Belinda Carlisle

The former Go-Go’s frontwoman and pop icon returns with a French album and a global perspective

By Pamela Grossman
Published: February 8th, 2007 | 11:27am

Watch a video for one of the Go-Go’s various top singles and you’ll see just how strong their musical influence has been. Before them, “girl groups,” backed by male sensibilities, were marketed to men and to the women who wanted to please them. The Go-Go’s, on the other hand, seemed just fine on their girly own.

Sure, men drifted through their songs — and, the lyrics made clear, men sometimes broke their hearts, but it was nothing their music, and the band’s apparent closeness, couldn’t get them through. They played their own instruments and wrote their own songs, and with Beauty and the Beat, they were the first all-female group to score a number-one album while doing so. And they did it with good humor (the mud face-mask cover shot for the 1981 album is classic), terrific style, and a warmth that made fans feel like part of the tribe.

In this age where Paris Hilton is considered news (complete, of course, with her own album in summer 2006), it’s great to know that Go-Go’s lead vocalist Belinda Carlisle has a new solo release — her first in 10 years. The album itself is great too — an homage to French chansons and traditional European pop.

There’s one twist: It’s in French (with a limited-edition disc of four album tracks in English). But then, this makes sense: Carlisle has been living in France with her family for more than a decade. And a potential language barrier doesn’t dull the sensuality and pure emotion the record brings — or the fact that these songs benefit from their lush French phrasings. The quirky humor, though, is still in evidence: “The only definite idea I had was that I wanted to sing with an accordion,” Carlisle says. “Other than that, we just played around with things and had a blast.”

And how has this seemingly all-American girl adjusted to life as a European woman? “I don’t think I see myself coming back here,” she says by phone while on a press trip through her home turf of southern California. “I’m not precious about where I come from, or my roots. I feel more global than American now. I do miss how easy things are in the States — just getting things done. In France, lots of times, places close in the middle of the day. But then that’s a great thing, too, because it represents the French pace — life there is about living.”

And what about the challenges of being identified as an American in Europe today? “I’ve confronted anti-Americanism in Europe,” Carlisle says. “But people who are more traveled realize that what governments do, unfortunately, is not always a reflection of what the people are calling for.”

Her California roots still surface now and then in her work — as they did when she recorded with Beach Boy legend Brian Wilson on her 1996 solo album, A Woman and a Man. “The Beach Boys have always played a big role in my psyche,” she says. “I remember going to Malibu all the time. It was an amazing time and place to be a teenager.” Her emotions overflowed a bit during her sessions with Wilson. “Working in the studio with Brian made me cry,” she says. “He was so brilliant.”

Carlisle collaborated with another one of her heroes, George Harrison, on her 1989 solo album, Runaway Horses. “He was my favorite Beatle — he was the cutest!” she jokes. “And I love his solo career, when he was freer to express his spirituality.”

Who’s on her current musical radar? “I don’t listen to the radio that much, to be honest,” she says. “I buy a lot of Indian and French music. But I have been listening to OutKast and Green Day, and I love them.” And does she see her own influence in today’s music scene? “I like Gwen Stefani’s spirit, and it kind of reminds me of what the Go-Go’s were about. And I guess I see us, also, in Christina Aguilera. I don’t know if I see us in Beyoncé or not, but she’s pretty wonderful.” Surely Carlisle’s son, now a teenager, must be flooding the house with all kinds of music? “Not so much,” she says with a laugh. “He’s into politics!"

An American-dream beginning, a rich and varied solo career, a European family life, international status as a pop icon, and now a textured and romantic album in French — with an accordion. How does it all look through Carlisle’s eyes? Her modesty and generosity are remarkable. “I’m not the best singer, but I’m solid,” she says. “And I’ve been lucky to work with incredible people. But I don’t feel like I’m anything really special. Sometimes I have to pinch myself that this has all happened, and is happening. I’m amazed — and grateful.”

Pamela Grossman is a Brooklyn-based writer (The Village Voice, Ms., etc.) and a pop-music fanatic. She still can't believe Belinda Carlisle called her on her cell.