Vacation (The Go-Go's album)

Vacation
Five women water-skiing in formation, wearing pink swimsuits and white tutus
Studio album by
the Go-Go's
ReleasedJuly 20, 1982 (1982-07-20)
RecordedMarch–May 1982
Studio
Genre
Length35:41
LabelI.R.S.
ProducerRichard Gottehrer
The Go-Go's chronology
Beauty and the Beat
(1981) 		Vacation
(1982) 		Talk Show
(1984)
Singles from Vacation
  1. "Vacation" / "Beatnik Beach"
    Released: June 1982
  2. "Get Up and Go" / "Speeding"
    Released: September 1982
  3. "This Old Feeling" / "It's Everything but Partytime"
    Released: December 1982 (US only)

Vacation is the second studio album by American rock band the Go-Go's, released on July 20, 1982, by I.R.S. Records.[2] The album reached number eight on the Billboard 200,[3] and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[4]

Despite the album's success, the recording period was hampered by several issues. Most of the band's lineup was struggling with drug addiction and they were starting to argue more over creative differences. There was also growing discord between songwriter and lead guitarist Charlotte Caffey, lead singer Belinda Carlisle, and guitarist Jane Wiedlin, who had begun to take more of an interest in songwriting. These problems continued to escalate and would eventually result in the band's dissolution following the disappointing sales of their third album, Talk Show.

Release

Vacation was released on July 20, 1982 by I.R.S. Records,[2] peaking at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States.[3] The title track served as the album's lead single and reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.[5] Notably, it was also issued as the first cassette single released in the US.[6][7] In addition to the title track, two more singles were pulled from the album at the time: "Get Up and Go" and "This Old Feeling", the former of which peaked at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100.[5] The song "Speeding", which is not included on the album, is a Caffey/Wiedlin composition used as B-side of the single for "Get Up and Go".

In 2016, Edsel Records reissued remastered deluxe editions, all with bonus tracks, of the first three Go-Go's albums.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Record Collector[10]
Record Mirror[11]
Rolling Stone[12]
The Village VoiceB−[13]

Rolling Stone critic Ken Tucker praised Vacation as a significant musical progression for the Go-Go's, observing "a fresh curiosity about the world and a treasure trove of precise details", as well as "first-rate songwriting that offers Carlisle a wide range of emotions and characters." He highlighted "This Old Feeling" as "a perfect pop song ... Rarely has the woozy pleasure of a good daydream been rendered more movingly in rock music."[12] In a more critical review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau noted "the uniform thinness of the non-Kathy Valentine songs".[13]

Cash Box called "Get Up and Go" a "rousing pop/rocker", saying that "the rhythm is as peppy as the title would indicate."[14] Billboard called it a "spirited pop/rock anthem" that is "invigorating" despite not being as "seamless" or having as much "mass appeal" as the preceding hit single "Vacation".[15] Detroit Free Press critic Gary Graff called it a "beach party pop tune."[16]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Vacation"
  • Valentine
  • Caffey
2:57
2."He's So Strange"Wiedlin
2:55
3."Girl of 100 Lists"WiedlinWiedlin2:16
4."We Don't Get Along"ValentineValentine2:42
5."I Think It's Me"
Caffey2:40
6."It's Everything but Partytime"Wiedlin
3:18
Side two
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
7."Get Up and Go"
  • Wiedlin
  • Caffey
Caffey3:15
8."This Old Feeling"WiedlinCaffey3:04
9."Cool Jerk" (The Capitols cover)Donald StorballStorball2:52
10."The Way You Dance"
  • Wiedlin
  • Valentine
Caffey2:54
11."Beatnik Beach"
  • Caffey
  • Carlisle
Caffey2:50
12."Worlds Away"
  • Wiedlin
  • Valentine
  • Wiedlin
  • Valentine
3:58

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[17]

The Go-Go's

Additional musicians

Technical

Artwork

Charts

Chart performance for Vacation
Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[18] 71
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[19] 24
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[20] 44
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 24
UK Albums (OCC)[22] 75
US Billboard 200[3] 8

Certifications

Certifications for Vacation
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[4] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ^ Mixed at the Record Plant (New York City) and Indigo Ranch (Malibu, California)
  2. ^ Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

References

  1. ^ Clemente, John (2013). Girl Groups: Fabulous Females Who Rocked the World. AuthorHouse. p. 233. ISBN 978-1-4772-8128-4.
  2. ^ a b Plen, Michael (June 4, 1982). "Record Action" (PDF). FMQB Album Report. p. 30. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Go-Go's Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 22, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "American album certifications – Go Go s – Vacation". Recording Industry Association of America. October 4, 1982. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Go-Go's Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  6. ^ "Retail Test for Go-Go's 'Cassingle'". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 25. June 26, 1982. p. 4. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  7. ^ Sutherland, Sam (July 10, 1982). "IRS Continuing 'Cassingle' Ploy". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 27. p. 9. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  8. ^ Sinclair, Paul (February 22, 2016). "All systems Go-Go's for deluxe reissues". Super Deluxe Edition. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  9. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Vacation – The Go-Go's". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  10. ^ Elliott, Mark (June 2016). "Beauty And The Beat, Vacation, Talk Show | The Go-Go's". Record Collector. No. 454. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  11. ^ Cooper, Mark (August 7, 1982). "No Go Go" (PDF). Record Mirror. p. 22. ISSN 0144-5804. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  12. ^ a b Tucker, Ken (September 2, 1982). "The Go-Go's: Vacation". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 14, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  13. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (October 5, 1982). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  14. ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. 44, no. 18. September 25, 1982. p. 8. ISSN 0008-7289. Retrieved July 7, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  15. ^ "Billboard's Top Single Picks". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 39. October 2, 1982. p. 63. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  16. ^ Graff, Gary (September 10, 1982). "The little sisters grow up". Detroit Free Press. p. 4C. Retrieved February 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Vacation (liner notes). The Go-Go's. I.R.S. Records. 1982. SP 70031.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  19. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6520". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  20. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Go-Go's – Vacation" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  21. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Go-Go's – Vacation". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  22. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
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