#463: Tones On Tail-GO! (Top 500 Modern Rock Songs Of All Time)

#463

(Top Modern Rock Songs Of All Time)

Song: "GO!"

Artist: Tones On Tail

Release Date: 1984

From the Album: Tones On Tail (1985)

Quick Take: Ironic that one of the defining moments of early-'80s new wave dance should have been an obscure B-side barely released outside of the U.K. first time around, but such are the ways of sleeper hits and future legends. "Go!" became a massive hit in New York clubs and elsewhere, its giddy main shout sampled by Moby for his own breakthrough single of that name, covered by Brainiac, and more. The song itself deserves all the attention it got, kicking off with one of the peppiest distortion bass lines ever recorded. Brisk handclaps and a quirky percussion loop lead into Daniel Ash's merrily gooned-up chant of "Ya ya ya ya ya ya!," and while occasional sudden halts let the title word sneak in around the side, there's not much more to it. But the whole thing is just such bizarro fun that it doesn't need much more anyway, with Ash coming up with some odd little slogans here and there and otherwise just letting everything established take control. Great touch at the end -- studio chatter audibly saying "Right, let's do the ya-yas now!" 
Courtsey: Ned Raggett (allmusic.com)