Culture Club released the single “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” in the United Kingdom. Critics were not particularly favorable; Smash Hits magazine described it as “fourth-rate reggae”.
Culture Club released their debut album Kissing to Be Clever in the UK. When it was released in the U.S. several months later, it produced three Top 10 hits and helped launch the wave of British artists associated with MTV, including Duran Duran and Eurythmics.