“It really captured a moment”: Belinda Carlisle’s favourite punk album
Belinda Carlisle has never allowed herself to be constrained by genre. In the 1980s, she made a name for herself as a solo artist in the pop world, helming a number of classic hits in the genre, most notably the shimmering, Grammy Award-nominated ‘Heaven Is a Place on Earth’. But she had found her start in a slightly more alternative realm.
Before she embarked upon her solo pop career, Carlisle took up the microphone for The Go-Go’s. At first, the band sat firmly in the punk rock category, cementing their place as a staple in the scene in Los Angeles. But as they gained new members and fans, as the tide turned and new genres came to the fore, The Go-Go’s began incorporating new sounds into their music.
They shook off their punk rock roots and immersed themselves in new wave, becoming one of the most important bands in the genre. Tunes like ‘Our Lips Are Sealed’ and ‘We Got The Beat’ captured audiences with their charming approach to the genre, treading the line between rock and pop with ease.
Carlisle’s own music career has constantly flitted between genres, so it makes sense that her listening habits are just as wide-ranging. During an interview with Spin, she shared five albums she couldn’t live without, ranging from the synth-pop of Depeche Mode to the formative pop of The Beach Boys to the glam stylings of Roxy Music. She also named her favourite punk rock band of all time as The Clash.
This selection will probably come as no surprise, of course, given that The Clash are one of the most iconic and influential punk rock bands in music history. From ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’ to ‘London Calling’, their songs have endured with audiences for decades now, but there was one album that particularly endeared itself to Carlisle and even led her to catch a plane to London.
The Go-Go’s vocalist picked out the band’s self-titled debut as one of the records she couldn’t live without. Released in 1977, The Clash introduced audiences to the next big punk band. Though it wouldn’t produce as many iconic hits as later releases like London Calling or Combat Rock, it provided a first look at their unique approach to punk rock.
Carlisle was particularly taken by how The Clash blended the genre with catchier elements. “It was driving rock, punk rock,” she explained, “But also very melodic, and I loved the lyrics.” She also admired the band for their political focus, adding, “They were of a time, they were angry, political. It really captured a moment, that moment in the late ‘70s, which was a lot of stuff going on politically and economically.”
The pop icon went on to suggest that this inspired her to visit London in 1977, the same year the band released their debut, where she saw the band play live. It’s an opportunity most of us can only dream of, to see The Clash in their earliest stages, to witness punk rock icons in the making. Expectedly, she described it as an “incredible” experience, one that she would repeat several times as a result.
Not long after that visit to the English capital, Carlisle would return home and start the Go-Go’s, kicking off her own punk rock legacy. Though she would eventually veer into more pop-rock realms, her love for those roots is clearly unwavering.
