Good golly! That voice...
That was my first reaction to Boy George when I heard Culture Club's "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me". There was so much old-time soul in those vocals and yet they were coming out of someone who looked to have been residing on the dividing line between New Wave and New Romantic. As well, the music was something that I couldn't immediately identify but that was because there was a blend of genres coming together: New Wave, soul and reggae. But again, I go back to that voice with the smokiness and vulnerability. And she was pretty, too.
Ah, and then I'd find out a few months later that Boy George really was a boy, George...George Alan O'Dowd, in fact. Still, dang fine voice.
And Culture Club became a sensation from that point for the next several years as Boy George and his band were frequent visitors on the charts. But "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" was the first one, Culture Club's fourth single from September 1982 and it was hitting No. 1 all over the Earth including Canada, the UK and France among other nations while it peaked at No. 2 in the United States.
Well, not surprisingly, such was Culture Club's popularity that corporate Japan came calling.
I also remember that Boy George's appearance was so iconic that there were Boy George lookalike contests all around the world. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any footage on YouTube but I recall the one that had been held in Japan somewhere. I don't think I'd seen so many Japanese New Romanticists in heavy makeup before.
So, what else was being released in Japan in that busy month of September 1982?
Masatoshi Nakamura -- Koibito mo Nureru Machikado (恋人も濡れる街角）
Naoko Kawai -- Kenka wo Yamete (けんかをやめて）
Masahiko Kondo -- Horeta ze! Kanpai（ホレたぜ!乾杯）
Even when I was in 2nd grade I knew the, Culture Club was a big thing. Their tunes were often playing on the type of radio station that tend to play the top 40 songs + other hits. Ah, けんかをやめて is quite a famous song, I think it has been covered by Mariya Takeuchi at some point. Anyway, it is hard to imagine someone wanting to fight or argue with Naoko Kawai or should I say Naoko Kanehara?
ReplyDeleteHello, Brian. I knew that Culture Club was huge here in North America, but hadn't been sure about Japan. Then, I saw that Boy George lookalike contest there on TV. :)
DeleteNaoko Kawai is from Osaka so I figure that she can argue like a pro. :)