The Go-Go's Smackdown 3: Bananarama Quiz

Answer: The Go-Go's

Jane Wiedlin and Terry Hall co-wrote "Our Lips Are Sealed" and The Go-Go's released this song on the album "Beauty and the Beat" on 14 Jul 1981.

The Go-Go's "Our Lips Are Sealed" could be their greatest hit for it ranked on the most music charts (14), in the most countries (6) and for the most weeks (47). Additionally, "Our Lips Are Sealed" is tied with "We Got the Beat" for reaching the highest position on a music chart at number two.

Answer: The Go-Go's

Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey and Kathy Valentine co-wrote "Vacation" and The Go-Go's released this song as a single backed with "Beatnik Beach" on 26 Jun 1982.

The Go-Go's "Vacation" ranked on 11 music charts in five countries for 19 weeks from 3 Jul to 6 Nov 1982 peaking at number six on the Cash Box Top 100: Australia, Canada, Netherlands, Sweden and the United States (7).

Of The Go-Go's 11 hits, "Vacation" was the quickest to rank on a music chart. After being released as a single, "Vacation" debuted on the Cash Box Top 100 and Billboard Hot 100 seven days later on 3 Jul 1982 at numbers 62 and 67, respectively.

Answer: The Go-Go's

Jane Wiedlin and Kathy Valentine co-wrote "Worlds Away" and The Go-Go's released this song on the album "Vacation" on 20 Jul 1982.

According to a review of the album "Vacation" by Rolling Stone magazine, "In 'Worlds Away,' Gina Schock's drums throb distantly, like a fading pulse, and [Belinda] Carlisle sings an eerie chorus in a depressed croon: 'I find myself wanting...To be sleeping...To be dreaming...To be worlds away....' Instead of the soothing effect the melody suggests at first, the song becomes a chilling expression of exhaustion and despair. As written by Wiedlin and Valentine, 'Worlds Away' joins the lonely cries of women from Virginia Woolf to Marilyn Monroe for comfort and an otherworldly warmth" (Tucker, 1982).

Answer: The Go-Go's

Jane Wiedlin wrote "Capture the Light" and The Go-Go's released this song on the album "Talk Show" on 19 Mar 1984.

According to a review of the album "Talk Show" on The Daily Vault, "If you really want to hear Belinda [Carlisle] cut loose and show some muscle, give 'Capture the Light' a spin. She really shreds it on that one, which makes me wonder how it has gone forgotten altogether. Not only should it have been a single, it should also be performed live and be included on a hits compilation" (Smith, 2007).

Answer: The Go-Go's

Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey co-wrote "Good Girl" and The Go-Go's released this song on the album "Return to the Valley of The Go-Go's" on 18 Oct 1994.

According to Kathy Valentine's interview with Louisville Public Media about three new songs, including "Good Girl," being recorded for a "retrospective" album, "'The impetus wasn't to make a record,' Valentine explains. 'IRS [Records] wanted to do a retrospective that covered everything that hadn't been covered [recorded]. An oral chart of the journey of the band.' But the band pushed back. 'For us, it wasn't enough. If it was going to be a journey, it had to go up to the present. And the present didn't have anything yet'" (Meredith, 2019).

The Go-Go's journey continued by performing "Good Girl" during Season 3 Episode 249 of "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno on 26 Jan 1995.

Answer: Bananarama

Robbie van Leeuwen wrote "Venus" and Shocking Blue originally released this song as a single backed with "Hot Sand" on 14 Jul 1969.

Shocking Blue's "Venus" ranked on 40 music charts in 25 countries during two years peaking at number one on 18 charts.

Bananarama covered "Venus" on the album "True Confessions" on 30 Jun 1986 and their version ranked on 49 music charts in 24 countries during two years peaking at number one on ten charts: Australia (2), Austria, Belgium (3), Canada (4), Denmark, Europe (3), Finland, France, Germany (2), Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands (4), New Zealand (2), Norway, South Africa (2), Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (2), the United Kingdom (2), the United States (9), Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

Answer: Bananarama

Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Steve Jolley and Tony Swain co-wrote "Cruel Summer" and Bananarama released this song as a single backed with "Cairo" on 27 Jun 1983.

Bananarama's "Cruel Summer" ranked on 21 music charts in 15 countries during four years peaking at number one on Radio Luxembourg: Australia (2), Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Luxembourg, Netherlands (2), New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (2) and the United States (4).

According to Discogs, Bananarama released four versions of this song: "Cruel Summer" (1983), "Cruel Summer '89" (1989), "Cruel Summer (New Version)" (2001) and "Cruel Summer" (2009).

According to SecondHandSongs, 41 artists also recorded "Cruel Summer" on a single, album or soundtrack since Bananarama first performed this song on Season 20 Episode 28 of "Top of the Pops" on 14 Jul 1983.

Answer: Bananarama

Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman co-wrote "I Heard a Rumour" and Bananarama released this song as a single backed with "Clean Cut Boy" on 22 Jun 1987.

Bananarama's "I Heard a Rumour" ranked on 30 music charts in 16 countries peaking at number two on the Canada RPM Top Singles: Australia, Belgium, Canada (3), Europe (2), Finland, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy (2), Luxembourg, Netherlands (2), New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (2) and the United States (8).

Bananarama eventually released "I Heard a Rumour" on their fourth album "Wow!" on 7 Sep 1987 and five months later at the height of their popularity and success, Siobhan Fahey quit Bananarama on 8 Feb 1988.

According to Siobhan's interview with Lyndsanity, "'I was sort of pulled in a different direction, being called in a different direction creatively,' explains Fahey, who went on to form the Goth-pop duo Shakespears Sister, a forerunner of sorts to spooky electro-chanteuses like Grimes, Banks, Zola Jesus, and Chelsea Wolfe. 'The band went into unashamed ultra-pop, and at the same time I was going through a bit of a darker phase in my life, and I wanted to write some stuff that was more personal...that wouldn't have belonged in Bananarama'" (Parker, 2017).

On 12 Nov 2017, Sara, Siobhan and Keren reunited for their 27-show The Original Line-Up Tour and...believe it or not...this was the first time these three ladies ever toured together.

Answer: Bananarama

Steve Jolley and Tony Swain co-wrote "Shy Boy" and Bananarama released this song as a single backed with "Don't Call Us" on 21 Jun 1982.

Bananarama's "Shy Boy" ranked on 13 music charts in nine countries during two years peaking at number two on the Australia Kent Music Report: Australia (2), Belgium (2), Canada, Israel, Luxembourg, Netherlands (2), New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States (2).

Bananarama explain the history of "Shy Boy" in the liner notes of their album "The Greatest Hits Collection," "Bananarama's first collaboration with producer Tony Swain and Steve Jolley. 'They had a song called Big Red Motorbike and we didn't like the lyrics so we changed it to Shy Boy. For some reason we found those lyrics more acceptable. Siobhan [Fahey] ate some beef and onion sandwiches before we recorded this around one mike. After that we started recording on three separate mikes in our own little boxes...'" (Bananarama, 1988).

Answer: Bananarama

Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman co-wrote "Love in the First Degree" and Bananarama released this song on the album "Wow!" on 21 Sep 1987.

Bananarama's "Love in the First Degree" ranked on 28 music charts in 18 countries during two years peaking at number two on two charts: Australia (2), Belgium (2), Canada, Europe (2), Finland, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands (2), New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom (3), United States (4).

Bananarama's "Love in the First Degree" was nominated for British Single of the Year at the 1988 BRIT Awards and although they lost to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up," the ladies still made pop-music history. First, they became the first girl group to be nominated for the prestigious single category, and second, they were the first girl group to perform live at the ceremony.