The
Culture Club were formed in 1981 and their name refers to their varied
backgrounds: a cross-dressing Irish singer (Boy George, born George Alan
O'Dowd) on lead vocals, a black-Briton (Mikey Craig) on bass guitar, a Jewish
drummer (Jon Moss) and an ethnic Englishman (Roy Hay) on guitars and keyboards.
George was the founder and public face of the group. A gay man who was never
actually in, but still his coming out came in doses and was completed in the
90s. Mikey was the first one to join him in the formation of Culture Club. Roy
was the one who later helped George give up heroin. As for Jon, he and George
were secret lovers.
It
seems that this love affair was the heart of the group: when everything went
well it gave them the energy to shine, when they had their troubles it gave
George inspiration for his lyrics and when they broke up it was more or less
the end of the group.
Their
first hit single, Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, was written this way: George
responding to his feelings for Jon. It paid off: #1 in Germany, Ireland, the
UK, Canada, France, Australia, Austria, Sweden and Switzerland, #2 in the US,
Italy, Denmark, Norway and New Zealand.
The
follow up, Time (Clock Of The Heart), possibly my favorite Culture Club song, was also a huge worldwide hit,
going Top 5 in all major markets.
Their
next single, I'll Tumble 4 Ya was only released in North America, making #9 in
the US and Canada. That made Culture Club the first group after the Beatles to
have 3 Top 10 hits in the US from their debut album (Kissing To Be Clever).
Church
Of The Poison Mind was the lead single from their 2nd - and most successful
album - Colour By Numbers. There was a pleasant R&B vibe about it, a tip of
the hat to Motown of the 60s. It too was a big international success.
Their
next single, however, was to be their biggest: Karma Chameleon was released
late 1983 and its subject, according to Boy George "is about the terrible
fear of alienation that people have, the fear of standing up for one thing.
It's about trying to suck up to everybody. Basically, if you aren't true, if
you don't act like you feel, then you get Karma-justice, that's nature's way of
paying you back."
The
song was their only #1 in the US, spending 3 weeks at the top. In the UK it
spent 6 weeks at #1 and became the biggest-selling single of the year 1983. It
also made #1 in Ireland, Spain, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium,
Sweden, Norway, Finland, New Zealand, South Africa and Switzerland. It made #2
in Germany, #3 in Austria, #4 in Italy and #5 in France. The song eventually
sold over five million copies around the world.
The
follow up, a lushly produced, beautiful ballad called Victims, was also
inspired by the ups and downs of George's and Jon's relationship. It was only
released in certain European countries and Australia and was a big hit, even
though it failed to get to #1.
The next single followed a similar pattern, in that it
was only released in the Americas, Australia and Japan. Miss Me Blind was their
biggest R&B hit (#5 in Billboard's Soul chart) and also #5 in the Hot 100.
I was also a big club hit.
It's A Miracle was the last single from Colour By Numbers (a
sizeable hit) and The War Song was the lead song off their next album, Waking Up with the
House on Fire. Although both the song and the album went to #2 in the UK,
neither the song nor the album were on par with the group's earlier work. The
best thing about the song were Clare Torry's backing vocals. She was the singer
who created magic in the song The Great Gig In The Sky from a slightly obscure
album called Dark Side Of The Moon. Listen to The War Song and judge for
yourselves:
The album failed to produce any more sizeable hits and
2 years later, in 1986, their fourth album, From Luxury To Heartache, hit the
stores. Although it did produce one hit, Move Away, the album was their
lowest-selling yet. Amidst decreasing popularity, George's drug use and the
final chapter of the G&J love affair, the group decided to call it quits.
Here's Move Away, which was actually good:
The group briefly reunited in 1998 and had a UK Top 5
hit with I Just Wanna Be Loved, but the album they released went nowhere fast.
The reunion didn't last long. Here's I Just Wanna Be Loved:
Boy George tried having a solo career, which was
hindered by his drug use and the legal issues he had to frequently deal with.
His albums didn't set the world on fire, but he had some quite interesting
singles.
Everything I Own was the song that David Gates wrote to
express his feelings over the passing of his father. (Personal note: I listened
to the original version of the song dozens of times after the untimely passing
of my own father). It appeared in Bread's 1972 album Baby I'm-a Want You. 2
years later, Ken Boothe recorded a reggae cover of the song, which went to #1 in
the UK. In 1987, Boy George recorded his own version and it too went to #1 in
the UK, as well as in Ireland and Norway. (#2 in Italy and Belgium, #4 in
Germany and the Netherlands).
A year later he recorded No Clause 28 which was a minor
hit. It is remarkable though, because it's one of the few times that George
took a strong stand in gay politics: Clause 28 was voted by Thatcher's
government and stated that a local authority "shall not intentionally
promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting
homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of
the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".
George's voice was one of many who tried to protest. Still, the Clause remained
for 15 years, until it was repealed in 2003. Here's the song:
Finally, in 1992, George sang the theme song to the
superb film and certified gay classic, The Crying Game. The song peaked at a
respectable #15 in the US, #16 in Italy and #22 in the UK.
George has also been a very successful DJ in clubs
around the world. Last year he was in the panel of judges for The Voice UK.
