Boy George in the context of "Culture Club"

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⭐ Core Definition: Boy George

George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English musician, songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham and was part of the New Romantic movement which emerged in the late 1970s to early 1980s. His androgynous look and style of fashion was greatly inspired by glam rock pioneers David Bowie and Marc Bolan. He formed Culture Club with Roy Hay, Mikey Craig and Jon Moss in 1981. The band's second album, Colour by Numbers (1983), sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Their hit singles include "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me", "Time (Clock of the Heart)", "I'll Tumble 4 Ya", "Church of the Poison Mind", "Karma Chameleon", "Victims", "Miss Me Blind", "It's a Miracle", "The War Song", "Move Away" and "I Just Wanna Be Loved".

Boy George was the lead singer of Jesus Loves You between 1989 and 1992 and still performs solo and with Culture Club, who have reformed twice since initially parting ways in 1986. He began his career as a DJ in the mid-1990s. Outside of music, Boy George's other creative activities involve mixed media art, writing books, designing clothes and photography. He has also made several appearances in television, which include the 22nd UK series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in November 2022, eventually finishing in eighth place.

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👉 Boy George in the context of Culture Club

Culture Club is an English new wave band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George (lead vocals), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), and Mikey Craig (bass guitar), and formerly included Jon Moss (drums and percussion). Emerging in the New Romantic scene, they are considered one of the most representative and influential groups of the 1980s.

Led by singer and frontman Boy George, whose androgynous style of dressing caught the attention of the public and the media in the early 1980s, the band have sold more than 50 million records, including over six million BPI certified records sold in the UK and over seven million RIAA certified records sold in the US. Their hits include "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me", "Time (Clock of the Heart)", "I'll Tumble 4 Ya", "Church of the Poison Mind", "Karma Chameleon", "Victims", "Miss Me Blind", "It's a Miracle", "The War Song", "Move Away", and "I Just Wanna Be Loved". In the UK they amassed twelve top 40 hit singles between 1982 and 1999, including the number ones "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" and "Karma Chameleon", the latter being the biggest-selling single of 1983 in the UK, and hit number one on the US Hot 100 in 1984. The song "Time (Clock of the Heart)" is included on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 songs that shaped rock and roll.

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Boy George in the context of Impersonation

An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for impersonating someone:

  • Living history: After close study of some historical figure, a performer may dress and speak "as" that person for an audience. Such historical interpretation may be a scripted dramatic performance like Mark Twain Tonight! or an unscripted interaction while staying in character.
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Boy George in the context of Victims (song)

"Victims" is a song by English band Culture Club, released as a single in 1983 and taken from the album Colour by Numbers. As with most early Culture Club singles, the song is about lead singer Boy George's then publicly unknown and rather turbulent relationship with drummer Jon Moss. Although the group's previous single "Karma Chameleon" had been a massive hit throughout the world, "Victims" was only issued in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Germany, and Australia. The piano ballad peaked at #3 on the UK Singles Chart. In Ireland, it peaked at #2, and in Australia, at #4. The single was not released in the United States, Canada or Japan, where they released "Miss Me Blind" instead.

Its B-side was the then previously unreleased track "Colour by Numbers", which despite having the same name as the album was not included on it. An instrumental version was also issued on the 12″, renamed "Romance Revisited". Both extra tracks are now available on the 2003 remastered version of Colour by Numbers. Boy George re-recorded the song himself as a solo artist, as a folk arrangement with piano and an orchestra, in 2002. That version can be found on the Culture Club box set that was released the same year.

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Boy George in the context of Miss Me Blind

"Miss Me Blind" is a song by English new wave band Culture Club. It was the third single released from the album Colour by Numbers (1983) in North America, peaking at number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in spring 1984. This gave the band its sixth consecutive top 10 hit in the US, as well as its final top 10 hit in that country, although the group would score several other top 20 hits in the US. The single reached number 5 in Canada, and was also released in several South American countries, Australia, and Japan. It was also the band's biggest R&B hit, reaching number 5 on the US Billboard Soul/R&B chart.

Cash Box said that the song illustrates lead singer "Boy George's knack for finding the right beat for the right lyrics and singing them in the right way" and that his vocal is "well complemented by an unflagging beat and soulful background vocals."

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Boy George in the context of The War Song

"The War Song" is a song by British band Culture Club, featuring background vocals from Clare Torry. It was released as the lead single from the band's third album, Waking Up with the House on Fire (1984), in September 1984. The song became the group's seventh top-five hit on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, the single peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Elsewhere, it reached the top 10 in several countries, including Australia, Canada, and Ireland, peaking at number one in the latter country.

Lead singer Boy George later stated on BBC3 that "most people are very ignorant politically and we're all told how glamorous war is." The band mostly played the song live during the 1980s. The group played the song at a gig on New Year's Eve 2011. They also performed the song in 2014.

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Boy George in the context of Jesus Loves You (band)

Jesus Loves You were a British band, founded by singer Boy George. The band's music is a mixture of electronic dance music, Indian classical music and western pop music. Their lyrics are about love, spirituality and the equality of all human beings.

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