Junior Rasmussen
Do You Really Want to Hurt Me is a song by the English new wave band Culture Club. It was released in September 1982 and became the band's first major hit, reaching No. 1 in the UK and several other countries. The song appears in the movie The Wedding Singer, and a live version of the song from the movie is available on Spotify.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Song Title | "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" |
| Performing Artist | Culture Club |
| Genre | New wave |
| Release Date | September 1982 |
| Album | Kissing to Be Clever |
| Peak Position in UK Charts | No. 1 |
| Peak Position in US Charts | No. 2 |
| Year of Album Release | 1982 |
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What You'll Learn
- Do You Really Want to Hurt Me is a song by Culture Club?
- The song was released in 1982 and became a hit in the UK and the US
- The music video for the song was directed by Julien Temple
- Boy George said the song was about the guys he dated at that time in his life
- The song was Culture Club's first major hit
Do You Really Want to Hurt Me is a song by Culture Club
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" is a song written and performed by the English new wave band Culture Club. It was released as a single in September 1982 from the group's platinum-selling debut album, "Kissing to Be Clever". This ballad was the band's first major hit and first UK No. 1 hit. In the United States, the single was released in November 1982 and became a hit, reaching No. 2 for three weeks.
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" was the third single released in Europe by Culture Club and their debut release in the United States and Canada. The song became a UK No. 1 single for three weeks in October 1982. It entered the American Pop chart the week ending 4 December 1982, hit No. 1 in Cash Box magazine, and held at No. 2 for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March and April 1983. The single hit No. 1 in Canada and Australia.
The song's music video, directed by Julien Temple, featured lead singer Boy George on trial in a courtroom. It included flashbacks to the Gargoyle Club, Soho in 1936, and the Dolphin Square Health Club, Pimlico in 1957. Notably, the original video featured the jury in blackface, which was considered a racist stereotypical trope in the USA. As a result, the video was edited for MTV USA, removing the blackface and replacing it with shots of Boy George walking out of a pool.
In a retrospective review, AllMusic described the song as "a simple masterpiece, resonating with an ache that harked back to the classic torch songs of yesteryear." The song's success and Boy George's androgynous style and sexual ambiguity made headlines, propelling Culture Club into the spotlight.
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The song was released in 1982 and became a hit in the UK and the US
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" is a song by the English new wave band Culture Club. It was released as a single in September 1982 from the group's platinum-selling debut album, "Kissing to Be Clever". The ballad was the band's first major hit and first UK No. 1 single, topping the UK charts for three weeks in October 1982.
In the United States, the single was released in November 1982 and became a hit, reaching No. 2 for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March and April 1983. The song also hit No. 1 in Cash Box magazine and No. 1 in Canada. It was also a number one hit in Australia. The song's success in both the UK and the US solidified its place as Culture Club's first major hit and a defining song of the 1980s.
The song's music video, directed by Julien Temple, featured lead singer Boy George on trial in a courtroom, with flashbacks to the 1930s and 1950s. In a retrospective review, AllMusic described the song as "a simple masterpiece, resonating with an ache that harked back to the classic torch songs of yesteryear." The song's enduring popularity is evident in its inclusion in the 2017 film "The Wedding Singer", showcasing its lasting impact and appeal.
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The music video for the song was directed by Julien Temple
The music video for Culture Club's "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" was directed by Julien Temple. The video features lead singer Boy George on trial in a courtroom, with flashbacks to the Gargoyle Club in Soho in 1936 and the Dolphin Square Health Club in Pimlico in 1957. The jury was in blackface, making jazz hands gestures. One band member, Mikey Craig, was not in the video and was replaced by his brother Greg.
The song, written by Boy George, Jon Moss, Mikey Craig, and Roy Hay, is about emotional pain and was primarily written about George's relationship with Moss, who was Culture Club's drummer and George's boyfriend at the time. Despite the outward appearance that the song could be about S&M, George has stated that it was simply about the emotional pain he experienced in his relationship with Moss.
The music video directed by Temple reflects the song's themes of pain and rejection. In the video, Boy George is not accepted in various scenarios, including the courtroom with a jury in blackface. Temple explained that the video was meant to represent the struggles of being gay and being victimized for one's sexuality:
> It was about being gay and being victimized for your sexuality, which George was kind of emblematic of. It seemed appropriate to me that in the video he would be judged by jurors in blackface, to send up bigotry and point out the hypocrisy of the many gay judges and politicians in the UK who’d enacted anti-gay legislation.
The song "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" was Culture Club's first major hit and their first UK No. 1 single. It was released in September 1982 and reached No. 1 in several countries, including the UK, Australia, and Canada. The song also reached No. 2 in the US and held that spot for three weeks.
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Boy George said the song was about the guys he dated at that time in his life
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" is a song written and performed by English new wave band Culture Club. It was released as a single in September 1982 and became the band's first major hit and first UK No. 1 single. The song was written by Boy George, the lead singer of Culture Club, and was primarily about his relationship with the band's drummer, Jon Moss, who was his boyfriend at the time.
However, in 2007, Boy George clarified that the song was not just about Jon Moss but about all the guys he dated at that time in his life. He said that he always had awkward relationships, which only became problematic when other people got involved. For example, Jon Moss was fine with their relationship until his mother met Boy George and reacted with disdain, after which Moss distanced himself from George.
The song's music video, directed by Julien Temple, featured Boy George on trial in a courtroom, with flashbacks to the Gargoyle Club, Soho in 1936, and the Dolphin Square Health Club, Pimlico in 1957. The jury in the video were in blackface, which was considered a racist trope in the USA, so the video was edited for MTV USA by removing the blackface and replacing it with shots of Boy George walking out of a pool. The shirt that Boy George wears in the video has the Hebrew words "תַּרְבּוּת אֲגֻדָּה" ("Tarbut Agudda"), which literally translates to "culture" and "association" and is likely a mistranslation of "club."
The song has been covered by various artists, including Violent Femmes (with altered lyrics), Adam Lambert, and Karma Fields and Shey Baba. It has also appeared in popular culture, such as in the movie "The Wedding Singer." Despite initial criticism and controversy surrounding Boy George's androgynous style and the song's personal nature, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" became a massive success and helped launch Culture Club's international career.
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The song was Culture Club's first major hit
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" was Culture Club's first major hit. The song was released as a single in September 1982 from the group's platinum-selling debut album, "Kissing to Be Clever". It was the band's first UK No. 1 hit and reached No. 2 in the United States for three weeks. The song was also a hit in Canada and Australia, reaching No. 1 in both countries.
The ballad was written and performed by the English new wave band, and its success was considered a major milestone for the group. The song's popularity can be attributed to its appearance on the BBC-Charts in late 1982, as well as the group's performance on "Top of the Pops", which resulted in Boy George's androgynous style of dress and sexual ambiguity making newspaper headlines.
The music video for "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" also gained attention, with Boy George wearing a shirt with the Hebrew words "תַּרְבּוּת אֲגֻדָּה" ("Tarbut Agudda"), which translates to "culture" and "association". However, the video was edited for MTV USA due to the presence of blackface, which is considered a racist trope in the United States.
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" has been described as "a simple masterpiece, resonating with an ache that harked back to the classic torch songs of yesteryear" by AllMusic in a retrospective review. The song's success solidified Culture Club's place in the music industry and paved the way for their second album, "Colour By Numbers", which also did extremely well.
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Frequently asked questions
Culture Club.
The song was written and performed by the English new wave band Culture Club.
The song was released as a single in September 1982.
Yes, it was the band's first major hit and first UK No. 1 hit.
In 2007, Boy George said that the song was "not just about Culture Club's drummer Jon Moss, my boyfriend at the time. It was about all the guys I dated at that time in my life."
