Waking Up with the House on Fire
Studio album by
Culture Club
Released22 October 1984[1][2]
Recorded1984
StudioRed Bus Studios, London
Genre
Length36:52
LabelVirgin (UK)
Epic (US)
ProducerSteve Levine
Culture Club chronology
Colour by Numbers
(1983)		 Waking Up with the House on Fire
(1984)		 From Luxury to Heartache
(1986)
Singles from Waking Up with the House on Fire
  1. "The War Song"
    Released: 24 September 1984
  2. "The Medal Song"
    Released: 19 November 1984 (UK, Japan, Europe)
  3. "Mistake No. 3"
    Released: 9 December 1984 (US, Canada, Australia, Africa)

Waking Up with the House on Fire is the third album by the English new wave group Culture Club, released on 22 October 1984. The album peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the band's third top five album.

Overview

The first single, "The War Song", became a number two hit in the UK and a top 20 hit in the US in late 1984. However, the album did not achieve the level of success expected. While Waking Up with the House on Fire reached Platinum status in both the UK and the US, it was considered to be a disappointment compared to the success of the group's previous album, Colour by Numbers (1983). It was certified gold or platinum in many countries, and earning Double Platinum status in Canada.

The other two singles were "The Medal Song" (UK No. 32), (with its B-side, "Don't Go Down That Street" being released as a single from a subsequent EP in Japan but only reaching No. 69 in the charts) and "Mistake No. 3" (US No. 33). In Mexico, "Don't Talk About It" was released as a single in mid 1985 and charted at number eight.

Billboard called "Mistake No. 3" "slow, lyrical musings on human weakness" that is "an unusually sad song" for Culture Club.[3]

On the VH1 program Behind the Music, the narrator states, "Today, the band admits the album was a hurried and halfhearted effort." Some music insiders also feel that Culture Club and lead singer Boy George may have fallen victim to overexposure in both the British and American press by the end of 1984. Subsequently, Culture Club decided to change direction for the next album, From Luxury to Heartache (1986), by choosing a new producer in Arif Mardin and moving in a dance-oriented direction.

In 2008, the album was re-released in Japan, as a special collector "mini-LP" edition (a CD in a cardboard sleeve (featuring booklets) as a miniature version of the original vinyl album).

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Robert ChristgauB[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]
Smash Hits[8]
Spin Alternative Record Guide2/10[9]

Reviews for Waking Up with the House on Fire have been fairly negative. In Smash Hits magazine, reviewer Tom Hibbert stated the album was "a disaster of mediocrity" and that the majority of the tracks were "a characterless stodge of bland blue-eyed soul, slouching rhythms, pedestrian horns and nonchalant vocals...".[8]

AllMusic's Lindsay Planer retrospectively rated the album two out of five stars. He noted that "overexposure in the media, the ever-changing tides and trends of pop music, and, quite frankly, a less than laudable collection of songs resulted in [the album] receiving a less than enthusiastic response." He also explained that it "was in no way aided by the irony-laden yet undeniable banality of the emphasis track [...], "The War Song"." However, he stated: "Two of the more interesting cuts are the vintage R&B "Crime Time" and the upbeat and soulful "Mannequin," blending Beach Boys-esque vocal harmonies with a distinctly Carolina beach and shag flavour."[4]

Robert Christgau rated it a B, stating: "Since I had even less use for the dismissive because-he-wears-dresses theory than for the ridiculous new-Smokey analysis, I could never figure out [Boy George's] means of commercial propulsion". He also stated that "this calls for concerted protest – which might be easier to whip up if the latest album weren't part three of more-of-the-same."[5]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Culture Club.

Side one
  1. "Dangerous Man" – 4:14
  2. "The War Song" – 4:13
  3. "Unfortunate Thing" – 3:08
  4. "Crime Time" – 2:59
  5. "Mistake No. 3" – 4:36
Side two
  1. "The Dive" – 3:47
  2. "The Medal Song" – 4:15
  3. "Don't Talk About It" – 3:17
  4. "Mannequin" – 2:53
  5. "Hello Goodbye" – 3:25
Bonus tracks (2003 CD re-issue)
  1. "La Cancion de Guerra" – 4:04
  2. "Love Is Love" – 3:51
  3. "The Dream" – 2:29
  4. "Don't Go Down That Street" – 6:34
  • The Chilean cassette edition starts with an extended version of "The War Song".

Personnel

Culture Club
Additional musicians
  • Phil Pickett – keyboards, backing vocals
  • Steve Grainger – saxophone
  • Kenneth McGregor – trombone
  • Ron Williams – trumpet
  • Helen Terry – backing vocals
  • Imogen Exton – backing vocals
  • Derek Green – backing vocals
  • Alice Kemp – backing vocals
  • Andriana Loizou – backing vocals
  • Alanda Marchant – backing vocals
  • Nancy Peppers – backing vocals
  • Chris Rainbow – backing vocals
  • Louis Rogers – backing vocals
  • Martin Sunley – backing vocals
  • Tara Thomas – backing vocals
  • Clare Torry – backing vocals

Production

  • Steve Levine – producer, digital mixing
  • Gordon Milne – engineer
  • Peter Lees – assistant engineer
  • Jon Moss – digital mixing
  • Ray Allington – hair stylist
  • Kim Bowen – stylist
  • Stevie Hughes – photography, makeup
  • Connie Jude – cover and rear sleeve illustration

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Waking Up With The House On Fire
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[28] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[29] Gold 100,000*
Japan — 229,770[15]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[30] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] Platinum 499,000[32]
United States (RIAA)[33] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release details

Country Date Label Format Catalog
1984 Virgin CD 91392
LP 39881
1996 CD 86181
2003 CD 92406

References

  1. ↑ Thrills, Adrian (13 October 1984). "Frankie Say: Beat It!". NME. London, England: IPC Media: 2.
  2. ↑ "Culture Club in a hot house" (PDF). Record Mirror. 20 October 1984. p. 4. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "Reviews". Billboard. 15 December 1984. p. 72. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  4. 1 2 Planer, Lindsay. Waking Up with the House on Fire [Bonus Tracks] – Culture Club at AllMusic. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  5. 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide Reviews: Culture Club". The Village Voice. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  6. ↑ "Waking Up with the House on Fire". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  7. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 172–173.
  8. 1 2 "Hibbert, Tom (8 November 1984). "Album Reviews (Culture Club - "Waking Up...")". Smash Hits. Vol. 6, no. 22. EMAP Metro. p. 23.
  9. ↑ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 99–100.
  10. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0646119176.
  11. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 5 March 2012
  12. ↑ "dutchcharts.nl Culture Club – Waking Up with the House on Fire". MegaCharts (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  13. ↑ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  14. 1 2 "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1984" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4871310779.
  16. ↑ "charts.nz Culture Club – Waking Up with the House on Fire" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  17. ↑ "norwegiancharts.com Culture Club – Waking Up with the House on Fire" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  18. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  19. ↑ "swedishcharts.com Culture Club – Waking Up with the House on Fire" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  20. ↑ "Culture Club – Waking Up with the House on Fire – hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  21. ↑ "The Official Charts Company – Culture Club – Waking Up with the House on Fire" (PHP). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  22. ↑ "allmusic ((( Waking Up with the House on Fire > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  23. ↑ "Album Search: Culture Club – Waking Up with the House on Fire" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  24. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1984". RPM. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  25. ↑ "Les Albums (CD) de 1984 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 27 October 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  26. ↑ "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  27. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1985". RPM. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  28. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Culture Club – Waking Up with the House on Fire". Music Canada. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  29. ↑ "French album certifications – Culture Club – Waking Up with the House on Fire" (in French). InfoDisc. Select CULTURE CLUB and click OK. 
  30. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Culture Club – Waking Up with the House on Fire". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  31. ↑ "British album certifications – Culture Club – Waking Up with the House on Fire". British Phonographic Industry.
  32. ↑ "Frankie sets new record on advance sales" (PDF). Music Week. 1 November 1984. p. 1. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  33. ↑ "American album certifications – Culture Club – Waking Up with the House on Fire". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
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