The verb Go comes from the Old English gan “to advance, walk; depart, go away; happen, take place; conquer; observe, practice, exercise,” from West Germanic *gaian (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian gan, Middle Dutch gaen, Dutch gaan, Old High German gan, German gehen), from PIE root *ghē- “to release, let go; be released” but there does not seem to be general agreement on a list of cognates. Whereas its use as a noun dates from 1727, “action of going,” to start a race, etc. Meaning “an incident, an occurrence, affair, piece of business” is from 1796. Meaning “power of going, dash, vigor” is from 1825, colloquial, originally of horses. The sense of “an attempt, a try or turn at doing something” (as in give it a go, have a go at) is from 1825 (earlier it meant “a delivery of the ball in skittles,” 1773). Meaning “something that goes, a success” is from 1876. Phrase on the go “in constant motion” is from 1843. Phrase from the word go “from the beginning” is by 1834. The go “what is in fashion” is from 1793. No go “of no use” is from 1825.
“No Particular Place to Go” is a song by Chuck Berry, released as a single by Chess Records in May 1964 and released on the album St. Louis to Liverpool in November 1964. “No Particular Place to Go” was recorded on March 25, 1964 in Chicago] and features the same music as Berry’s earlier hit “School Days”. The song is a comical four verse story. In the first verse the narrator is cruising in his car with his girlfriend, and they kiss. In the second they start to cuddle, and drive slow. In the third they decide to park and take a walk, but are unable to release the seat belt. In the last verse they drive home, defeated by said recalcitrant seat belt.
“Baby, Please Don’t Go” is a traditional blues song that was popularized by Big Joe Williams in 1935. Many cover versions followed, leading to its description as “one of the most played, arranged, and rearranged pieces in blues history” by French music historian Gérard Herzhaft. In the 1960s, “Baby, Please Don’t Go” became a popular song after the Northern Irish group Them recorded it in 1964. Jimmy Page, a studio guitarist at the time, participated in the recording session, possibly on rhythm guitar. Subsequently, Them’s uptempo rock arrangement also made it a rock standard. AC/DC and Areosmith are among the rock groups who have recorded the song. “Baby, Please Don’t Go” has been inducted into both the Blues and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame.
“Go Now” is a song composed by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett. It was first recorded in January 1964 by Bessie Banks. “Go Now!” (adding an exclamation mark) was made popular internationally later in 1964 when a group from Birmingham named The Moody Blues recorded it, with Denny Laine on guitar and lead vocals. When Laine first heard Bessie Banks’s version, he immediately told the rest of the band that they needed to record the song. The song reached No. 1 in the UK in late January 1965. In the US, “Go Now!” did not enter the Billboard until mid-February 1965; it peaked at No. 10.
“If You Go Away” is an adaptation of the 1959 Jaques Brel song “Ne Me Quitte Pas” with English lyrics by Rod McKuen. Created as part of a larger project to translate Brel’s work, “If You Go Away” is considered a pop standard and has been recorded by many artists, including Greta Keller, for whom some say McKuen wrote the lyrics. Damita Jo reached #10 on the Adult Contemporary and #68 on the Billboard in 1966 for her version of the song. The complex melody is partly derivative of classical music: the “But if you stay…” passage comes from Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6.
“Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?” is a song by the British singer-songwriter Peter Sarstedt. Its recording was produced by Ray Singer at Lansdowne Recording Studios and released in 1969. The music has been described as “a faux European waltz tune,” and the arrangement is a very simple one of strummed acoustic guitar and bass guitar, with brief bursts of accordion at the start and the end. The arranger and conductor was Ian Green. It was a number one in the UK for four weeks in 1969, and was awarded the 1970 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. In the United States, the record reached No. 61 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles. The single also peaked at No. 70 on the Billboard that May.
“Go Your Own Way” is a song by Fleetwood Mac from their eleventh album Rumours (1977). The song was released as the album’s first single in December 1976 on both sides of the Atlantic. Written and sung by Lindsey Buckingham, it became the band’s first top-ten hit in the United States. “Go Your Own Way” has been well received by music critics and was ranked number 120 by Rolling Stone magazine on their list of 500 greatest songs of all time.
“Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” is a song by the duo Wham!, first released as a single in the UK on 14 May 1984. It became their first UK and US number one hit. It was written and produced by George Michael. The single was certified Platinum in the US, which at the time commemorated sales of over two million copies. The music video features Michael and Ridgeley wearing oversized T-shirts (“CHOOSE LIFE”) created by Katherine Hamnett, starting a craze. The song was ranked number 28 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s.
“Go” is the first single from The Chemical Brothers album Born in the Echoes. The single was announced in April 2015 on Facebook and released in May. The song features uncredited vocals from Q-Tip. The official music video was posted on the band’s YouTube page in May 2015. It was directed by Michel Gondry. In the video, seven women wearing vintage sci-fi outfits march through the Brutalist architecture of the Front de Seine district in Paris.
