Our Lips Are Sealed
"Our Lips Are Sealed" is a song co-written by Jane Wiedlin, guitarist of the Go-Go's, and Terry Hall, singer of the Specials and Fun Boy Three. It was first recorded by the Go-Go's as the opening track on their album "Beauty and the Beat" (1981) and was their debut American single in June 1981. The single eventually reached the top 5 in Australia and Canada, and the top 20 in the United States. Although originally written and performed with three verses, an abbreviated version of the song appears on "Beauty and  the Beat". Although most of the song's lead vocals are performed by usual lead singer Belinda Carlisle, co-writer Wiedlin sings the bridge. In 1983, Hall's band, Fun Boy Three, released their version of "Our Lips Are Sealed". Issued as a single, the track became a top ten hit in the United Kingdom and remains the best known version of the song in that country. The recording by the Go-Go's, while a bigger hit elsewhere, only made No. 47 in the UK. In 2000, "Rolling Stone" named "Our Lips Are Sealed" one of the 100 Greatest  Pop Songs of all time. Origins. The Go-Go's supported the Specials on the latter's 1980 'Seaside' tour of England. According to Jane Wiedlin, she and Terry Hall had a brief affair despite the fact he was in a relationship with another woman at the time. After Wiedlin returned to the United States, Hall mailed her some lyrics, and this led to their co-writing the song. The Go-Go's version is significantly more upbeat than Fun Boy Three's, which Wiedlin describes as "great" but also "gloomier". Music video. The official music video for the song  features sequences of the band members in carefree tableaux (riding around LA in a 1960 Buick convertible, stopping at a lingerie shop, and splashing around in a fountain) interspersed with footage of the band playing at a club. Jane Wiedlin says the band was initially unenthusiastic when Miles Copeland, president of their label, I.R.S. Records, told them they would be doing the video. "We were totally bratty", she recalls. The video was financed with unused funds from the Police's video budget. The group wanted an older-style convertible, and found a red 1960 Buick LeSabre at Rent-a-Wreck . After riding around Beverly Hills, at some point, they stop at the famous Trashy Lingerie store located at La Cienega Blvd. The girls go into the shop, but Jane Wiedlin remains in the car to sing the bridge of the song (although Carlisle can be seen in the driver's seat trying to hide). The day of shooting was very hot so it was the band's idea to end the video by jumping into the fountain on the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica. Wiedlin later said "I thought, at any minute the cops are gonna come. This  is gonna be so cool." Wiedlin looks back on the video experience fondly. "I have horrible '80s poodle hair in it", she recalled in a 2011 history of MTV. "But there's a simplicity and innocence to the video that appeals to me." In the sequence where Belinda can be seen trying to hide into the car at the lingerie shop, she later admitted this was deliberate, as she thought the whole idea of this music video was ridiculous and unlikely to catch on. The Music Video Received Heavy Airplay On MTV. Chart performance. The original version peaked at  number 20 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, and 15 on the "Billboard" Top Rock Tracks chart. On the dance chart, the song peaked at number 10. A song of unusual longevity as a hit, it remained on the "Billboard" charts until March 1982, long after its peak, ultimately charting for 30 weeks. Fun Boy Three version. The following year, co-writer Terry Hall re-recorded the song with his own band, Fun Boy Three. It was included on their second album "Waiting" and reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart, and was the last single to chart in  the UK before their split later in 1983. Backing vocals were provided by Mo-dettes drummer June Miles-Kingston, who also played drums on the single and the "Waiting" LP. Hilary and Haylie Duff version. Sisters Hilary and Haylie Duff covered the song for the soundtrack of the 2004 film "A Cinderella Story", in which Hilary starred. The cover, which was released on June 5, 2004, was produced by Charlie Midnight and Spider. 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". As of July 27, 2014, the song had sold 161,000 copies in the United States. It was released in Australia on August 30, 2004. It was released on June 3 and received medium airplay on MuchMusic in Canada and MTV in the U.S. Though the video was popular on the MTV video chart show "Total Request Live", the single failed to chart on the US Hot 100. In Australia it reached number eight. The single's music video was directed by Chris Applebaum and filmed in Toronto, Canada, in May 2004. 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 interspersed with footage from "A Cinderella Story". A second version of the video, which had new scenes and is not interspersed with scenes from "A Cinderella Story", was included on the "Dignity" deluxe edition DVD. The song was included on Duff's compilation album, "Most Wanted" (2005) and the Japanese and Australian editions of Hilary Duff's second compilation album "Best of Hilary Duff".