Songs Everyone Should Know

 Are you a Girly-girl?

I put the Go-Go’s and the Bangles head- to-head so you can tell me who you like better. I have tried to make it fair by having them both be live performances of their first big hit singles. The Go-Go’s were slightly earlier than the Bangles but you tell me what you think......

Checking the used record bins the other day I found a mint-condish “Andrew’s Sisters Greatest Hits”. Being a huge girl-group fan (and only having this in digital form), I bought it for $1. You may say “That is so way lame dude!” but hey there is historical significance to this!

The genre if you will, of girl groups seemed to start back in war time with the Andrews Sisters. “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” was a big hit for them, but they had many others. The first few listens I admit I thought this sounded dated, but it kind of grows on you. There are some pretty good songs, like “Rum and Coca-Cola”, “Bei  Mir Bist du Schon” (means: ‘To me you are beautiful’ in German). Clearly I have to be in the mood or have some older people over for dinner.........huh.........did I say that.......gawd look who’s talking!

The boom came for girl-groups in the late 1950’sm early ‘60’s, and very little in the ‘70’s with bands such as:

The Crystals – Da Do Ron Ron, Then He Kissed Me

The Shirrelles -  Baby It’s You, Mama Said

The Ronettes – Be My Baby

The Marvellees – Please Mr. Postman

The Dixie Cups – Chapel of Love, Iko Iko

The Shangrilas – Leader of the Pack

The Supremes – Stop! In the Name of Love, Baby Love, Love Child, Reflections, Where Did Our Love Go

In the ‘80’s:

Bananarama  - Venus, I Heard a Rumor,Cruel Summer

The Go-Go’s – We Got the Beat, Our Lips are Sealed.

The Bangles – Walk Like an Epyption, Manic Monday, Eternal Flame, In My Room

The torch had been passed and more recently: The Spice Girls, Dixie Chicks,  Salt ‘N Pepa,

B*Witched, Destiny’s Child, Atomic Kitten, and on we go.

Certianly the two circa- 1980’s favourites were the Go-Go’s and the Bangles:

The energy and enthusiasm of these groups is contagious.

If you start digging, you will find that there are many, many more. Other Girl Groups I like and are worth check out include: Shonen Knife, and The Donnas.

Older stuff worth checking out in the hey-day of the genre include - The Angels, The Paris Sisters, The Murmades, The Exciters, The McGuire Sisters, Ruby and the Romantics, and Rosie and the Originals. Also excellent is Shelly Fabres (although technically not a girl-group). *Caution* Younger people will consider these lame for sure! I mean they don’t even play this stuff as muzak in elevators anymore!)

(There is an excellent series called “Early Girls” that is 5 volumes in total -  a bit pricy but quite comprehensive)

So what's it going to be:“Bangles” or “Go-Go’s?