Belinda Carlisle

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Belinda Carlisle
Carlisle on her 1996 single "In Too Deep" cover
Carlisle on her 1996 single "In Too Deep" cover
Background information
Birth name Belinda Jo Carlisle
Also known as Belinda
Born August 17, 1958 (age 48)
Origin Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Genre(s) Pop
Occupation(s) Singer
Model
Actor
Instrument(s) Voice
Years active 1978–present
Label(s) I.R.S. Records (1978-1986)MCA Records*(1987-1992) Virgin Records (1993) Chrysalis Records (1996-1999)
Ark21 (1997) Rykodisc (2006-present)
  • Carlisle was on the MCA label from 1987 to 1992 in the United States, then went to Virgin in 1993 and Ark21 in 1997. In Europe, she was on the EMI labels Virgin and Chrysalis from 1987 to 1999.
Associated
acts		 The Go-Go's

    Belinda Carlisle, born Belinda Jo Carlisle (also known as Belinda Kurczeski); on August 17, 1958 in Hollywood, California, is the lead vocalist and a founding member of the all-female rock & roll band The Go-Go's and also a successful solo artist.

    Contents

    [edit] Early career and The Go-Go's

    Carlisle's first venture into music was a brief stint as drummer for the punk band The Germs, under the name Dottie Danger although illness prevented her from ever performing with them live. Soon after leaving this band she founded The Go-Go's (originally named The Misfits) with friend and fellow music novice Jane Wiedlin. With bassist-turned-guitarist Charlotte Caffey, guitarist-turned-bassist Kathy Valentine, and drummer Gina Schock, the Go-Go's became one of the most successful American bands of the early 80's, ushering in the "new wave" era of American radio and becoming the first all-female band in rock history to achieve a #1 album,who also wrote their own music and played their own instruments. The Go-Go's recorded two more studio albums yielding numerous Top 40 hits,but neither repeated the success of their platinum debut.

    [edit] Solo career

    [edit] Belinda

    Carlisle left the Go-Go's in 1985 to embark on a solo career. Her first solo album, Belinda, was released on I.R.S. Records in 1986. Her #3 summer hit "Mad About You" was followed by the Motown-influenced single "I Feel The Magic." Although this second solo single did not repeat the success "Mad About You", it brought her a series of Agree shampoo commercials and ads, the first of numerous lucrative endorsement deals.

    During this time, Carlisle also had songs featured on movie soundtracks, notably "In My Wildest Dreams," the opener in the movie "Mannequin," as well as "Dancing in the City" from the Whoopie Goldberg movie "Burglar."

    In 1986 Carlisle married Morgan Mason, son of the British actor James Mason. Morgan made appearances in Carlisle's videos "Mad About You" and "Heaven Is a Place on Earth".

    [edit] Heaven on Earth

    Carlisle underwent yet another metamorphosis for her second solo album, trading her California Girl blonde bob for long auburn hair for 1987's Heaven on Earth, (released in the United States through MCA and in the United Kingdom through Virgin). The musical style eschewed the 60's-influenced pop of Belinda's first album for slickly-produced 80's power-pop. Some dismissed the new album as being confection, albeit a stylistically focused and successful one. The new sonic style was due to producer Rick Nowels, who had previously worked with Stevie Nicks and who would later collaborate with Madonna.

    The first release from Heaven on Earth was "Heaven Is a Place on Earth", an international smash, topping the pop charts not only in the U.S. but also in the UK and around the globe. The dance mix of the song also topped the dance chart. It was Carlisle's first #1 hit as a solo artist. The radio-ready song was further propelled by a video directed by American actress and friend Diane Keaton. The second release from Heaven on Earth was the #2 smash ballad "I Get Weak," written by Diane Warren and accompanied by another memorable Keaton-directed video. The third single and video from the album was "Circle in the Sand," a Top 10 hit with a throwback, Shangri-La's inspired sound. "World Without You" was another European hit, followed by 1988's "Love Never Dies" in the UK. In the U.S., the fourth single "I Feel Free," a cover of the Cream classic, missed the Top 40 but was a popular dance track.

    [edit] Runaway Horses

    Carlisle's follow-up to the mega-success of Heaven on Earth was Runaway Horses of October 23rd 1989. Imagery of mythic centaurs and green earth ,accompanied by a sensual photo by famous photographer Herb Ritts, replaced the previous album's celestial globes and sky cover and the album hit #4 in the UK and #37 in the US. The first release, "Leave a Light On", missed the Top 10 in the U.S., peaking at #11, but in the UK it hit the Top 5 reaching at #4. The song features a slide guitar solo by George Harrison (see Greatest Hits). The second US single, "Summer Rain", missed the Top 20 (#30) in Spring 1990, but spent time in the Top 75 and sold satisfactorily. A dance mix was again a success for Carlisle. The song peaked at #6 in Australia where it has maintained popularity, and the tune saw a cover version in 2004 by the Australian group Slinkee Minx. "Summer Rain" and "La Luna" were hits in Europe too, but minor hits in the UK peaking at numbers #23 and #38 respectively in 1990. Carlisle had better success in the UK in autumn later that year when she went to #6 with the remixed "(We Want) The Same Thing."

    In the late fall of 1990, the Go-Go's reunited for a tour to support their greatest-hits album "Go Go's Greatest",including a new recording of the song Cool jerk.. A notable feature of the tour was an anti-fur campaign, where the bandmembers supported People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an animal rights organization. Later in the year, Carlisle duetted with The Smithereens lead singer Pat Dinizio on his group's well-regarded ballad "Blue Period."

    [edit] Live Your Life Be Free

    In 1991, Carlisle released her fourth solo album, Live Your Life Be Free. The album marked somewhat of a return to 60's-influenced music for Carlisle. The single "Do You Feel Like I Feel?" was accompanied by a tongue-in-cheek video inspired by the B-movie "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman." The title track "Live Your Life Be Free" merged 60's influences with producer Rick Nowel's trademark bombast, and featured a video that emphasized colorful imagery, fashion, and Carlisle's photogenic face. Subsequent releases, "Half the World" and "Little Black Book" were also hits outside the U.S. Although the album did not sell as well as her three previous releases in U.S., it did have some success in Europe as well as featuring 2 songs co-penned by Carlisle herself.

    Belinda's and Morgan's son, James Duke Mason, (named for Morgan's father James Mason and Duke Kurczeski (Belinda's stepfather)), was born April 27, immediately prior to the 1992 Los Angeles riots. A few months afterwards, she released greatest hits albums in the U.S., Australia, and the UK; the British compilation topped the UK album charts.

    [edit] Real

    Carlisle's fifth solo album, Real, was released 1993 on the Virgin label in the U.S. and in Europe. Produced without Nowels, the disc was a departure from Carlisle's polished pop music formula. Gone was her glamorous image and picture-perfect pop. Even the album's cover photograph featured her with very little make-up. Carlisle co-produced and co-wrote much of the disc, collaborating heavily with friend and former Go-Go's member Charlotte Caffey. The album reached #9 in the UK and its first single "It's Too Real (Big Scary Animal)" reached a respectable #12 placing in the UK, but failed to dent the U.S. charts. The second single from Real was "Lay Down Your Arms," which made the Top 30 in the UK, but did not fare well in other territories, hence it was noticeably absent from Carlisle's second greatest-hits album. Although the album was not a huge commercial success, fans and critics that prefer her work with the Go-Go's regard it as her best and most introspective work to date.

    At this time, Carlisle also recorded "One by One" on the soundtrack of the 1993 movie "The Harvest".

    After the Northridge Earthquake in 1994, Carlisle and her family moved to Europe, settling in the South of France. The Go-Go's reunited again later that year to support the retrospective double-CD "Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's" which included three new songs, however the band broke up after the promotional tour. Carlisle has since lived in France and England.

    [edit] A Woman and a Man

    Carlisle returned to the recording studio and resumed working again with Rick Nowels. In 1996, she released in the UK and Australia her sixth solo album, A Woman and a Man, on the Chrysalis Records label. This album, comprised mostly of relaxed adult pop, revitalized her solo career in Europe and included several hits. The leadoff single "In Too Deep" returned Carlisle to the UK Top 10 for the first time in six years, reaching #6."Always Breaking My Heart", written and produced by Roxette's Per Gessle, peaked at #8. The album spawned two more UK hits, "Love in the Key of C" and "California"; the latter a bittersweet reflection on why the singer left her home in the Golden State. Another track of the album never released as a single was "He goes on" written by Crowded House's Neil Finn. The album reached at number #7 in the UK. As a result of A Woman and A Man's UK success, the album was released in the U.S. during the summer of 1997 on the Ark21 label. Despite the promotional appearances Carlisle made on American television and radio, the album did not enjoy the same level of success in the U.S. as it did in the UK.

    In 1997, Carlisle also recorded the song "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" from Disney's Hercules as part of that movie's standard distribution in Europe. The single was only released in France and Germany.

    Performing on 'Hit Me Baby One More Time
    Enlarge
    Performing on 'Hit Me Baby One More Time

    [edit] Greatest Hits

    In 1999, Carlisle released another greatest hits album in the UK, this time a double-disc on the Virgin label. Carlisle recorded three new tracks for the album, including the single "All God's Children", and the tracks "A Prayer for Everyone" and "Feels Like I've Known You Forever". The second disc of her "A Place on Earth" greatest hits album contained remixes of her hits. Some of the remixes were done by William Orbit who also worked with Madonna on her 1998 "Ray of Light" album.

    During her solo career, Carlisle has had the opportunity to work with numerous prominent musicians from the 1960s. Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas did backup singing for Heaven on Earth; Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys arranged and sang back-up on "California" from A Woman and A Man. She performed live with her idols the Beach Boys, and duetted with Freda Payne when Carlisle covered Payne's classic hit "Band of Gold." As mentioned above, ex-Beatle George Harrison contributed guitar work to the single "Leave a Light On", as well as the song "Deep Deep Ocean", both tracks found on the Runaway Horses album.

    She also worked with noted musicians of her own generation, such as Duran Duran's Andy Taylor on her debut solo album Belinda (Taylor appears in her "Mad About You" video clip); Thomas Dolby played the keyboards in some Heaven on Earth tracks; and Bryan Adams did backup vocals in "Whatever It Takes" from the Runaway Horses album.

    [edit] Personal life

    Belinda is married to actor/producer Morgan Mason, and together they have a son, James Duke Mason. [1]

    [edit] Playboy pictorial

    In August 2001, Carlisle posed nude for the men's magazine Playboy. The then-42-year-old told ABC: "You don't have to be age 20 and size 0 with fake boobs to be sexually viable or viable as a woman." Some speculate she posed to promote the newly reformed Go-Go's 2001 album God Bless the Go-Go's but Carlisle asserts that the photo shoot was just a good opportunity to celebrate her pin-up girl curves and make a statement.

    [edit] Later career

    Since their late 90's reconciliation and 2001 reunion, the Go-Go's have continued playing and touring together almost every summer. In recent years Belinda has continued making singing and non-singing television appearances. She has been a frequent guest on music-related programs and she appeared on a celebrity edition of ABC's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" In 2004 she appeared on the ITV1 reality show Hell's Kitchen as one of ten celebrity chefs competing against one another. She has also appeared on the ITV1 reality show 'Hit Me Baby One More Time', where she sang a cover of Coldplay's hit, 'The Scientist' as well as her own 'Heaven Is a Place on Earth'.

    [edit] 2006-2007

    Carlisle continues her string of TV appearances in 2006, having signed to appear on the Simon Cowell-produced Celebrity Duets, a FOX network reality competition pairing celebrities not famous for singing (like Lucy Lawless and Cheech Marin) with actual singers like Carlisle, Michael Bolton, Jon Secada and Macy Gray. Carlisle sang "Heaven is a Place on Earth" and "I Get Weak" with Lea Thompson in the September 7th episode.

    Carlisle is set to return in 2007, with the release of her 7th album Voila!, her first solo studio work in ten years. The album is produced by John Reynolds and is a mix of French chanson and modern pop songs. Voila! is expected to be released in February, 2007 via Rykodisc.

    [edit] Albums

    Main article: Belinda Carlisle discography

    [edit] Singles

    • "Mad About You" (1986) #3 US, #25 A/C US, #9 AUS, #67 UK (1988 re-release)
    • "I Feel The Magic" (1986) #82 US
    • "Band of Gold" (1986)
    • "Since You've Gone" (1986) promo-only
    • "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (1987) #1 US, #7 A/C US, #1 UK (Silver), #2 AUS
    • "I Get Weak" (1988) #2 US, #9 A/C US, #10 UK, #34 AUS
    • "Circle in the Sand" (1988) #7 US, #5 A/C US, #4 UK
    • "I Feel Free" (1988) #88 US
    • "World Without You" (1988) #34 UK
    • "Love Never Dies" (1988) #54 UK
    • "Leave A Light On" (1989) #11 US, #8 A/C US, #4 UK (Silver), #5 AUS
    • "La Luna" (1989) #38 UK, #21 AUS
    • "Runaway Horses" (1990) #40 UK, #44 AUS
    • "Vision of You" (1990) #41 UK
    • "Summer Rain" (1990) #30 US, #29 A/C US, #23 UK, #6 AUS
    • "(We Want) the Same Thing" (1990) #6 UK
    • "Live Your Life Be Free" (1991) #12 UK, #13 AUS
    • "Do You Feel Like I Feel?" (1991) #73 US, #29 UK, #42 AUS
    • "Half The World" (1992) #35 UK
    • "Little Black Book" (1992) #28 UK
    • "It's Too Real (Big Scary Animal)" (1993) #12 UK, #56 AUS
    • "Lay Down Your Arms" (1993) #27 UK
    • "In Too Deep" (1996) #6 UK, #11 AUS
    • "Always Breaking My Heart" (1996) #8 UK, #50 AUS
    • "Love In The Key Of C" (1996) #20 UK
    • "California" (1997) #31 UK
    • "I Won't Say (I'm In Love)" (1997)
    • "All God's Children" (1999) #66 UK
    • "A Prayer for Everyone" (2000) promo-only

    [edit] External links

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