"The War Song" | ||||
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Single by Culture Club | ||||
from the album Waking Up with the House on Fire | ||||
B-side | "La cancion de guerra" | |||
Released | 24 September 1984[1] | |||
Genre | New pop [2] | |||
Length | 4:14 | |||
Label | Virgin, Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Boy George, Roy Hay, Mikey Craig, Jon Moss | |||
Producer(s) | Steve Levine | |||
Culture Club singles chronology | ||||
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"The War Song" is a song by British band Culture Club, featuring background vocals from Clare Torry. 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. 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.
Lead singer Boy George later stated on BBC3 that "most people are very ignorant politically and we're all told how glamorous war is." [3] The band mostly played the song live during the 1980s. The group played the song at a gig on New Year's Eve 2011. They also performed the song in 2014. [4]
In many countries, the single was released with a B-side 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,[ citation needed] a first in Culture Club discography. Its 7-inch picture disc was shelved, and remaining copies are very rare.[ citation needed]
Cash Box said that "this strong anti-war statement is delivered with simple but effective words and a varied melody." [5] Billboard called it "an effervescent protest song, hard to disagree with." [6]
The satirical comedy show Spitting Image parodied the song as "War is Naughty", with the lyrics "Wars are naughty, and people are naughty, and anyone who starts one should be sent to bed early".
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.[ citation needed] When Pete Burns of English band Dead or Alive saw the video, he sent Boy George a wreath.[ citation needed]
Depending on region, Spanish B-side "La cancion de guerra" is another alternate-language version, including French version "La chanson de guerre", [7] German version "Der Kriegsgesang", [8] and Japanese version "Sensō no uta" ("戦争のうた"). [9]
7-inch single [10]
12-inch single [11]
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada ( Music Canada) [34] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom ( BPI) [35] | Silver | 250,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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