"Move Away" is a song by British band

Culture Club Culture Club are an English new wave music, new wave band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George (lead vocals), Roy Hay (musician), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), and Mikey Craig (bass guitar), and formerly included Jon Moss ( ...

, issued as the lead single from their fourth album, '' From Luxury to Heartache'' (1986). The song was produced by Lew Hahn and

Arif Mardin Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for ov ...

. Released in March 1986, it became the group's eighth top-10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number seven. In the United States, it reached number 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming their last top-40 hit in the US. It also reached the top 10 in various other countries, including Denmark, where it peaked at number three.

Critical reception

On its release, Eleanor Levy of ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

'' described "Move Away" as a "very clever, radio-orientated pop tune" with a "sparkling production" and "creditable performance". Jerry Smith of ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' praised it as a "classic pop tune" on which George "delivers a strong vocal over hepolished production". He added the song "certainly surpasses anything that appeared on the awful '' Waking Up with the House on Fire''". In the US, ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is 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 ...

'' praised the "effervescent production and

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...

’s rich, silky voice." ''

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 advertis ...

'' said it consists of "guileless, breezy

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

s."

Music video

The video-clip for the song, which cast

and Jon Moss as silent film-stars racing cars across a black/white movie screen, was filmed at the

Brixton Academy Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Lon ...

, London. George's friend Alice Temple can also be seen in the video.

Track listings

7-inch vinyl :A. "Move Away" :B. "Sexuality" (7-inch version (alternate mix)) 12-inch vinyl :A. "Move Away" (extended mix) :B. "Sexuality" (Tango dub remix version) 5-inch vinyl :A. "Move Away" :B. "Sexuality"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1986 singles 1986 songs Culture Club songs Song recordings produced by Arif Mardin Songs written by Boy George Songs written by Jon Moss Songs written by Mikey Craig Songs written by Phil Pickett Songs written by Roy Hay (musician) Virgin Records singles