Go
by Moby

Album: Moby (1992)
Charted: 10
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Moby's breakthrough hit, "Go" started out as a minimal techno track and originally appeared on the B-side to his debut single, "Mobility," in 1990. The following year, he released a reworked version that borrowed string samples from Angelo Badalamenti's "Laura Palmer's Theme" from Moby's favorite TV show, Twin Peaks.

    Titled the "Woodtick Mix," the new version became a fast favorite on the dance floor. It peaked at #1 on the UK Dance Singles chart and #18 on the US Dance Club Songs chart. The techno hit also crossed over to the pop chart in the UK, where it peaked at #10.
  • The title "Woodtick Mix" is also a nod to Twin Peaks, referencing episode 7 of the mystery series when special agent Dale Cooper gets shot while chasing a wood tick.
  • This features a couple other prominent samples: The "go!" shout is taken from the 1984 club hit "Go!" by the English punk-rock band Tone on Tail, while the "yeah" vocal was lifted from soul singer Jocelyn Brown's 1985 dance single "Love's Gonna Get You."
  • In his 2017 memoir, Porcelain, Moby explained how the mix came together:

    "I turned on my Yamaha SY22 keyboard and found a string sound I liked. I played the three notes in 'Laura Palmer's Theme" and it almost sounded like Angelo Badalamenti's recording. I cued up the tribal remix of 'Go' I'd been working on and played 'Laura Palmer's Theme' on top of it. And it worked. The chords were long and languorous, but they worked with the skittish bass line and the looping drums.

    It was missing something: Badalamenti's low, droning piano. I added the low piano part with my Oberheim piano module, and the remix suddenly came together. Now it needed arrangement. I'd start the remix with the Twin Peaks strings and piano. Then add a kick drum. Then bring in the percussion and drums. Then the strings went out and the weird digital synth swoop came in. And it was basically done."

    For the finishing touches, he took a cue from the British rave scene of the '80s, which relied on the "big, bouncy disco pianos" of Italian house records: "I went to the middle of the remix and muted the strings and improvised a bunch of percussive E-minor seventh piano chords."

    And just like that, the "Woodtick Mix" was born.
  • Moby didn't have much confidence in the track, to the point that he thought he was getting pity spins from DJs. He told Q magazine in 2001: "When it was released, my dream was for it to sell 4,000 copies. It did a couple of million, including compilations. And I really thought that when DJs played 'Go', it was because they were taking pity on me for making such a mediocre song. I guess it's a good thing I'm not a record company executive, huh?"
  • Fourteen different mixes of the track were compiled for a bonus disc in Moby's 1996 collection, Rare: The Collected B-Sides 1989-1993. Yet another mix appeared on I Like To Score the following year. For his 2006 compilation, Go - The Very Best Of Moby, he included a mix by the Danish electronic music composer Trentemoller.
  • The trippy music video features Moby trapped in a world of surreal neon images, including floating orbs and disembodied faces. In December 2020, Moby shared the clip on Twitter alongside this tweet: "I'm still amazed that for a budget of $1500 we got something so phenomenal from the director, Ondrej Rudavsky. Also I'm amazed that at one point in my life I had hair."

    Rudavsky also helmed animated videos for Los Lobos ("Kiko And The Lavender Moon ") and Dead Can Dance ("The Carnival Is Over").
  • This was used in 24 Hour Party People, a 2002 biographical film about the rise of the Manchester-based Factory Records in England. It was also used in the 1992 film Cool World along with another track from the album, "Ah Ah."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

The Punk Photography of Chris Stein

The Punk Photography of Chris SteinSong Writing

Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys

Mike Scott of The WaterboysSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Whole Of The Moon" and "Red Army Blues," and why rock music has "outlived its era of innovation."

Don Brewer of Grand Funk

Don Brewer of Grand FunkSongwriter Interviews

The drummer and one of the primary songwriters in Grand Funk talks rock stardom and Todd Rundgren.

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Graham Parker

Graham ParkerSongwriter Interviews

When Judd Apatow needed under-appreciated rockers for his Knocked Up sequel, he immediately thought of Parker, who just happened to be getting his band The Rumour back together.

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?