Can't Stop The World by The Go-Go's

Album: Beauty And The Beat (1981)

License This Song

lyrics

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

Go-Go's bass player Kathy Valentine wrote this song in 1978 when she moved from Texas to Los Angeles to pursue music. She was living in a ramshackle apartment with dim prospects when she took out the guitar and came up with the song, which is about not giving up. It was the first song she ever wrote.

Valentine ended up in a band called The Textones, but the chemistry wasn't right, so she quit the band. In December 1980, the Go-Go's enlisted her to play bass at a run of shows at the Whiskey A Go Go in Hollywood as a fill-in for their original bassist, Margot Olavarria, who was dealing with health problems. After the run, she joined the band full time.

The group got a record deal with Miles Copeland's IRS Records and worked on their first album with producer Richard Gottehrer. The band had plenty of songs written from before Valentine got there, but Gottehrer wanted them to include one that wasn't in their set, perhaps a cover song. Valentine presented "Can't Stop The World," and it made the album, giving her a songwriting credit on the set. That album, Beauty And The Beat, ended up going to #1 in America, making the Go-Go's the first all-girl band to top the albums chart.

Comments: 1

Moosehead from ScWhen my wife and I were dating, we listened to this album every morning before school.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

WaterfallsTLC

Cee-Lo Green sang backup on the 1994 TLC hit "Waterfalls."

Midnight RiderThe Allman Brothers Band

A roadie for the Allman Brothers came up with the line "The road goes on forever" for "Midnight Rider," and got a songwriting credit for his contribution.

Falling SlowlyGlen Hansard & Marketa Irglova

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova starred in the movie Once, which featured their song "Falling Slowly." Bob Dylan liked the song and movie so much he gave them an opening slot on his tour.

Go Away Little GirlDonny Osmond

Originally a chart-topper for Steve Lawrence in 1962, "Go Away Little Girl" became the first song of the rock era to hit #1 for two different artists when Donny Osmond's cover version also reached the summit in 1971.

Crocodile RockElton John

Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" borrows a bit from Don McLean's "American Pie." Both songs feature a Chevy, and are about young people who are heartbroken when their music "dies."

Blowin' In The WindBob Dylan

Thanks to a Newsweek article, there was a long-standing rumor that Bob Dylan stole the song "Blowin' In The Wind."

Editor's Picks

John ParrSongwriter Interviews

John tells the "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" story and explains why he disappeared for so long.

Supertramp founder Roger HodgsonSongwriter Interviews

Roger tells the stories behind some of his biggest hits, including "Give a Little Bit," "Take the Long Way Home" and "The Logical Song."

Amanda PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Call us crazy, but we like it when an artist comes around who doesn't mesh with the status quo.

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.