God Bless the Go-Go's is the fourth and final studio album by American rock band the Go-Go's, released on May 15, 2001 by Beyond Music. It was the band's first studio album after a lengthy hiatus, and was released 17 years after their previous album Talk Show (1984).
While many of the band's earlier hits had been written within the band, the Go-Go's worked with other artists for God Bless the Go-Go's; songwriters that contributed to the album included Billie Joe Armstrong, Jill Sobule and Susanna Hoffs, among other musicians.
Release
God Bless the Go-Go's was released on May 15, 2001 by the Beyond Music label.[1] The album peaked at number 57 on the US Billboard 200.[2] "Unforgiven" served as the album's lead single,[1] and was released to radio on March 19, 2001,[3] followed by a second single, "Apology", on July 23, 2001.[4]
For the album's 20th anniversary, God Bless the Go-Go's was reissued on May 14, 2021 by Eagle Records. The original album was released on vinyl for the first time, while a deluxe edition, featuring two bonus tracks and new cover art, was released on CD and digitally.[5]
God Bless the Go-Go's received a score of 68 out of 100 from Metacritic based on generally favorable reviews from critics.[6]Los Angeles Times critic Marc Weingarten found that "for a band that has been dormant for so long, the musical pieces all fit together surprisingly snugly",[11] while in Billboard, Michael Paoletta praised the album as a "deliriously buoyant" record of "unadulterated adult-made pop".[17] "Sharply written, energetically performed, and slickly produced," judged Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club, "it actually sounds like the album Go-Go's fans have waited 17 years to hear."[18]
Rolling Stone reviewer Arion Berger commented, "The album doesn't attempt to update the band's sound with hip-hop moves or electronic frippery, for which God should bless 'em, indeed. The girls' hold on the current pop world remains so strong that Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong co-writes a song ('Unforgiven') in impeccable Go-Go's drag."[14]AllMusic's Peter Fawthrop was more ambivalent, writing that "the group took the familiar route with tracks that sound every bit as Go-Go's as their previous records. Every bit as Go-Go's, that is, as their non-hits and less remarkable material. While the Go-Go's sound is intact, there is not a 'We Got the Beat' or a 'Head over Heels' to be found. It is feasible that in this age of pop rebirth, the Go-Go's decided it was now or never."[7]
