"Church of the Poison Mind" is a 1983 hit single by the British new wave band Culture Club. It was released as the lead single from their second, and most successful, album '' Colour by Numbers''. The song reached #2 in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, being kept out of the top spot by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

's " Let's Dance". It was also the band's fourth Top 10 hit in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. In America, it was still climbing the charts when "

Karma Chameleon "Karma Chameleon" is a song by English band Culture Club, featured on the group's 1983 album ''Colour by Numbers''. The single was released in the United Kingdom in September 1983 and became the second Culture Club single to reach the top of th ...

" was released as a single. This prompted Epic Records to release "Karma" ahead of schedule. "Church of the Poison Mind" actually reached its peak position the same week "Karma Chameleon" debuted on the US charts. In many countries its B-side was the heavily percussive street song "Man Shake" and in some others, such as the United States, it was the song "Mystery Boy". Both songs were on the

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

in many countries, except Canada, where it was issued with an extended version of previous hit "

I'll Tumble 4 Ya "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" was a hit single from Culture Club's Platinum-plus debut album '' Kissing to Be Clever''. The 7" single was released only in North America, peaking at #9 in the U.S. and #5 in Canada. In Australia, it was released in Septem ...

Background

Helen Terry Helen Terry (born 25 May 1956) is a British singer and television producer, known for her backing vocal work with Culture Club. As a solo performer, she scored a Top 40 hit single in 1984 with "Love Lies Lost", and released one album in 1986, ' ...

sang backing vocals on the song.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

critic Stewart Mason stated that her "fiery performance of the chorus is a pop-song masterstroke." Fellow Allmusic critic Jose J. Promis agreed that her performance "really brought the house down." Mason regarded the song as a tribute to the songs written by

Holland–Dozier–Holland Holland–Dozier–Holland was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the Motown sound in the 1960s. Du ...

for Motown in the 1960s. It was ranked at number 8 among the top ten "Tracks of the Year" for 1983 by ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

''. In 2017, it was ranked as the number one Culture Club song by '' Billboard''. In an interview with ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' in June 1984,

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, when asked if he belonged to any church, joked that he adhered to the "Church of the Poison Mind".

Track listing

7-inch record

A. "Church of the Poison Mind"
B. "Man Shake" ''(Released in UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden)'' A. "Church of the Poison Mind"
B. "Mystery Boy" ''(Released in Peru, USA.)''

12-inch record

A. "Church of the Poison Mind"
B1. "Mystery Boy"
B2. "Man Shake" ''(Released at least in UK, Australia, Germany, Greece (different cover), Italy, Mexico.)'' A. "Church of the Poison Mind"
B. "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" (extended dance mix) ''(Released in Canada.)''

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 1983 singles Culture Club songs 1983 songs Song recordings produced by Steve Levine Virgin Records singles Epic Records singles Songs written by Boy George Songs written by Roy Hay (musician) Songs written by Mikey Craig Songs written by Jon Moss