Kissing to Be Clever

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Kissing to Be Clever
Kissing to Be Clever cover
Studio album by Culture Club
Released 1982
Recorded 1982
Genre New Wave
Length 33:35
Label Virgin
Producer Steve Levine
Professional reviews
Culture Club chronology
Kissing to Be Clever
(1982)		 Colour by Numbers
(1983)

Kissing to Be Clever is the debut album by New Wave band Culture Club, released in 1982. It was anchored by the international hit "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?", which with its sunny reggae tones and neo-torch song vocals, remains one of Culture Club's signature songs.

Since the demise of the Epic Records edition, Kissing to Be Clever has been available without the song "Time" and with the black-and-white photo pictured here, instead of the original colour photo (in 1996 it was reissued by Disky Communications, this time returning the colour photo, but still missing "Time"). The remastered 2003 CD version contains additional tracks (including "Time") plus the restoration of the original colour cover.

It also features the two first Culture Club singles, "White Boy" and "I'm Afraid Of Me" (both were relative flops, making #114 and #100 in the UK singles charts in 1982), in slightly different forms. The track "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" was also released in some American countries, going top 10 in Canada and USA, reaching #9 in the US. "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" topped the charts in many countries. "Time (Clock Of The Heart)" also went in the highest positions of many international charts and peaked at #2 in the US.

The album also recevied a positive review from Rolling Stone magazine.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

all songs by Culture Club

  1. "White Boy" [Dance Mix] – 4:40
  2. "You Know I'm Not Crazy" – 3:36
  3. "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" – 2:36
  4. "Take Control" – 3:09
  5. "Love Twist" [Featuring Captain Crucial] – 4:23
  6. "Boy Boy (I'm the Boy)" – 3:50
  7. "I'm Afraid of Me" [Remix] – 3:16
  8. "White Boys Can't Control It" – 3:43
  9. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" – 4:22

[edit] Bonus Tracks on the reissue

  1. "Love Is Cold (You Were Never No Good)" -
  2. "Murder Rap Trap" -
  3. "Time (Clock of the Heart)" -
  4. "Romance Beyond the Alphabet" -

On some Japanese editions of the album, the Japan-only single "Mystery Boy" was included.

  1. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" – 4:22
  2. "I'm Afraid of Me" [Remix] – 3:16
  3. "You Know I'm Not Crazy" – 3:36
  4. "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" – 2:36
  5. "Love Twist" [Featuring Captain Crucial] – 4:23
  6. "Time (Clock of the Heart)" -
  7. "White Boy" [Dance Mix] – 4:40
  8. "Boy Boy (I'm the Boy)" – 3:50
  9. "White Boys Can't Control It" – 3:43
  10. "Take Control" – 3:09

These are the tracks on the lp record album only with epic records.

[edit] Personnel

  • Keith Miller - synclavier
  • Terry Bailey - trumpet
  • Colin Campsie - background vocals
  • Nicky Payne - flute, harmonica, saxophone
  • Phil Pickett - keyboards, background vocals
  • Sue Clowes
  • Denise Spooner - background vocals

[edit] Production

  • Producer: Steve Levine
  • Engineer: Steve Levine
  • Assistant engineer: Gordon Milne
  • Mixing: Steve Levine, Jon Moss
  • Synclavier programming: Keith Miller
  • Drum programming: Jon Moss
  • Cover Design: Jik Graham
  • Photography: Mark Lebon
  • Artwork: Jackie Ball
  • Logo: Jik Graham, Nick Egan
  • Typography: Jik Graham
  • Make-Up: Boy George

[edit] Charts

[edit] Album

Chart (1983) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart 5
U.S. Billboard 200 14
U.S. Top R&B Albums 24

[edit] Singles

Chart (1983) Single Peak
position
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" UK Singles Chart 1
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" U.S. Billboard Hot 100 2
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" U.S. R&B Singles 39
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" U.S. Adult Contemporary 8
"Time (Clock of the Heart)" UK Singles Chart 3
"Time (Clock of the Heart)" U.S. Billboard Hot 100 2
"I'll Tumble 4 Ya" U.S. Adult Contemporary 33
"I'll Tumble 4 Ya" U.S. Hot Dance Club Play 14
"I'll Tumble 4 Ya" U.S. Billboard Hot 100 9
"I'm Afraid of Me" / "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" U.S. Hot Dance Club Play 34

[edit] Release details

Country Date Label Format Catalog
1983 Virgin CD 91390
LP 38398
1990 CD V2-86179
2003 CD 92404

[edit] External links

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