80s New Wave Icon Admits Hit Song Was Fueled by a Toxic Romance originally appeared on Parade.
One of the biggest hits of the 1980s is a soulful ballad that became Culture Club’s breakout hit, showcasing Boy George‘s emotional and soulful vocals. The song, written about the end of a painful and complicated relationship, quickly became a global anthem of vulnerability and heartbreak. But little did fans know, it was fueled by a toxic romance.
In the new documentary Boy George & Culture Club, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 5, one element of the band’s turbulent history takes center stage. In candid one-on-one interviews, members George, Jon Moss, Mikey Craig, and Roy Hay opened up about the behind-the-scenes tension that ultimately helped spark one of their biggest hits, “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” and other songs about love and loss including “Time (Clock of the Heart)” and “Victims.”
As reported by PEOPLE Magazine, Moss said that he knew his life was “gonna change” after meeting George and becoming a part of Culture Club. He says, “If you’re lucky enough in your life to have a moment, it must be like having fate.”
However, as Moss and George’s relationship quickly heated up, so did Culture Club’s career. The band’s first two albums, 1982’s Kissing to Be Clever and 1983’s Colour by Numbers skyrocketed to the top of the charts, becoming global hits and spawning multiple hit singles.
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But other band members weren’t so sure how the couple’s connection would affect the band. “By about the third rehearsal, we’re packing up the gear ready to go home, and Jon says, ‘I kind of like George,'” Craig says.
“And I said, ‘No, no, you can’t. You can’t do this.’ I said, ‘It’s not gonna work. You’re gonna ruin the band. It’s gonna end before we begin.’ And Jon turned to me and said, ‘It’s too late.'”
George explained, “I was insecure, I was young, and had no real examples of how to have a loving relationship.” Moss added he was George’s “mirror, his negative muse.”
Band member Hay revealed in the documentary, “It all became about George. That became quite difficult for myself and Mikey.” Not only was George the center of attention, but so was his relationship with Moss. “Jon and I were the John and Yoko of the band for a while,” he revealed.
Culture Club split in 1986, signaling the end of the band and the relationship between George and Moss. The band reunited several times thereafter, and Moss officially left the group in 2021.
Moss has three children with his former wife, Barbara Savage. Boy George is currently starring as Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Broadway.
80s New Wave Icon Admits Hit Song Was Fueled by a Toxic Romance first appeared on Parade on Jun 23, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
