4 November 2022, 10:45
Boy George became an international superstar in the early 1980s thanks to his unique style and amazing voice.
He and his group Culture Club are still touring today, and we've picked his very best songs of all time to start your Boy George playlist.
Voulez-Vous
Boy George 'Voulez-Vous' - Culture Club / Abbamania
Boy George made a comeback of sorts in the late 1990s with an appearance on an ABBA tribute show on ITV.
He recorded a one-off version of this ABBA classic for the ABBAMania TV show and album, and we think it's a hidden gem!
Video Games
Boy George - Video Games (Directed by Mike Nicholls)
A breakout hit for Lana Del Rey in 2011, Boy George released this gorgeous cover version on YouTube a year later.
He later included it as a bonus track on his next album the following year, his first album of new material in 18 years.
It's a Miracle
Culture Club - It's A Miracle (Official Video)
Taken from Culture Club's Colour by Numbers album, this gave the group a sixth UK top 5 single, and it reached top 20 in the US.
Originally titled 'It's America', the video sees the band playing around on a large board with various Monopoly spaces around the edges.
Church of the Poisoned Mind
Culture Club - Church Of The Poison Mind (Official Video)
This was the lead single from Culture Club's most successful album Colour by Numbers in 1983.
It was kept off the top spot in the UK by David Bowie's 'Let's Dance'. A year later, n an interview with Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan when asked if he belonged to any church, and he joked that he adhered to the "Church of the Poison Mind".
Miss Me Blind
Culture Club - Miss Me Blind (Official Video)
A top five hit in the States, this track was never released as a single in the UK.
Like with many Culture Club hits, the song's lyrics refer to the love-gone-sour relationship of Boy George and drummer Jon Moss.
Bonus fact: it features Jermaine Stewart on backing vocals.
Time (Clock of the Heart)
Culture Club - Time (Clock Of The Heart)
This was another top 3 hit in both the UK and US for Culture Club, released in 1982.
Guitarist Roy Hay explained how the song came about: "Me and Mikey [Craig, bass player] were getting some music together, and George was getting excited and putting lyrics to it.
"At first, it was horrible, really bland. Then Mikey had this idea to use a staggered beat. I said, 'Yeah, let's do it with the Moog.' So we did that, got the great snare sound and it came together."
Everything I Own
Boy George - Everything I Own (Official video)
Originally by Bread, and then a hit for Ken Boothe, this was Boy George's first solo single after leaving the band in 1987.
It would become his first (and only) UK solo number one single, and saw him returning to the reggae sound of 'Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?'.
Victims
Culture Club - Victims (Video 1983)
Released in 1983, this Culture Club song is about Boy George's then publicly unknown and rather difficult relationship with drummer Jon Moss.
It was a big hit for the group, and narrowly missed out on the Christmas number one in '83.
Boy George later re-recorded the song in 2002 with a folky arrangement.
Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?
Culture Club - Do You Really Want To Hurt Me (Official Video)
This became a huge hit for Culture Club in 1982, reaching number 1 in the UK and number 2 in the States.
Speaking in 2007, Boy George revealed that the song was "not just about Culture Club's drummer Jon Moss, my boyfriend at the time. It was about all the guys I dated at that time in my life."
Karma Chameleon
Culture Club - Karma Chameleon (Official Music Video)
This was the song that made Boy George an even bigger star around the world. It was the UK's biggest selling single of 1984 and topped the US chart.
Boy George later explained the song: "It 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."
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