Go West quickly had a publishing deal and possessed a portastudio, but lacked a band or recording company. Peter and Richard decided, with support from John Glover, their manager, to find a musical producer, and record just two of their songs. The tracks We Close Our Eyes and Call Me found Go West developing a record deal with Chrysalis Records. The songwriting duo specialised in radio friendly, white soul sounds.
The band's debut single, We Close Our Eyes, was released in 1985 and managed to achieve the number 5 position on the UK Singles charts, #5 on the US Dance Club Play chart and also managed to reach #41 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. The video for the song became an early favorite on MTV. This helped them to be voted the "Best Newcomers" at the 1986, BRIT Awards.
The duo's self-titled album also featured 2 more Hot 100 entries; "Call Me" (1984 - #54) and "Eye To Eye" (1985 - #73). The album also featured "Don't Look Down", which would serve as the prequel to what would be the band's first Top 40 hit in the US. The album hit #8 in the UK Album charts and #60 on Billboard 200 Album chart.
In 1987, they released their follow-up, "Dancing On The Couch", which peaked at #19 on UK Album chart but only got as high as #172 in the US. Ironically, that album yielded Go West with their first US Top 40 hit, "Don't Look Down - The Sequel", squeaking into the Top 40 peaking at #39. That song was a continuation to "Don't Look Down" from their debut album. However, "Don't Look Down - The Sequel" was excluded from the UK versions of the CD, which instead included the track, "Let's Build A Boat", which coincidentally became the B-Side of the US release of "Don't Look Down - The Sequel".
Later in 1990, Go West scored a top 10 US hit with the song King of Wishful Thinking from the movie Pretty Woman. An instrumental version of the song's chorus is also alleged to be heard in the production logo for Gracie Films (seen at the end of The Simpsons).
Go West website: www.gowest.org.uk
That's What Love Can Do
Go West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The face is familiar
But not the one I used to see
Got a fever-can't shake it
There's no way to break it
Something's got a hold on me
And I can't give it up
I won't give it up
But I don't know the man
Standing in my shoes..
That's what love can do
Turn a wise man to a fool
That's what love can do to you
And I lose my head every time I see you..
That's what love can do to you
Bitter tastes sweet
I'm dreaming on my feet
I'm looking for the missing clue
Heartbeat jumping
I never saw it coming
Hit me right out of the blue
And I can't give it up
I won't give it up
It feels good to me
But I don't know the man
Standing in my shoes..
That's what love can do
Turn a wise man to a fool
That's what love can do to you
And it turns my world around
That's what love can do
Well it's crazy but its true
That's what love can do to you
And I lose my head every time I see you
That's what love can do
I've found a new game to play
It's taken my breath away
I'm on top of the world
Looking at you-how can I lose?
And I can't give it up
It feels good to me
But I don't know the man
Standing in my shoes..
That's what love can do..
The lyrics to Go West's "That's What Love Can Do" describe the overwhelming power of love in the singer's life. The opening lines introduce the idea that the singer is aware of their own face in the mirror, but they no longer recognize the person reflected there because of the hold that love has on them. They feel a feverish, all-consuming passion that they cannot break away from, even though they do not entirely understand the person they have become as a result. The chorus reinforces this idea by stating that love has the power to turn a wise man into a fool, and it can cause someone to lose their sense of self and become a different person entirely.
The second verse deepens this sense of disorientation, as the singer acknowledges that even things that used to be bitter or difficult have become sweet and easy because of their love for another person. They describe feeling like they are dreaming while standing up, and they are searching for something missing that they cannot identify. The bridge serves as a declaration of the intense, all-consuming feeling of being in love, stating that it has taken the singer's breath away and left them feeling like they are on top of the world. The chorus is repeated again to drive home the message that love can upend a person's life, turning them into someone entirely new.
Overall, the lyrics to "That's What Love Can Do" convey the way that love can be both intoxicating and disorienting, changing a person's sense of self and their entire worldview.
Line by Line Meaning
Look in the mirror
The singer looks at himself in the mirror
The face is familiar
He recognizes himself in the mirror
But not the one I used to see
He feels like a different person now
Got a fever-can't shake it
The singer has caught a fever that he can't get rid of
There's no way to break it
He can't find a way to cure his fever
Something's got a hold on me
The fever has a strong grip on him
And I can't give it up
He doesn't want to give up the feeling he has
I won't give it up
He is determined to hold onto this feeling
It feels good to me
The singer enjoys the fever he has
But I don't know the man
He feels like a different person now
Standing in my shoes..
He doesn't recognize himself and feels like someone he doesn't know is in his body
That's what love can do
This feeling is what love can do to a person
Turn a wise man to a fool
Love can make smart people act foolish
That's what love can do to you
Love has an effect on people and can change them
And I lose my head every time I see you..
He can't control himself when he sees the person he loves
Bitter tastes sweet
Things that used to bother him now seem pleasant
I'm dreaming on my feet
The singer is dreaming while he is awake
I'm looking for the missing clue
He is searching for something he can't find
Heartbeat jumping
His heart is racing uncontrollably
I never saw it coming
He didn't expect to feel this way
Hit me right out of the blue
The feeling came suddenly and unexpectedly
And it turns my world around
The feeling he has is changing his perspective on things
Well it's crazy but its true
The singer admits that his behavior may seem irrational to others
I've found a new game to play
He has found a new passion in life
It's taken my breath away
The feeling he has is overwhelming
I'm on top of the world
The feeling makes him feel invincible
Looking at you-how can I lose?
Being with the person he loves makes him feel like he can't lose
Contributed by Isabella S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gerard McCartney
on The King Is Dead
When you finally realise that all your life, you've been driven by ego, and the humiliating freedom that realisation affords