“Our Lips Are Sealed” is a 1981 new wave pop-rock anthem by The Go-Go’s, serving as the opening track on their debut album Beauty and the Beat and their first major US hit. The song was co-written by guitarist Jane Wiedlin and Terry Hall, lead singer of the ska band The Specials and later Fun Boy Three. Its creation was inspired by a secret romantic affair between Wiedlin and Hall during The Go-Go’s 1980 tour support for The Specials in the UK; Hall mailed Wiedlin lyrics describing their forbidden relationship, which she then set to music.
The single was released in June 1981 and became a landmark success, reaching number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topping charts in Australia and Canada. It was one of the first music videos to gain heavy rotation on the newly launched MTV, helping to break the all-female band nationally despite initial skepticism from the group regarding the video’s low budget. The track is noted for its upbeat, chugging guitar riff and lyrics that advocate for silence and discretion in the face of gossip and jealousy.
In 1983, Fun Boy Three released their own version of the song on the album Waiting*, which reached number 7 on the UK singles chart; this rendition is often described as more “gloomier” than The Go-Go’s energetic original. The song’s legacy was further cemented when Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff covered it in 2004 for the film A Cinderella Story. In 2000, Rolling Stone named it one of the 100 Greatest Pop Songs of all time, recognizing its impact on the new wave genre and female representation in rock music.
[Verse 1]
Can you hear them?
They talk about us
Telling lies
Well, that’s no surprise
Can you see them?
See right through them
They have no shield
No secrets to reveal
[Chorus]
Doesn’t matter what they say
In the jealous games people play
Our lips are sealed
[Verse 2]
There’s a weapon
That we must use
In our defense
Silence
When you look at them
Look right through them
That’s when they’ll disappear
That’s when we’ll be feared
[Chorus]
Doesn’t matter what they say
In the jealous games people play
Our lips are sealed
Pay no mind to what they say
Doesn’t matter anyway
Our lips are sealed
Hush, my darlin’
Don’t you cry
Quiet, angel
Forget their lies
[Verse 3]
Can you hear them?
They talk about us
Telling lies
Well, that’s no surprise
Can you see them? (See them)
See right through them (Through them)
They have no shield
No secrets to reveal
[Chorus]
Doesn’t matter what they say
In the jealous games people play
Our lips are sealed
Pay no mind to what they say
Doesn’t matter anyway
Our lips are sealed
Our lips are sealed
Our lips are sealed
