6 November 1982
An ’80s icon arrives. I was far too young at the time to be aware of any controversy, prurience or debate: for me, Boy George was Boy George, as fundamental a part of the ’80s pop ecosystem as Top of the Pops. About his band, I had no strong views either; there wasn’t any Culture Club hit that stuck in my brain or fired my synapses.
Still, ‘Do You Really Want To Hurt Me’ is easy to like. George’s honeyed croon sounds great when keening the title and especially “this boy loves without a reason!” The gentle reggae groove takes a neat old-school breakdown in the middle section. Though not their biggest hit, it’s probably their best; it keeps to their strengths and doesn’t expose the limits of George’s vocal range or the band’s songwriting the way some of their later singles would.
The video for ‘Do You Really Want To Hurt Me’ is set in a courtroom where the jury are all in minstrel blackface. The ’80s, eh?
