“Our Lips Are Sealed” was a song co-written by Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s and lead singer Terry Hall of The Specials and Fun Boy Three. According to Wiedlin, the song was about an affair that she and Hall had in 1980 when The Go-Go’s opened for The Specials despite Hall being in another relationship at that time.
The Go-Go’s released their version of it in 1981 as their first single off their debut album. Fun Boy Three, a band formed by Hall, Neville Staple,and Lynval Golding (all former lead singers of The Specials) released their own version in 1983. This version is darker but more sophisticated than the Go-Go’s version. While I loved the Go-Go’s version when it came out, I personally that this version below has aged much better with time.
Interesting piece of trivia: the drummer providing backing vocals was June Miles-Kingston. Her music career started when moved into a squatting residence with ex-Slits guitarist Kate Korris and the Clash’s Joe Strummer. She bought a used drum kit from Sex Pistol Paul Cook and formed the Mo-Dettes with Korris. After the Mo-dettes broke up she contributed vocals and/or drumming to Big Country, The Communards, and others. So the connections with the punk, post-punk, and new wave musical scenes are widespread.
