"The War Song" is a song by British band

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 ...

, featuring background vocals from

Clare Torry Clare H. Torry (born 29 November 1947) is a British singer, well known for writing and performing the wordless vocals on the song "The Great Gig in the Sky" by the group Pink Floyd on their 1973 album ''The Dark Side of the Moon''. She also cov ...

. 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, peaking at number two, as well as their final top-five hit until " I Just Wanna Be Loved" in 1998. 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. Boy George later said "The War Song" had "patronising lyrics and a brain-curdling melody." It has been excluded from some compilations of Culture Club music. It had not been performed live by Culture Club since 1985, until the band played it at a one-off gig on New Year's Eve 2011. They also performed the song in 2014.

B-side

In many countries, the single was released with a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

consisting of a native-language version of the song, including those in Spanish, French, German, and Japanese. It was available in two different extended versions, a first in Culture Club discography. Its 7-inch picture disc was shelved, and remaining copies are very rare.

Critical reception

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that "this strong anti-war statement is delivered with simple but effective words and a varied melody."

Music video

The music video was directed by Russell Mulcahy. Lead singer Boy George is shown with flame-red hair, a provocative new look at the time, as well as black, white, yellow and blue wigs. The ending of the video features hundreds of children dressed as skeletons, frolicking around Shad Thames, London. The video cost more than £100,000 to make. When Pete Burns of English band

Dead or Alive Dead or Alive most commonly refers to: * Dead or Alive (band), a British pop band * Dead or alive, a phrase on a wanted poster Dead or Alive may also refer to: Film and television * ''Dead or Alive'' (1921 film), an American silent film dir ...

saw the video, he sent Boy George a wreath.

Track listings

Depending on region, Spanish B-side "La cancion de guerra" is another alternate-language version, including French version "La chanson de guerra", German version "Der Kriegsgesang", and Japanese version "Sensō no uta" ("戦争のうた"). 7-inch single :A. "The War Song" – 3:57 :B. "La cancion de guerra" – 4:06 12-inch single :A1. "The War Song" (ultimate dance mix) – 6:51 :B1. "The War Song" (Shriek mix) – 6:16 :B2. "La cancion de guerra"

Chart

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:War Song, The Culture Club songs 1984 singles 1984 songs Anti-war songs Epic Records singles Music videos directed by Russell Mulcahy Song recordings produced by Steve Levine Songs written by Boy George Songs written by Jon Moss Songs written by Mikey Craig Songs written by Roy Hay (musician) Virgin Records singles