Selling out

Usually, when a young fan or artist shames another for "selling out" there is a hint of jealousy. The sell-outer, if I can coin a term, generally sees their music and style change as much because they are introduced to better technology and production values as they are changing their own point of view to align with what the market demands.

The Go Go's really sold out though. It's hard to believe, listening to their catalogue of hits that they started as a punk band in southern California. Belinda Carlisle is on record as being heavily involved in the punk scene, and has been very open about, shall we say, how, involvedshe was.

The smash hit of the early popular era Go Go's was probably We Got the Beat, which is decidedly not punk. It's fun, catchy and almost airheaded. It seems as though the women who made up the Go Go's, had they heard the song a few years earlier, would have hated it. What happened?

Punk fans might say that The Go Go's sold out. Musically, by the 80's and especially with Carlisle when she went solo by the middle of the decade, that was certainly the case. Unlike many that have sold out, they didn't sell their souls, just their style. To coin a phrase, the Go Go's were still punk on the inside.

There was some remnant of punk in the pacing of their earlier work. Carlisle's voice was too pure, too melodic to withstand the harsher elements of her punk contemporaries. If you listen to the backing base in their music, however, you will hear a faster beat than you might initially anticipate. Taken independently, Carlisle's vocals don't seem to make much sense with the instrumentals, but the ultimate reason for their national success was that the elements do indeed all come together, which is a credit to their songwriting.

Carlisle's name stayed in the public consciousness as she continued to top the charts with mainstream songs like "Heaven is a Place on Earth." Carlisle wasn't even in rock anymore, let alone punk. She had turned pop, doing the improbable, selling out two different genres.

Undoubtedly, selling out has its tangible benefits. You likely never would have heard of the Go Go's had it not been for their pop turn. Belinda Carlisle would never have articles written about her use of a private terminal in Los Angeles. For punk stars turned pop stars, though, there is one definite advantage to selling out: gaining a bigger platform.

Punk is the original version of alternative music. Whether it's the 70s' Go Go's or the 90s' Green Day,

the groups had something in common. They sought to differentiate themselves musically from the staid music of their particular generation. In their view, there was something wrong with music as it was popularly consumed, and they strived to make their own brand of art.

Innate in their sense of the world is the idea that there was something wrong with the status quo. As they mature, they grow into principled adulthood. Perhaps their views don't align with yours, but they are comfortable with speaking out against injustice, perceived or otherwise after a lifetime of fighting against the establishment, albeit a more open minded music making establishment.

One thing the Go Go's never stepped back from, even if their sound changed, was their willingness to be outspoken on things that mattered to them. Carlisle, in particular, has been an activist for PETA, gay rights (particularly when her son came out) and against the current presidential administration. A quick check of her Twitter feed reveals a nearly steady stream of activism.

The Go Go's certainly sold out musically, but with their co-opting a pop music sound, and Carlisle veering towards the sound of some contemporary divas, but with it came a broader platform. If they had stayed within the LA punk scene, they may never have continued a music career that lasted for decades. Their message, especially when they found their message fueled in outreach and activism, would not have changed any minds or hearts.

In the ways that truly matter, the Go Go's never truly sold out. They kept their counterculture principles which dovetailed into a humanitarian activism in their adulthood. They continued to speak out for issues they were passionate about. Indeed, selling out musically was a means to an end. Not only did the Go Go's prove that a group of women could make music together, they also showed the world how to sell out properly.