"Bow Down Mister" is a song written by English singer

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singe ...

, under the pseudonym "Angela Dust", and recorded by his first musical group following his departure from

Culture Club Culture Club are an English pop band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George (lead vocals), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), Mikey Craig (bass guitar) and formerly included Jon Moss (drums and percussion). Emerging in the New ...

, Jesus Loves You. Inspired by a trip George took to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, the song is a tribute to the

Hare Krishna movement The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktiv ...

and incorporates the Hare Krishna mantra. Indian singer

Asha Bhosle Asha Bhosle (; Mangeshkar; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur and occasional actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian Cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in the ...

performs the female vocals on the song but is uncredited on the single release. "Bow Down Mister" was released on 11 February 1991 as the fourth single from the project's only studio album, ''

The Martyr Mantras ''The Martyr Mantras'' is the only studio album by Jesus Loves You and the fourth studio album by Boy George. It was credited to Jesus Loves You worldwide except in North America, where it was credited to Boy George upon its release there in 19 ...

'' (1991). It reached number 27 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and became a bigger hit in several mainland European countries, especially in Austria and Germany, where the song reached the top 10.

Background and meaning

wrote "Bow Down Mister" shortly after taking a trip to

. George was intrigued that the song was perceived as

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

to the public, as this was not his intention; however, he went on to explain, "That is unless you consider a song that encourages love instead of hate as being radical. I am continually amazed at how, with all of the knowledge we have as humans, we continue to be so small-minded." The track was written as an

ode An ode (from grc, ᾠδή, ōdḗ) is a type of lyric poetry. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structured in three majo ...

to the

, a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

religious organisation whose members dedicate their thoughts and actions to the Hindu deity

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

, and the song recites the Hare Krishna mantra several times during the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

. Indian

playback singer A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not app ...

is featured as the female vocalist on the recording. During an interview, Bhosle stated that "Bow Down Mister" was the best song she had contributed to and that she continues to cherish it.

Critical reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' writer

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

called the song "thoroughly original and refreshing" and praised its "anthemic" melody but found the song "too offbeat" for UK hit radio. In the same magazine, a review of the parent album called the homage "quirky".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

reviewer William Ruhlmann referred to "Bow Down Mister" as one of the "oddest" songs on ''The Martyr Mantras''. Chris Mellor from ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' noted, "Indian dance music, hippy chic

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

style Hare Krishna chants mingle with beautiful

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...

s and Boy George's inimitable vocal style to create something quite stunning." Another editor, Phil Cheeseman felt that it has "a terrible line ..about

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

knowing the score, not enormously subtle given the current flare-up of religious and caste violence in India."

Chart performance

On the

, "Bow Down Mister" debuted at number 69 on 17 February 1991, taking a total of five weeks to peak at number 27 on 17 March 1991. It spent three more weeks in the top 100 before dropping out in early April. The same month, the track appeared on the

French Singles Chart French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

at number 41, rising to a peak of number 29 on two occasions and spending 13 weeks on the chart. In late May, the single entered the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

and

German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...

. In Austria, it rose to number two and totalled 22 weeks in the top 30, ending 1991 as the country's 10th-highest-selling single. Meanwhile, in Germany, it peaked at number six for two weeks, logged 27 weeks in the top 100, and finished the year at number 17 on Germany's year-end chart. In Switzerland, it reached number 15, while in the

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

region of Belgium, it debuted at its peak of number 44. On the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, "Bow Down Mister" rose to number 20 in August 1991 and was ranked Europe's 73rd-best-performing hit of the year.

Track listings

* UK 12-inch single :A. "Bow Down Mister" (Sitari Bizzari Mix) – 6:24 :B. "Bow Down Mister" (Floating in the Ganges – Grid Mix) – 7:04 * French maxi-single # "Bow Down Mister" (A Small Portion 2 B Polite Mix) – 3:59 # "Bow Down Mister" (Nayana Banana Govinda Goulash Mix) – 6:25 # "Love Hurts" (Yes It Doz U Blighter Mix) – 3:59 * German 7-inch single :A. "Bow Down Mister" (A Small Portion 2B Polite Mix) – 3:59 :B. "Love Hurts" (Yes It Doz U Blighter Mix) – 3:59

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 1990 songs 1991 singles Asha Bhosle songs Boy George songs British house music songs Bhajan Indian mythology in music Krishna in popular culture Macaronic songs Songs about India Songs written by Boy George Virgin Records singles Hindu devotional songs