I remember when I met you
All the stars were hanging in mid-air
In these moments nothing mattered
But the way you caught me in your stare
- 'La Luna'

Mention Belinda Carlisle to most people, and chances are they will mumble something about heaven being a place on Earth, and then contribute little else to the conversation. While she is still best known for 'Heaven is a Place on Earth' - which reached number one in the UK, USA and South Africa, among other countries - she was part of the music business long before and, as of 2005, is still touring.

She was born Belinda¹ Jo Carlisle in Hollywood, California, in 1958, into what she describes as a lower-middle-class family. She was the oldest of seven children, two of whom shared the same father; he left when Belinda was five years old. Belinda's mother, Joanne, later remarried Duke Kurczeski, with whom Belinda's relationship was far from ideal; their constant fighting drove Joanne to the brink of a nervous breakdown.

Throughout her school years, Belinda struggled with a weight problem, making her the subject of bullying and forcing her to become something of a tomboy. This had the unexpected outcome of her becoming the first girl in California to play on a boys' basketball team. The tomboy phase didn't last too long, however, and by the time she graduated from high school she had made the cheerleading team.

After graduation, she decided that she could no longer stand to live with her stepfather, and so she left home and immersed herself in the burgeoning Los Angeles punk music scene.

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

I know that there are rules for this
And I plan to break every one of them
And if I go too far tonight
Baby you can be my alibi
- 'I Plead Insanity'

Belinda's first experience of being in a band came in 1977 when she was recruited to play the drums for The Germs, under the name Dottie Danger. A bout of glandular fever forced to her to return home for a few months to recover, by which time The Germs had got themselves a new drummer and a recording contract.

The following year, Belinda and her friends Jane Wiedlin and Margo Olivarria decided that it was time they started their own band. Margo chose the bass, and Jane took on guitar duties. Belinda, deciding that drumming wasn't for her, became the vocalist, and they recruited a fourth member, Elissa Bello, to play the drums. The resulting band - The Misfits - rehearsed, and later debuted, at the Masque club in Los Angeles. Shortly afterwards, the girls recruited a second guitarist, Charlotte Caffey, and replaced Elissa Bello with Gina Schock, becoming the Go-Gos in the process.

The Go-Gos first action was to record a five-song demo tape, which led to the band Madness inviting them to open for them during their stay in Los Angeles, and shortly afterwards to join them on a UK tour. Finally, in 1981, the Go-Gos signed a record deal and released their first album, Beauty and the Beat, which was certified double-platinum and made them the first ever all-girl band to reach the top of the US album chart. The album also provided the girls with a chart-topping single: 'Our Lips Are Sealed'².

After two more albums - Vacation (1982) and Talk Show (1984) - and four years of chart success, the Go-Gos finally³ split up in 1985, with Belinda heading straight into rehab.

Heaven and Other Places

In this world we're just beginning
To understand the miracle of living
Baby I was afraid before
I'm not afraid anymore
- 'Heaven is a Place on Earth'

After emerging from rehab in 1986, a healthier, thinner, more glamorous Belinda decided to try her luck as a solo artiste. Part of her inspiration for this was her new husband, Morgan Mason, son of the actor James Mason and former advisor to President Reagan, with whom she had been set up on a blind date.

Her first solo album, the imaginatively-titled Belinda, was released in 1986 to mixed reviews. The first single from the album, 'Mad About You', did, however, reach number three in the US charts, and Belinda's solo career was off and running.

With a change of record company, Belinda released her second solo album, Heaven on Earth (1987). The first single from the album was a little ditty entitled 'Heaven is a Place on Earth', which went straight to number one across the globe and made Belinda one of the biggest pop stars of the year. It was followed up with 'I Get Weak' and 'Circle in the Sand', both top ten hits.

Belinda's third album - Runaway Horses (1989) - saw a shift in her fanbase from the USA to Europe, Australia and Japan. The album failed to make the top 40 in the USA, despite reaching double platinum sales in the UK and Australia, and featuring George Harrison on guitar. Similarly, none of the singles were major hits in the USA, while 'Leave a Light On', 'Summer Rain' and '(We Want) The Same Thing' all reached the top ten elsewhere.

1990 saw a brief reunion for the Go-Gos, with a short tour to promote their greatest hits album, followed by another break-up. A year later, Belinda released Live Your Life Be Free, proving with the title track that she was still top 20 material, in the UK at least. She decided not to tour in the USA - leaving the album to languish outside the top 100 - largely because she had recently discovered that she was pregnant. She did, however, return to Los Angeles for the birth of her son in April 1991, around the time of the Rodney King riots. The baby boy was named James Duke Mason, Belinda having finally reconciled her differences with her stepfather, Duke.

Still Go-Go-ing Strong

It took a lot for me to say
I wanna walk away, LA
From the sharks and the chardonnay
- 'California'

With her next album - Real - Belinda decided to try a slightly more basic, rock-oriented sound, in contrast to the cheery pop-music nature of her earlier albums. Critically well received, and harking back to the Go-Gos days, both Real and the single 'It's Too Real (Big Scary Animal)' reached the UK top 20.

Another greatest hits fling with the Go-Gos - Return to the Valley of the Go-Gos (1994) - was followed by a short tour or two and the inevitable break-up. 1994 was also the year when Belinda finally decided to leave Los Angeles. Prompted by the North Ridge earthquake, she moved with her family to the south of France.

Belinda's mixed feelings about her birthplace eventually spawned the song 'California', which became one of the tracks on A Woman and a Man (1996), her sixth solo album. Backing vocals on 'California' were provided by ex-Beach Boy, Brian Wilson. She was also joined on the album by Per Gessle, front-man of Swedish rock group Roxette, who contributed the songs 'Love Doesn't Live Here' and the hit single 'Always Breaking My Heart'.

In the years that followed, Belinda's solo work consisted mainly of a greatest hits album, released in 1999. In the year 2000, however, there was another Go-Gos reunion - but this time with a difference. This time, the reunion was accompanied by a new album: God Bless the Go-Gos. The cover featured each member of the band representing a virtuous characteristic. Belinda was 'chastity'. The album received good reviews, if little commercial success, and its release was followed by a sell-out tour of the USA in 2001 - 2002. Considerable publicity for the tour was generated when Belinda appeared as Miss August 2001 in Playboy magazine. At the grand old age of 43, this makes her one of the oldest women to appear naked in that distinguished publication.

In the early 21st Century, Belinda has continued to work hard, touring as a solo artiste in the USA, and also in the UK as part of the 'Here and Now' 1980s tribute shows, with acts such as Adam Ant, Spandau Ballet, The Human League and Bucks Fizz. She is also touring with the Go-Gos who, at the time of writing, have failed to split up and are still touring in the USA. On 11 August, 2011, the Go-Gos were awarded the 2,444th star on Hollywood's 'Walk of Fame'.

Today, Belinda lives in the UK, where she has thrown herself wholeheartedly into British life by appearing in a reality television show. She was one of ten 'celebrities' who appeared in the first series of Hell's Kitchen, in which the contestants were shouted at, sworn at and generally abused by notorious chef Gordon Ramsay while trying to prepare food, and were voted out of the show by the viewers. Sadly (or not) Belinda was the first contestant to be voted out, allowing her to get back to what she does best, infectious, feel-good pop music sung with an incredible voice.