Songoftheday 11/24/15 - Holding my check book got a leak in the pipe, food on the table but the landlord's knocked twice...

"Live Your Life" - Boy George
from the album Hiding Out (Original Soundtrack) (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #40 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 1

Today's song of the day comes from British singer Boy George, who had led the band Culture Club to ten top-40 pop hits in America in the early 80s. However, he left the band in a drug-fuel shambles of a life, entering rehab, then having to beat an addiction to the meds to beat the addiction. In 1987, he released his first solo album, Sold, which was pretty successful in the UK, spinning off four top-40 hits including a #1 cover of the soft-rock classic from Bread, "Everything I Own", done pop-reggae style. This didn't cross over to America, though, with the album being horribly overlooked.

George did return to mainstream American radio the following year courtesy of his contribution to the Jon Cryer movie Hiding Out. "Live My Life", written by Danny Sembello ("Maniac" Michael's brother) and Ailee Willis, the lite-pop soundtrack fare was the safest best for George to take in the States, though he gets points for keeping his gender-intent intact in the lyrics ("phone don't ring got no man on the line. It would be the first track on the Hiding Out soundtrack, and the second single after Pretty Poison's "Catch Me (I'm Falling)"...

"Live My Life" became Boy George's first solo top-40 hit in America in February of 1988. The single also climbed to #21 on Billboard's R&B chart, while landing at #14 on their Dance Club Play list. It was also a minor hit in his native Britain at #62.

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Preceeding his foray into pure R&B music with his next studio album, the version of "Live My Life" serviced to soul stations was quite different...

...and here's the Boy appearing on Euro TV to promote the song...

Up tomorrow: a new soul/pop singer is throwing stones at this female.