Among the nuanced greatness of early 1980s New Wave stood Culture Club. Exceedingly popular, but also dangerous because of how Boy George presented himself, the group understood how to keep in touch with disco while also giving a slight nod to goths, too.
Musically, the band was pop. Lyrically, many of the tracks could deliver the kind of darkness that only bands like the Cure understood. Mixing and matching was a specialty of Boy George's, of course.
The best of the band came in the first half of the 1980s, and due to internal strife and the changing musical landscape (and American politics at the time), the band fell a bit out of touch. Their musical magic remains, however.
Boy George and Culture Club delivered some of the best of early 1980s New Wave
"Victims" (1983)
Stately, direct, aloof, and matter-of-fact all at the same time, this gem of a track says everything most people want to say about being in a relationship they cannot control. Both people might suffer silently -- this isn't about physical violence -- but are afraid to hurt the other.
Love sucks at times, and this song speaks to it better than most others ever written. That the voice is the elite Boy George's only makes it better.
"Time (Clock of the Heart)" (1982)
Smooth and slow, this song doesn't get played as often as the final song on this list, yet both are from the same excellent record. Borrowing heavily from Caribbean rhythms, Boy George and Culture Club knew how to transition well-written, personal lyrics and mesh them with fantastic grooves, but slow and uptempo. This gem belongs with the former and is among the best of its type.
"Mistake No. 3" (1985)
Absolutely not a rock song, and far more into slow-burn disco, but New Wave groups, even ones like Culture Club, weren't far removed from the ethos of groups like Joy Division. Take the lyrics and add them to Joy Division's sound, and you might have a post-punk anthem for the ages.
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" (1982)
Kissing to Be Clever was an elite record, though one that has somehow been overlooked among many of the best albums of the early 1980s. Culture Club gets some respect, but their individual albums do not. Instead, the focus is on their singles, though in the case of Kissing... enough singles add up to an epic LP.
This track was extremely popular, but moves and sways with all the arrogance of a hard rock band at its best. Instead, this soulful tune helps set up many great artists yet to come. Where, for instance, would Antony and the Johnsons' "Fistful of Love" be without the Culture Club diamond? Both songs have lyrics that are hard to hear, but lyrics that need to be understood.
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