Welcome to what I hope will become a regular feature here on the Analog Kid blog. We’ll take two (or perhaps even more) versions of the same song and attempt to decide, once and for all, WHO WORE IT BEST?
TODAY’S SONG: “Our Lips Are Sealed”
“Our Lips Are Sealed” is a fascinating song for WHO WORE IT BEST, as both famous versions can claim to be definitive. The song was co-written by Jane Wiedlin and Terry Hall, and each one recorded the song with their own band. The Go-Go’s version certainly received more airplay than Fun Boy Three’s, and it also had the advantage of coming out first. But is it the better version of “Our Lips Are Sealed?” Did Belinda & Charlotte & Kathy & Jane & Gina truly wear it best?
Let’s compare…
The Go-Go’s: “Our Lips Are Sealed” (Hall/Wiedlin)
From the album Beauty And The Beat
I.R.S. Records, 1981
A pure slice of pop perfection, with perhaps the best bridge I’ve ever heard (made even better by the Who-like trick of having Wiedlin herself take over the vocal):
Hush my darling, don’t you cry/Quiet angel, forget their lies
“Our Lips Are Sealed” was the lead single from Beauty And The Beat, the Go-Go’s debut album. It topped out at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100, but the album spent six weeks at #1 and made the Go-Go’s into overnight stars.
The Fun Boy Three: “Our Lips Are Sealed” [Single Version] (Hall/Wiedlin)
From the 7″ single Our Lips Are Sealed
Original version from the album Waiting
Chrysalis Records, 1983
Our Lips Are Sealed [Single Version]
David Byrne produced this melancholy version of “Our Lips Are Sealed,” and it just might be the perfect song for a rainy Sunday morning. In contrast to the peppy Go-Go’s version, the Fun Boy Three’s take sounds downright gloomy. Terry Hall’s vocal expresses a sense of longing completely absent from the Go-Go’s version, and transforms the song into something completely new. If the long-standing rumors of a failed relationhship between Hall and Wiedlin are true, it’s not hard to figure out whose heart was broken when the (supposed) fling ended.
The Fun Boy Three’s version didn’t chart in the United States, but it did go to #7 in the UK.
THE VERDICT: This is a tough one, because both versions are so different and yet so perfect in their own way. But in the end, I have to go with the Go-Go’s. Remember the video, with the band riding around Los Angeles in a convertible? Every time I hear “Our Lips Are Sealed,” I feel like I’m in the back seat. The Go-Go’s definitely wore it best.
Which version do you like better? Am I right, or am I crazy insane? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
The Analog Kid 
I think you nailed it with comment about Wiedlin’s verse. That gives me chills. That and the harmonies that follow in the next verse. I may like the Fun Boy Three version every so slightly better until that point, but it never achieves the highs that the Go-Go’s manage. I know I’ll lose my hipster card for choosing the more popular version, but I’m voting for the Go-Go’s.
I dunno, Mr. Kid — I think I have to deduct points from Fun Boy Three solely on the grounds that their version makes it more clear that the song is not actually about a seal named Alex. If theirs were the only version, whither all the people who belt out the ballad of Alex whenever the Go-Go’s are mentioned?
Wow!! I never even KNEW of the other one Gary. VERY cool 🙂 A bit Shoe Gazey but… still good 🙂
There’s a Hillary Duff version too, but I’m not a masochist.
The Go Gos because Gina Schock rocked!
Gina was– is– a great drummer!
The matter won’t be settled until we hear from Jacques the Monkey.
I vote Fun Boy Three because their version was the one I heard first. On Top of the Pops. In England. And because of their association with Banarama. Different song, I know, but it’s all mixed together in my 8-year-old’s memory.
Fun Boy Three version. Not even close. Today, it is still a great song to listen to while the GoGo version is fun just not a masterpiece.