"Go West" | ||||||||
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Single by Village People | ||||||||
from the album Go West | ||||||||
B-side | "Citizens of the World" | |||||||
Released | June 1979 | |||||||
Format | 7", 12" | |||||||
Recorded | 1978 | |||||||
Genre | Disco | |||||||
Length | 4:10 | |||||||
Label | Casablanca | |||||||
Writer(s) | Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo, Victor Willis | |||||||
Producer(s) | Morali | |||||||
Village People singles chronology | ||||||||
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"Go West" | ||||
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Single by Pet Shop Boys | ||||
from the album Very | ||||
B-side | "Shameless" | |||
Released | 6 September 1993 | |||
Format | 7", 12", cassette, CD | |||
Recorded | 1992–1993 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:03 8:21 (album version) |
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Label | Parlophone / EMI | |||
Writer(s) | Morali, Belolo, Willis, Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe | |||
Producer(s) | Pet Shop Boys, Brothers in Rhythm | |||
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology | ||||
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"Go West" is a song by the American disco group Village People. It was an instant hit in the disco scene during the late 1970s. The song found further success when it was covered in 1993 by British synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys. Original Village People lead singer Victor Willis, Henri Belolo and Jacques Morali are credited as the song's writers, although Willis disputes Belolo's involvement.
Originally released as a single in 1979, it was not as popular as the group's other contemporary singles such as "Y.M.C.A." and "In the Navy". The song's title is attributed to the nineteenth century quote "Go West, young man" commonly attributed to Horace Greeley, a rallying cry for the colonization of the American West. Though Victor Willis denies writing the song with a gay theme in mind (the lyrics imply a more traditional, monogamous if not explicitly heterosexual romantic relationship between the singer and his lover), "Go West" is generally understood as an expression of the 1970s sentiment of San Francisco as a utopia for the Gay Liberation movement.
Both the 7" and 12" versions of the song were subsequently collected in various greatest hits collections, including a 1997 radio remix which was made in the wake of the success of Pet Shop Boys' 1993 version.
On May 7, 2012, publishers Can't Stop Productions and Scorpio Music, failed in their attempt to prevent "Go West" and other Village People hits written by Victor Willis from reverting to Willis as scheduled starting in 2013. In a historic ruling, Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California ruled that Willis can in fact terminate his copyrights granted to the publishers because "a joint author who separately transfers his copyright interest may unilaterally terminate the grant." In response to the ruling, Willis stated "I am just looking forward to having control of it,"Go West" So as it currently stands, in 2013 at a minimum, Victor Willis per the court order will own (recapture) 33% of "Go West" and other Village People hits. However, his percentage of ownership may increase to 50% if the songs were only written by Victor Willis and Jacques Morali, not Henri Belolo. In fact, Brian Caplan, Willis' lawyer stated that he is confident they will prove at trial that Henri Belolo didn’t write any of the lyrics to "Go West" Judge Moskowitz has granted the publishers Can't Stop Productions and Scorpio Music, 30 days to amend their complaint to argue why Willis should not be allowed to provide evidence that Henri Belolo was not one of the writers of "Go West" and other Village People hits.