Our Lips Are Sealed

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“Our Lips Are Sealed”
“Our Lips Are Sealed” cover
Single by Go-Go's
from the album Beauty and the Beat
Released 1982
Format 7"
Recorded 1980
Genre New Wave, punk-pop
Length 2:44
Label IRS
Writer(s) Jane Wiedlin, Terry Hall
Go-Go's singles chronology
- "Our Lips Are Sealed"
(1982)
"We Got the Beat"
(1982)
“Our Lips Are Sealed”
“Our Lips Are Sealed” cover
Single by Fun Boy Three
from the album Waiting
Released 1983
Format 7", CD single
Recorded 1982-1983
Genre New Wave
Label Chrysalis
Producer David Byrne
Fun Boy Three singles chronology
"Tunnel of Love"
(1980)
"Our Lips Are Sealed"
(1983)
"The Farm Yard Connection"
(1983)
“Our Lips Are Sealed”
“Our Lips Are Sealed” cover
Single by Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff
from the album A Cinderella Story: Original Soundtrack
Released June 1, 2004 (U.S.)
Format CD single
Recorded 2004
Genre Pop
Length 2:40
Label Hollywood
Producer John Shanks
Hilary Duff singles chronology
"Come Clean"
(2004)
"Our Lips Are Sealed"
(2004)
"Little Voice"
(2004)

"Our Lips Are Sealed" is a song written by Go-Go's guitarist Jane Wiedlin and Specials and Fun Boy Three singer Terry Hall. It was first recorded by the Go-Go's as the lead-off song on their 1981 album Beauty and the Beat (see 1981 in music) and served as their debut American single. In the year 2000, Rolling Stone named it one of the 100 Greatest Pop Songs of all time.

Contents

[edit] Go-Go's and Fun Boy Three versions

Although originally written and performed with three verses, it is an abbreviated version of the song which appears on Beauty and the Beat. This version of the song was released as a single in early 1982 (see 1982 in music) and peaked at number twenty on Billboard's Billboard Pop Singles chart, and fifteen on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart. A song of unusual longevity, it remained on the Billboard charts for most of 1982, long after its peak. The accompanying video was an early favorite of the fledgling MTV channel, and helped establish the Go-Go's energetic persona.

The following year, co-writer Terry Hall re-recorded the song with his own band, Fun Boy Three; where it was a major hit, reaching no. 7 on the UK Singles Chart. This is the most famous version of the song outside of the US.

[edit] Music video

The music video for the original Go-Go's version features sequences of the band members in carefree tableaux (riding around in a convertible, stopping at a lingerie shop and splashing around in a city fountain) interspersed with footage of the band playing a club booking.

[edit] Wild Orchid cover

American girl group Wild Orchid covered the song for their second album, Oxygen.

American pop music singer Hilary Duff covered "Our Lips Are Sealed" for the soundtrack to the 2004 film A Cinderella Story, in which she stars (see A Cinderella Story: Original Soundtrack). The cover, recorded as a duet with Duff's sister Haylie and produced by John Shanks, was released as a single in the United States in June 2004 (see 2004 in music). The Duff sisters said in an interview that they had wanted to record together, and Hilary chose "Our Lips Are Sealed" because the "secretive" theme of the song relates to the film A Cinderella Story.[1]

The single's music video was directed by Chris Applebaum and filmed in Toronto, Canada in May 2004.[1] It was released in June 2004 and received medium airplay on MuchMusic in Canada and MTV in the U.S. Similar to the video for the Go-Go's single, it depicts the Duff sisters driving around town in a car and goofing about, and is intercut with clips from A Cinderella Story. Though the video was popular on the MTV video chart show Total Request Live, the single itself was less successful than the original Go-Go's song in the U.S., failing to chart on the Hot 100. In Australia it reached number eight. The song was later included on Duff's compilation album, Most Wanted (2005).

[edit] Track listing

Single

  1. "Our Lips Our Sealed" [Album Version]
  2. "Our Lips Our Sealed" [Music video]
  3. Cinderella Story Trailer

[edit] Legacy

The popular Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, which is known for having named each episode after a 1980s hit song, named a two-part episode after this song.

[edit] Charts

Chart (1982) 1 Peak
position
UK Singles Chart 47
U.S. Billboard Club Play Singles 10
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock 15
U.S. Billboard Pop Singles 20
Chart (1983) 2 Peak
position
UK Singles Chart 7
Chart (2004) 3 Peak
position
Canadian Singles Chart 7
Mexican Top 100 Singles Chart[2] 6
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 8
  • 1 Go-Go's.
  • 2 Fun Boy Three.
  • 3 Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff.

[edit] References