Bananarama: 3 girls (now 2) from London who formed a dance pop band in 1981, got a leg up from the Fun Boy Three, and featured on The Karate Kid soundtrack. They supposedly hold the record for the all-female group with the most chart entries worldwide.
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The Bangles: 3 girls (later 4, now 3) from LA who formed a pop rock band in 1981, got a leg up from Cyndi Lauper and Prince, and featured on The Goonies soundtrack. They were only the third all-female group to score multiple number-one hits in the US.
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The Go-Go's: 4 girls (later 5) from LA who formed a pop punk band in 1978, wrote their own songs, played their own instruments, and did their own drugs. Their debut, Beauty and the Beat, sat at number one for six weeks, becoming the second best selling LP in 1982.


Round 1:
All three acts lead with their best song. Bananarama hits first with 1983's "Cruel Summer". The Bangles counter with 1986's "Manic Monday". The Go-Go's follow with 1981's "Our Lips Are Sealed".

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Round 2:
Bananarama ditches the overalls for bare midriffs and pleather in 1986's "Venus". The Bangles follow up with a hit as big as their hair in 1986's "Walk Like an Egyptian". And The Go-Go's with 1982's "Vacation", in which they were thoroughly soused.

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Round 3:
Bananarama abandons subtlety and goes for broke with 1986's "More Than Physical" (which really isn't), while The Bangles strip down for the 1989 ballad "Eternal Flame", and The Go-Go's prove their talent with 1984's perfect confection, "Head Over Heels".

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Extra Innings
• Bananarama started out featuring on the Fun Boy Three's "It Ain't What You Do", there's also the underrated "Cheers Then", and the smooth "Robert De Niro's Waiting".
• The Bangles have "Going Down to Liverpool", with a video that features Leonard Nimoy(!), a hit cover of "Hazy Shade of Winter", and the teenboy teaser "In Your Room".
• The Go-Go's "We Got the Beat" can't be forgotten, although "Turn to You" and "This Town" are also worth a listen.

Splinters
• Sarah Dallin and Keren Woodward are still going strong as Bananarama, but Siobhan Fahey left to create Shakespears Sister, a less mainstream project that nevertheless delivered the number one hit "Stay".
• Believe it or not, Susanna Hoffs formed the band Ming Tea with Matthew Sweet and SNL's Mike Myers. It would later evolve into the movie Austin Powers. She's also done solo work, and cover albums with Matthew Sweet.
• Jane Wiedlin did some solo work, but Belinda Carlisle trumps with "Mad About You" and "Heaven Is a Place on Earth".