loud guitars. That's where Belinda Carlisle, Jane Weedland, Charlotte Kaifey,

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Junashok and Cathy Valentine came together. Part punk, part pop,  and all hard.

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Our lips are sealed, hit like a summer breeze through a mosh pit. Suddenly punk had a pop anthem. And the Go-Go's were on everyone's radar. Their debut album, Beauty and the Beat, dropped in 1981 and boom. It spent six weeks at number one, knocking out some of the biggest names in music at the time. It's surreal. I mean, it's weird. We had no idea what we were doing when we started in 1978. So, and here we are. We still don't know what we're We still don't know.

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We pride ourselves on being semi-professionals. But it wasn't all sunshine and shoulder pads. Behind the scenes there were creative tensions parting and the pressure of being pioneers in a male-dominated industry. Still, their music was everywhere, on MTV, on the radio and in your head for days. Songs like Vacation and Head Over Heels captured the era's energy. Upbeat, rebellious  and unapologetically female.

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And here's the twist. After just a few years it all fell apart. Breakups, solo projects, reunions, you know the rock band story. But through it all the go-gos never lost their legacy. In 2021, 40 years after their debut, they were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So next time you hear We Got the Beat in a Movie, a commercial, or blasting through the speakers at a party, remember it's not just a song, it's a statement.

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And that's it for today's trip through time. Join me next ride on the 5 minute time traveller. Until then, keep the beat alive.

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The information and clips featured on the 5-Minute Time Traveller are intended for entertainment and educational purposes only.  While we strive for accuracy,  historical interpretations and details may vary. We hope you enjoyed your 5-Minute Musical Journey through time and can join us again.