God Bless the Go-Go's

God Bless the Go-Go's is the Go-Go's fourth studio album, released on May 15, 2001. It was their first studio album in 17 years since the release of Talk Show in 1984. As of 2020, this is the band's most recent album.

God Bless the Go-Go's
Studio album by the Go-Go's
Released	May 15, 2001 (2001-05-15)
Recorded	2000–2001
Studio	Sound City Studios and Sound Image Studios, except "Here You Are" at Moodus Noise and Sunset Sound Recorders (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Pop punk, pop rock
Length	45:11
Label	Beyond Music
Producer	Paul Q. Kolderie, Sean Slade, Rick Neigher
The Go-Go's chronology
VH1 Behind the Music: Go-Go's Collection (2000) God Bless the Go-Go's (2001)
Singles from God Bless the Go-Go's
"Unforgiven" Released: March 11, 2001 "Apology" Released: August 9, 2001 (promo)

Critical reception and chart performance

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(68/100)[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
The A.V. Club	(favorable)[3]
Billboard	(favorable)[4]
Blender	[5]
Entertainment Weekly	(B+)[6]
PopMatters	[7]
Q	[1]
Rolling Stone	[8]
Spin	(6/10)[1]
Uncut	[1]

God Bless the Go-Go's received a score of 68 out of 100 from Metacritic based on some generally favorable reviews from critics.[1] Allmusic wrote, "Every bit as Go-Go's, that is, as their non-hits and less remarkable material. While the Go-Go's sound is intact, there is not a "We Got the Beat" or a "Head Over Heels" to be found. It is feasible that in this age of pop rebirth, the Go-Go's decided it was now or never."[2] Rolling Stone wrote "The album doesn't attempt to update the band's sound with hip-hop moves or electronic frippery, for which God should bless 'em, indeed. The girls' hold on the current pop world remains so strong that Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong co-writes a song ("Unforgiven") in impeccable Go-Go's drag."[8]

The album sold fewer copies than the previous Go-Go's studio albums but still managed to chart in the U.S. Billboard 200, peaking at number 57.[9]

Singles released from the album included "Unforgiven" and "Apology."

Artwork controversy

The album cover was created by photographer Maryanne Bilham. It was criticized by some Catholic groups for showing the group members posing as the Virgin Mary. Each Go-Go represented one of five saintly virtues; Chastity (Belinda), Modesty (Charlotte), Purity (Jane), Mercy (Gina) and Honesty (Kathy). The U.S. Catholic League president William Donohue criticized the band for ripping off Catholic imagery and resorting to "cheap ploys" to lure a new audience to the band. Go-Go's singer Belinda Carlisle replied to the critics by saying "any sort of art shouldn't be an issue. Art should not be censored. I don't get that it's controversial at all."[10] Ironically, rhythm guitarist Jane Wiedlin had a Catholic upbringing but at present has identified herself as an atheist.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"La La Land"	Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine	3:01
2.	"Unforgiven"	Caffey, Jane Wiedlin, Billie Joe Armstrong	3:23
3.	"Apology"	Valentine, Heatherton	3:57
4.	"Stuck in My Car"	Caffey, Wiedlin, Peter Stuart	3:36
5.	"Vision of Nowness"	Valentine, Craig Ross	2:55
6.	"Here You Are"	Caffey, Wiedlin, Jim Vallance	4:01
7.	"Automatic Rainy Day"	Gina Schock, Wiedlin, Steve Plunkett	3:17
8.	"Kissing Asphalt"	Caffey	2:49
9.	"Insincere"	Caffey, Wiedlin	3:45
10.	"Sonic Superslide"	Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Schock, Valentine, Wiedlin	3:33
11.	"Throw Me a Curve"	Caffey, Carlisle, Schock, Valentine, Wiedlin	3:11
12.	"Talking Myself Down"	Caffey, Wiedlin, Susanna Hoffs	3:55
13.	"Daisy Chain"	Wiedlin, Valentine, Jill Sobule	3:45

International editions bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Think I Need Sleep" (UK only)	Caffey, Anna Waronker	3:30
2.	"King of Confusion" (Japan only)	Caffey, Valentine, Bill Bartell	3:07

Personnel

Band members

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

Additional musicians

• Billie Joe Armstrong – additional guitar and vocals on "Unforgiven"
• Rami Jafee – Mellotron and Chamberlin on "Here You Are"
• Peggy Baldwin – cello on "Here You Are"
• Roger Manning – Mellotron on "Daisy Chain"

Production

• Paul Q. Kolderie, Sean Slade – producers, engineers, mixing at Record Plant, Fort Apache Studios, Magic Shop Studios and Record One
• Rick Neigher – producer and engineer on track 6
• Mike Shipley – mixing of tracks 1-4
• Marc DeSisto – mixing of track 6 at Skip Saylor, Los Angeles
• Tom Weir – mixing of track 13
• Mike King, Matt Levella, Chris Reynolds, Jaymz Hardy-Martin III – assistants
• Steve Hall – mastering at Future Disc

Charts

Chart	Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200[9]	57
U.S. Billboard Top Internet Albums[9]	17

References

1. Critic reviews on Metacritic
2. Fawthrop, Peter. "The Go-Go's God Bless the Go-Go's review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
3. Phipps, Keith (April 19, 2002). "The Go-Go's - God Bless the Go-Go's". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
4. "Reviews & Previews: The Go-Go's". Billboard.com. Billboard. May 19, 2001. Archived from the original on June 8, 2001. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
5. Blender review
6. Sullivan, James (May 18, 2001). "Go-Go's - God Bless the Go-Go's". EW.com. Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
7. Varkentine, Ben (May 14, 2001). "The Go-Go's: God Bless the Go-Go's". PopMatters. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
8. Berger, Arion (July 19, 2001). "Album Reviews: The Go-Go's - God Bless the Go-Go's". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 14, 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
9. "God Bless the Go-Go's > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
10. Weiss, Neal (May 8, 2001). "Go-Go's Baffled by Album Cover Controversy". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on December 29, 2006. Retrieved August 3, 2012.

External links

• God Bless the Go-Go's at Metacritic