They were orginally formed as a punk band and had roots in the L.A. punk community. During late 1979, the band recorded a 5-song demo at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles. Go-Go’s subsequently spent half of 1980 touring England, earning a sizable following and releasing the demo version of We Got The Beat on Stiff Records. Go-Go's signed to I.R.S. Records in April 1981. Their debut album Beauty And The Beat was a surprise hit; it topped the U.S. charts for six weeks and eventually received a triple platinum certification. In 2003, the album was ranked number 413 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Our Lips Are Sealed and a new version of We Got The Beat were extremely popular singles in North America in early 1982. In this period Go-Go's became America's sweethearts and started building a fan base. In 1982 the group was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
The follow-up album Vacation received mixed reviews and sold far less than Beauty and the Beat. However, the album was certified Gold in the U.S. and spawned another top 10 US hit with the title track: Vacation. In 1984 the group returned with their third record album Talk Show. The album tracks Head Over Heels and Turn To You were both Top 40 hits in the US. Despite the favorable critiques, the album sold far less than the previous two, not reaching the top 10 and not receiving any certification.
Personality conflicts and creative differences within the group were also taking a toll, as were drug addiction problems for some band members. Jane Wiedlin announced her departure from the group in October 1984. The band sought a replacement for Wiedlin and finally selected Paula Jean Brown as their new bassist, with Valentine moving to rhythm guitar. Soon Carlisle and Caffey realized their hearts were no longer in the group and decided to disband Go-Go's in May 1985.
In 1994 the classic line-up got together again to release the 2-disc retrospective Return To The Valley Of The Go-Go's, which featured three new recordings. The single The Whole World Lost Its Head peaked at #21 on the Billboard Modern Rock charts. The band toured again to promote the release.
In 2001, the band released an album of new material: God Bless The Go-Go's. The only released single Unforgiven peaked at #22 on Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart. The album was well-received by critics, and peaked at number #57 in the Billboard 200 chart.
Go-Go's have toured regularly since 1999. In 2011 Go-Go's announced the Ladies Gone Wild tour to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the release of Beauty and the Beat.
Tonite
Go-Go's Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The billboards are shedding their light
And my crowd's hanging around
Tonite
There's a charge in the air
It's kind of electric out there
And we're all out on the town
Gonna turn some heads
Tonite
There's nothing
There's no one
To stand in our way
Get dressed up
And messed up
Blow our cares away
Our mind's set on seeing
This night through till day
We rule the streets tonite
Until the morning (light)
The boulevard's crowded and loud
It's time for excitement right now
There's no better world to be found
If there was
We'd give it all for
For a lifetime like
Tonite
The lyrics of Go-Go's song Tonite invigorate a sense of freedom, liberation and self-expression as the band members portray themselves to defy societal expectations and choose to spend their time on a night out with likeminded people. The "street lights are shining bright," and "the billboards are shedding their light," which conveys a sense of liveliness in the city at night. "My crowd's hanging around," which suggests that they are familiar with each other and share a sense of belonging, and the charge in the air is "kind of electric out there."
The lyrics convey the excitement they feel as they head out on the town, where they will "turn some heads" and enjoy the freedom of the night. There are no barriers that hold them back, and nothing stands in their way, as they plan to "get dressed up and messed up" to "blow their cares away." The lyrics reveal that their minds are set on persevering through the night until the morning light, choosing to live life on their own terms. They declare that they rule the streets tonight, and nothing else compares to that feeling of freedom.
In summary, Go-Go's song Tonite describes the excitement and liberation of a night out on the town with friends, where they can let their hair down and live life on their terms. It's a celebration of freedom and finding your tribe to let your hair down after a long day or week.
Line by Line Meaning
The street lights are shining bright
The city lights are lit up and illumination is everywhere.
The billboards are shedding their light
The advertising displays are bright and the information is being advertised.
And my crowd's hanging around
The group of people I usually hang out with are here with me.
Tonite
Tonight is the focus of our night.
There's a charge in the air
There is an electric buzz in the atmosphere that you can feel.
It's kind of electric out there
It's mesmerizing and attention-grabbing out there.
And we're all out on the town
We're all in town looking for a good time.
Action, gonna track it down
We're on the hunt for some exciting things to do.
Gonna turn some heads
We're going to do some things that will make people observe us closely.
Tonite
Tonight is the focus of our night.
There's nothing
There isn't anything standing in our way.
There's no one
There's nobody to hinder us tonight.
To stand in our way
Nobody is going to stop us tonight from doing what we want to do.
Get dressed up
Let's put on our fanciest attire.
And messed up
We're getting ready to have some fun and loosen up.
Blow our cares away
Let's forget our stress and enjoy the evening.
Our mind's set on seeing
We're determined to witness everything tonight has to offer.
This night through till day
We're not going to stop our activities until the early morning hours.
We rule the streets tonite
Tonight is our night to run and own the streets.
Until the morning (light)
Our nighttime escapade will come to an end, and the sun will rise.
The boulevard's crowded and loud
The main street of the town is noisy and filled with people.
It's time for excitement right now
This is the most appropriate time to have a thrilling, energetic time.
There's no better world to be found
There isn't any place that is better than where we are right now.
If there was
In case there was such a place,
We'd give it all for
We would trade everything we have,
For a lifetime like
For an experience of the same quality as
Tonite
the one we're enjoying tonight.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CHARLOTTE CAFFEY, JANE WIEDLIN, PETER CHASE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ernestoribeiro2226
The street lights are shining bright (Tonite)
The billboards are shedding their light (Tonite)
And my crowd's hanging around (Tonite)
There's a charge in the air (Tonite)
It's kind of electric out there (Tonite)
And we're all out on the town
Action, gonna track it down
Gonna turn some heads
Tonite
There's nothing
There's no one
To stand in our way
Get dressed up
And messed up
Blow our cares away
Our mind's set on seeing
This night through till day
We rule the streets tonite
Until the morning
The boulevard's crowded and loud (Tonite)
It's time for excitement right now (Tonite)
There's no better world to be found
If there was
We'd give it all for
For a lifetime like
Tonite
There's nothing
There's no one
To stand in our way
Get dressed up
And messed up
Blow our cares away
Our mind's set on seeing
This night through till day
We rule the streets tonite
Until the morning
There's nothing
There's no one
To stand in our way
Get dressed up
And messed up
Blow our cares away
Our mind's set on seeing
This night through till day
We rule the streets tonite
Until the morning light
@DevilDogDen1775
God.... I miss the 80s, and being in my EARLY 20's.... 💔💔💔💔
@jameslahaine9235
The terre neuve pressing.. legend there’d probably be no real west coast punk scene without these ladies.
@doyleperkins4916
The cascade of high clef notes is almost as good as any of Bach's polyphonics...these women are musical geniuses (particularly in their polyphonic splendor, in their arrangements). LOVE THE GO-GOS...HAVE LOVED THEM FOR 40 YEARS.
@Mishigoss55
When the Go-Gos are at their best, they are truly a force of nature—raw and polished at the same time, furiously energetic with unforgettable guitar hooks, a pile driving rhythm section and Belinda’s inspired vocals. This song, simply put, is awesome. There is an intensity, and urgency, an immediacy that is inescapable. This song is relentless; it just keeps coming at you. There is nobody that sounds like this anywhere. God bless the Go-Gos!
@TiagoNYC
Couldn't have said it better.
@ernestoribeiro2226
I love AND hate when another person comment the same thoughts and feelings as myself. Damn, all of us are in the same vibe for the Go-Go's!
@Mishigoss55
@@ernestoribeiro2226 Yes, and congratulations to the Go-Gos as it was just announced that they will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in an October ceremony which will be televised, and we can hope that they will be performing in addition to receiving their well deserved reward. Also this July 8th it is I believe, that will mark the 40th anniversary of the release of Beauty and the Beat!
@davidhaley3032
You were doin blow when you wrote that. I bought this album at the mall when it came out.
@FlamesCagney
well put.
@mrjolieguy8673
Discovered this on the independent 88.5 FM today
Fantastic song
Very lucky to have caught this Gem
💕🤍💕✌🏼👌