The Go-Go's — Our Lips Are Sealed

JUL 01 1981 · 12:00

The Go-Go's — Our Lips Are Sealed (1981) Director: Derek Burbidge Era: New Wave / Post-Punk Breakthrough (1981) - Shot in mid-1981 Los Angeles, pre-MTV-launch; exemplifies the informal, guerrilla-style promotional clip produced in the nascent music-video era before established production norms existed. Exceptionally high. This is one of the most historically significant music videos of the early MTV era — a pre-launch clip that became emblematic of the network's founding identity. It documents an authentic, unpolished approach to music video production that stands in contrast to the heavily produced clips that would follow, and preserves the specific texture of early-1980s Los Angeles street life. Essential for any archive covering music video history, gender in rock, or new wave cultural studies. Tier 1 by any measure of cultural impact, historical primacy, and archival research utility. Context: Released June 1981 and filmed in mid-1981 Los Angeles, 'Our Lips Are Sealed' arrived just weeks before MTV launched on August 1, 1981, making it one of the first canonical clips of the MTV era. The Go-Go's were groundbreaking as an all-female band who wrote their own songs and played their own instruments, and this video's carefree Southern California energy crystallized both the band's identity and a template for accessible, personality-driven music video storytelling. The song co-written by Jane Wiedlin and Terry Hall of The Specials also bridged American new wave and British ska/post-punk scenes. The clip received heavy rotation on the fledgling MTV and is widely cited as instrumental in breaking the band nationally, helping propel their debut album Beauty and the Beat to six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Director notes: Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lips_Are_Sealed) credits Derek Burbidge as director; IMVDb (imvdb.com/video/go-gos/our-lips-are-sealed) credits Mick Haggerty and C.D. Taylor as co-directors — a direct conflict between sources that archivists should flag. Both credits may reflect different phases or units of the shoot. The video was filmed in mid-1981 in Los Angeles, shortly before MTV's August 1, 1981 launch. It was a quick, informal street shoot featuring the band riding a red 1960 Buick LeSabre convertible (sourced via the Internet Movie Cars Database) around Beverly Hills, stopping at Trashy Lingerie on La Cienega Boulevard, and splashing in a fountain, intercut with club performance footage. The Buick was acquired from Rent-A-Wreck. Contemporary interviews describe an unscripted, spontaneous on-location production approach.