Top 10 Alert!
Song#: 1271 Date: 12/04/1982
Debut: 80
Peak: 2
Weeks: 25
Genre: New Wave, Blue-Eyed Soul
Pop Bits: This English quartet initially wasn't having much success as their first two singles failed to garner any attention when released in the UK. But then this last-ditch third single got issued and voilà - Culture Club arrived. The song hit #1 in the UK and that lead to the single being issued in the US. The song got off to a slow start, but it picked up speed and landed in the #2 spot for three weeks. With the flamboyant, androgynous Boy George out in front, the group grabbed headlines and lots of attention. But despite their unique look, the music took center stage and this song got them a Grammy nod for Best Pop Vocal Group. Their debut album, "Kissing to Be Clever," would reach #14 and become a platinum best-seller.
ReduxReview: This song was massive in the spring of '83 and the one distinct memory I have of it was hearing it while riding in my brother's orange VW bug in Ft. Lauderdale. I was spending spring break down there and he had picked me up from the airport (he was living in Lauderdale at the time). For some reason, that slight reggae beat along with the sights of the city created a memory. It's a brilliant song and it still sounds great today.
ReduxRating: 9/10
Trivia: In addition to the above mentioned Grammy nod, Culture Club was also nominated for Best New Artist, which they ended up winning. In true, outrageous Boy George fashion, when the group accepted the award live via satellite during the show, he famously said "Thanks America, you've got style, you've got taste, and you know a good drag queen when you see one." Although his acceptance speech wasn't necessarily controversial, it certainly raised the eyebrows of a semi-repressed early 80s America - and Grammy host John Denver.
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