History Music / CultureClub

** From the band proper: "Crystal Blue Persuasion", and "Melting Pot", by Music/BlueMink.

* CoverVersion: "Everything I Own" by Music/{{Bread}} on Boy George's solo album ''Music/{{Sold}}'', and "The Crying Game" by Dave Berry.

** Of course, given how George was the lead songwriter, ''and'' addicted to heroin & marijuana, [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs maybe there's your explanation]]...

As part of the same New Romantic fashion movement that propelled bands like Music/DuranDuran and Music/SpandauBallet to fame in TheEighties, the group had a series of hugely successful hit singles on both sides of the Atlantic before splitting up in the middle of the decade. The band consisted of Mikey Craig on bass, Jon Moss on drums and Roy Hay on guitar and keyboards. The most famous member of the group was the androgynous, flamboyant lead singer [[FaceOfTheBand George Alan "Boy George" O'Dowd]], a charismatic front man with a distinctive soulful voice. The name comes from the multicultural backgrounds of the members, as well as the diverse influences on their musical style.

* GenreShift: ''From Luxury To Heartache'' shifted to Synth Pop; ''Don't Mind If I Do'' shifted to modern Pop. Neither was successful. ''Life'' seems to be an updated version of their old sound, making it...[[IncrediblyLamePun New New Wave]]?

* {{Blackface}}: Used in the "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" music video. Next to ''real'' black people, no less. The 80's were a different time, indeed...

* GenderNeutralWriting: Most of the love songs use the word "lover" instead of "she" or "her".

* SynthPop: They [[GenreShift switched over to this]] in ''From Luxury To Heartache''. The fans weren't amused, and neither were the critcs.

* TitleTrack: Interestingly, "Colour By Numbers" was a B-side that was never released on the album of the same name until recently on the CD remaster.

As part of the same New Romantic fashion movement that propelled bands like Music/DuranDuran and Music/SpandauBallet to fame in TheEighties, the group had a series of hugely successful hit singles on both sides of the Atlantic before splitting up in the middle of the decade. The band consisted of Mikey Craig on bass, Jon Moss on drums and Roy Hay on guitar and keyboards. The most famous member of the group was the androgynous, flamboyant lead singer [[FaceOfTheBand Boy George]], a charismatic front man with a distinctive soulful voice. The name comes from the multicultural backgrounds of the members, as well as the diverse influences on their musical style.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[ScaryMusicianHarmlessMusic Weird clothes]], catchy-as-fuck melodies, and [[WordSaladLyrics totally nonsensical lyrics.]]]]

* {{Mondegreen}}:
** It's very, ''very'' easy to hear the "Time (Clock Of The Heart)" lyric "This could be the best place yet" as "This could be the [[BabyTalk bestest]] yet".
** Is the first line of "Karma Chameleon" "There's a lovin' in your eyes all the way" or "Desert lovin' in your eyes all the way"? Lyric databases disagree. (Of course, "desert lovin'" doesn't make a lick of sense, but [[WordSaladLyrics knowing the lyrics to their other songs]], that's completely irrelevant.)
** "Move Away", the sole hit single from ''From Luxury To Heartache'' - the lyric "Ain't no need to beg or borrow" sounds more like "You don't need to beg or borrow" or even "You don't need to beg Apollo".

While further successes followed, Culture Club weren't able to top what they achieved with ''Colour By Numbers''. At the same time, tensions were running high within the band; in particular, George and Jon (who had been involved in a clandestine romantic relationship), started to grow distant from one another and could become physically violent towards each other. By the time George was arrested for possession of heroin in the mid-1980s, the band was essentially finished. Boy George would go on to become a solo artist, with his best-known work being a cover of the song "The Crying Game" for [[Film/TheCryingGame the motion picture of the same name]].

While further successes followed, Culture Club weren't able to top what they achieved with ''Colour By Numbers''. At the same time, tensions were running high within the band; in particular, George and Jon, (who had been involved in a clandestine romantic relationship) started to grow distant from one another and could become physically violent towards each other. By the time George was arrested for possession of heroin in the mid-1980s, the band was essentially finished. Boy George would go on to become a solo artist, with his best-known work being a cover of the song "The Crying Game" for [[Film/TheCryingGame the motion picture of the same name]].

* NewRomantic

* NewSoundAlbum: ''From Luxury To Heartache'', which has a SynthPop sound instead of a NewWave one[[note]]The band had been including synthesizers in their sound from the beginning, but here they became the dominant element of their music[[/note]]. It didn't go over well with critics or fans & only had one hit single[[note]]''Move Away'', for the curious[[/note]], thus leading to the band breaking up shortly after its release.

* NewSoundAlbum: ''From Luxury To Heartache'', which has a SynthPop sound instead of a NewWave one. It didn't go over well with critics or fans & only had one hit single[[note]]''Move Away'', for the curious[[/note]], thus leading to the band breaking up shortly after its release.

You come and go, you come and go.\\
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dream,\\
Red gold and green, red gold and green.''

Culture Club was a British [[NewWaveMusic New Wave]] band with an eclectic sound influenced by {{Soul}}, {{Reggae}} and GlamRock.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[ScaryMusicianHarmlessMusic Weird clothes]], [[EarWorm catchy-as-fuck melodies]], and [[WordSaladLyrics totally nonsensical lyrics.]]]]

** "Karma Chameleon" makes a ''tad'' bit of sense, with the lyrics seemingly describing wanting [[TheMasochismTango a tortuous lover]][[note]]Which, knowing Jon & George's relationship, has a lot of RealitySubtext[[/note]] to get LaserGuidedKarma, but then says dreams can be made up solely of ''solid colours'', being "red, gold and green" - whatever ''that'' means.

* DidNotGetTheGuy: Jon & George's relationship [[DownerEnding ended this way]], as well as [[HistoryRepeats all his previous relationships]].

* DidNotGetTheGuy: Jon & George's relationship [[DownerEnding ended this way]].

* DidNotGetTheGuy: Jon & George's relationship with [[DownerEndimg ended this way]].