One of the newest peeks behind the curtain comes in the form of the Showtime documentary The Go-Go’s. The film, directed by Alison Ellwood, shows the meteoric rise to fame of the legendary ’80s all-female band and their eventual dissolution, all the way to the present, in which they’re making new music together for the first time in almost two decades.
The Go-Go’s joins a pantheon of a what is considered as something of a golden age of music documentaries. And now, even more are spotlighting the women that have made up the music industry but whose stories have often gone untold — or rather, not told on their own terms. From Madonna to Taylor Swift to Beyoncé, ahead are some of the best music documentaries about women.
Also known abroad as In Bed with Madonna, this film, directed by Alek Keshishian in black and white, follows the life of pop icon Madonna during her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour, which some countries’ authorities deemed “indecent.”
Directed by Asif Kapadia, this film pieces together testimonials and archival footage to chronicle the life of successful British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, as well as her battle with substance abuse that eventually led to her untimely death.
The Morgan Neville-helmed documentary details the experiences of backup singers and stars Darlene Love, Judith Hill, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Táta Vega, Jo Lawry, and more. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2014.
The Punk Singer, directed by Sini Anderson, focuses on the life of the Bikini Kill and Le Tigre frontwoman, Kathleen Hanna. Hanna was a feminist punk rocker who became the face of of the riot grrrl movement of the 1990s.
This Oscar-nominated doc about pianist, singer, and civil rights icon Nina Simone was directed by Liz Garbus. It follows the “High Priestess of Soul” as she struggled to contend with both fame and the civil unrest unfolding around her in 1960s America, and eventually left her family and career to move to Liberia.
This concert film is of singer Aretha Franklin performing gospel songs at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, for her 1972 live album, Amazing Grace. The film was directed by Sydney Pollack back in 1972 and later realised by producer Alan Elliott.
Written, directed and executive produced by Queen Bey herself, this concert film showcases singer Beyoncé’s performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2018.
The documentary film directed by Lana Wilson chronicles the highs and lows of pop singer Taylor Swift’s life over the course of several years and through the making of two albums, 2017’s Reputation and 2019′ Lover. The film is made up of a mosaic of interviews, home videos and studio footage, as well as concert recordings.
Alison Ellwood’s The Go-Go’s details the trajectory of the most successful all-female rock/new wave band The Go-Go’s. They were the first all-female group to write their own songs, play their own instruments, and score No.1 hits on the Billboard charts.
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Don’t Worry, The Go-Go’s Still Got The Beat