Waking Up with the House on Fire

Waking Up with the House on Fire
Studio album by Culture Club
Released	October 25, 1984
Recorded	October 1984
Genre	New Wave
Length	36:52
Label	Virgin
Producer	Steve Levine
Culture Club chronology
Colour by Numbers (1983) Waking Up with the House on Fire (1984) From Luxury to Heartache (1986)

Waking Up with the House on Fire is the third album by New Wave band Culture Club, released in 1984.

Overview

While Waking Up with the House on Fire did reach platinum status in the US it was considered to be a disappointment compared to the 4X platinum status of the groups last album Colour by Numbers. It sold more than 4 millions copies worldwide, being gold or platinum in many countries, and being 2 X Platinum in Canada.

Despite a strong first single, "The War Song" which became a number 2 hit in the UK and a top 20 hit in the US in the Autumn of 1984, the album didn't achieve the level of success expected. The other two singles were "The Medal Song" (#32 in UK), (with its B-side, "Don't Go Down That Street" being released as a single from a subsequent EP in Japan but only reaching #69 in the charts) and "Mistake No.3" (#33 in US). In Mexico, "Don't Talk About It" was a single.

On the VH1 program Behind the Music, the narrator states, “Today, the band admits the album was a hurried and halfhearted effort.” Many music insiders also feel that Culture Club and 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, by choosing a new producer and moving in a dance-oriented direction.

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

The album's cover can be seen in the 2008 film Sex and the City as part of Carrie Bradshaw's collection of LPs from the 1980s.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	(B)
Rolling Stone

Reviews for Waking Up with the House on Fire have been mixed. Allmusic's Lindsay Planer rated the album two out of five stars. She 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." She also explained that it "was in no way aided by the irony-laden yet undeniable banality of the emphasis track [...], "The War Song"." However, she 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 flavor." 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."

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

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

• Boy George (George O'Dowd) - vocals
• Mikey Craig - bass guitar
• Roy Hay - guitar, piano, keyboards, sitar, electric sitar
• Jon Moss - percussion, drums

Additional musicians

• Phil Pickett - keyboards, background 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
• Christopher 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

Album

Chart (1984)	Peak position
UK Albums Chart	2
U.S. Billboard 200	26
U.S. Top R&B Albums	55

Singles

Single	Chart (1984/1985)	Peak position
"The War Song"	UK Singles Chart	2
"The War Song"	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	17
"The War Song"	U.S. R&B Chart	87
"The War Song"	U.S. Hot Dance Club Play	7
"The Medal Song"	UK Singles Chart	32
"Mistake No. 3"	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	33
"Mistake No. 3"	U.S. R&B Chart	61
"Mistake No. 3"	U.S. Adult Contemporary	18

Release details

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

External links

• Amazon.com review
• Artist Direct review
• Buy.com review
• Rate Your Music review