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Pop icon Belinda Carlisle achieved major American success twice in the 1980s: first with the all-female rock band The Go-Go's, and later as a solo artist on an international scale, fulfilling a long-held ambition. The Go-Go's debut album, 1981's "Beauty and the Beat," spent six weeks at number one, making them the only all-female band (where all members play their own instruments) to ever top the album charts. In 1982, they released "Vacation," which debuted in the top 10—one of the first albums to do so—peaking at number 8 and eventually selling over one million copies, though it was only certified gold by their record label.
Tensions arose within the band, particularly between Jane Wiedlin and Belinda, as Jane felt the spotlight was overly focused on Belinda. Meanwhile, members Gina Schock and Charlotte Caffey faced health issues, and all members struggled with drug addiction. The band also faced ongoing royalty payment problems with their record label. In 1984, they released "Talk Show" and embarked on one of the summer's biggest tours, yet the album was seen as a commercial disappointment. The band disbanded in spring 1985.
In 1986, Belinda launched her solo career with the album "Belinda." Drug-free, married, happy, and healthy, she enjoyed significant solo success through 1989 with "Heaven On Earth" (1987) and "Runaway Horses" (1989). However, with the rise of grunge in the early 1990s, her 1991 album "Live Your Life Be Free" struggled, with its lead single peaking at #83 on the Billboard Hot 100. By 1993, her solo album "Real" also underperformed, leading MCA Records to drop her in 1994. MCA's lack of promotion was a factor, as most of her work sold largely on its own, a fate similar to that of Olivia Newton-John a decade earlier.
Despite waning American success, Belinda remained a major star in Europe, rivaling Madonna's popularity and regularly selling out stadiums in the UK, where she is deeply appreciated. Today, Belinda records occasionally both as a solo artist and with The Go-Go's, viewing herself as a part-timer who prioritizes her home life over the high pressures of the entertainment industry. She appeared in the 1984 Goldie Hawn film "Swing Shift" and, in 2001, demonstrated that a 43-year-old woman without plastic surgery and not a size 0 can still be sexually appealing by posing nude for Playboy.
