The War Song

This article is about the song by Culture Club. For songs named "War", see War (disambiguation) § Songs. For other uses, see War song (disambiguation).

"The War Song" is a song by British band Culture Club, featuring background vocals from Clare Torry. It was released as the lead single from the band's third album, Waking Up with the House on Fire (1984), in September 1984. The song became the group's seventh top-five hit on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, the single peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Elsewhere, it reached the top 10 in several countries, including Australia, Canada, and Ireland, peaking at number one in the latter country.

"The War Song"
Single by Culture Club
from the album Waking Up with the House on Fire
B-side	"La cancion de guerra"
Released	24 September 1984 (1984-09-24)[1]
Genre	New pop[2]
Length	4:14
Label	Virgin, Epic
Songwriter(s)	Boy George, Roy Hay, Mikey Craig, Jon Moss
Producer(s)	Steve Levine
Culture Club singles chronology
"It's a Miracle" (1984) "The War Song" (1984) "The Medal Song" (1984)

Lead singer Boy George later stated on BBC3 that "most people are very ignorant politically and we're all told how glamorous war is."^[3] The band mostly played the song live during the 1980s. The group played the song at a gig on New Year's Eve 2011. They also performed the song in 2014.^[4]

Critical reception

Cash Box said that "this strong anti-war statement is delivered with simple but effective words and a varied melody."^[5] Billboard called it "an effervescent protest song, hard to disagree with."^[6]

Track listings

Depending on region, Spanish B-side "La cancion de guerra" is another alternate-language version, including French version "La chanson de guerre",^[7] German version "Der Kriegsgesang",^[8] and Japanese version "Sensō no uta" ("戦争のうた").^[9]

7-inch single^[10]

A. "The War Song" – 3:57

B. "La cancion de guerra" – 4:06

12-inch single^[11]

A1. "The War Song" (ultimate dance mix) – 6:51

B1. "The War Song" (Shriek mix) – 6:16

B2. "La cancion de guerra"

Chart

Weekly charts Chart (1984–1985) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] 2 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] 4 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[14] 7 El Salvador (UPI)[15] 3 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[16] 3 France (SNEP)[17] 7 Ireland (IRMA)[18] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19] 5 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 7 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[21] 5 Norway (VG-lista)[22] 5 Spain (AFYVE)[23] 4 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 6 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 10 UK Singles (OCC)[26] 2 US Billboard Hot 100[27] 17 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[28] 7 Venezuela (UPI)[29] 8 West Germany (GfK)[30] 12

Year-end charts Chart (1984) Position Australia (Kent Music Report)[31] 51 Belgium (Ultratop)[32] 35 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[33] 67 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[34] 31 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[35] 30 UK Singles (OCC)[36] 31

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[37]	Gold	50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[38]	Silver	250,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of anti-war songs