God Bless the Go-Go's

God Bless the Go-Go's is the fourth and final studio album by American rock band the Go-Go's, released on May 15, 2001 by Beyond Music. It was the band's first studio album after a lengthy hiatus, and was released 17 years after their previous album Talk Show (1984).

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 and Sound Image, except "Here You Are" at Moodus Noise and Sunset Sound (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Pop punk pop rock
Length	45:08
Label	Beyond
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)
Alternative cover
Deluxe edition cover
Singles from God Bless the Go-Go's
"Unforgiven" Released: March 19, 2001 "Apology" Released: July 23, 2001

While many of the band's earlier hits had been written within the band, the Go-Go's worked with other artists for God Bless the Go-Go's; songwriters that contributed to the album included Billie Joe Armstrong, Jill Sobule and Susanna Hoffs, among other musicians.

Release

God Bless the Go-Go's was released on May 15, 2001 by the Beyond Music label.^[1] The album peaked at number 57 on the US Billboard 200.^[2] "Unforgiven" served as the album's lead single,^[1] and was released to radio on March 19, 2001,^[3] followed by a second single, "Apology", on July 23, 2001.^[4]

For the album's 20th anniversary, God Bless the Go-Go's was reissued on May 14, 2021 by Eagle Records. The original album was released on vinyl for the first time, while a deluxe edition, featuring two bonus tracks and new cover art, was released on CD and digitally.^[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	68/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Blender	[8]
Classic Pop	[9]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[10]
Los Angeles Times	[11]
Q	[12]
Record Collector	[13]
Rolling Stone	[14]
Spin	6/10[15]
Uncut	[16]

God Bless the Go-Go's received a score of 68 out of 100 from Metacritic based on generally favorable reviews from critics.^[6] Los Angeles Times critic Marc Weingarten found that "for a band that has been dormant for so long, the musical pieces all fit together surprisingly snugly",^[11] while in Billboard, Michael Paoletta praised the album as a "deliriously buoyant" record of "unadulterated adult-made pop".^[17] "Sharply written, energetically performed, and slickly produced," judged Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club, "it actually sounds like the album Go-Go's fans have waited 17 years to hear."^[18]

Rolling Stone reviewer Arion Berger commented, "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."^[14] AllMusic's Peter Fawthrop was more ambivalent, writing that "the group took the familiar route with tracks that sound every bit as Go-Go's as their previous records. 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."^[7]

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

Japanese edition bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
14.	"King of Confusion"	Caffey Valentine Bill Bartell	3:07

UK edition bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
14.	"I Think I Need Sleep"	Caffey Anna Waronker	3:30

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.^[19]

Band members

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

Additional musicians

• Billie Joe Armstrong – additional guitar and vocals on "Unforgiven"
• Rami Jaffee – 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 – production, engineering, mixing at the Record Plant, Fort Apache Studios, the Magic Shop and Record One
• Rick Neigher – production and engineering on track 6
• Mike Shipley – mixing on tracks 1–4
• Marc DeSisto – mixing on track 6 at Skip Saylor
• Tom Weir – mixing on track 13
• Mike King, Matt Levella, Chris Reynolds, Jaymz Hardy-Martin III – assistance
• Steve Hall – mastering at Future Disc

Design

• Ginger Canzoneri – cover art direction
• Eric Roinestad – cover design
• DeDe Kelez – second cover design
• Susan McEowen – production art
• Maryanne Bilham, Chris Cuffaro – photography
• Jennifer McManus – styling
• Robin Slater, John Stapleton – makeup
• Ned Neidhardt – hair

Charts

Chart (2001–2021)	Peak position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[20]	40
UK Albums Sales (OCC)[21]	46
US Billboard 200[2]	57