music.wikisort.org - Composition

"Move Away" is a 1986 song by the British band Culture Club. Taken as the lead single from their fourth album, From Luxury to Heartache, the song became the group's eighth top-ten hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number seven.[1] It reached number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100,[2] the song was popular on US radio and the music video received healthy airplay on MTV during the spring of 1986 and was also their last single to reach the Top 40 in the US. It also reached the top ten in various other countries including Italy (#10) and Australia (#10).

"Move Away"
Single by Culture Club
from the album From Luxury to Heartache
B-side	"Sexuality"
Released	3 March 1986 (UK) 5 April 1986 (US)
Genre	Funk rock new wave soul
Length	4:22
Label	Virgin Records Epic Records (US)
Songwriter(s)	George O'Dowd Ron Hay Jon Moss Mikey Craig Phil Pickett
Producer(s)	Lew Hahn, Arif Mardin
Culture Club singles chronology
"Love Is Love" (1985) "Move Away" (1986) "God Thank You Woman" (1986)

The song was produced by Lew Hahn and Arif Mardin (the latter a producer for Chaka Khan and Aretha Franklin in the 80s). "Move Away" was the only single from the album to reach the top-ten in the UK and would be the band's last UK top 10 hit until 1998's "I Just Wanna Be Loved".

Critical reception

On its release, Eleanor Levy of Record Mirror described "Move Away" as a "very clever, radio-orientated pop tune" with a "sparkling production" and "creditable performance".[3] Jerry Smith of Music Week praised it as a "classic pop tune" on which George "delivers a strong vocal over [the] polished production". He added the song "certainly surpasses anything that appeared on the awful Waking Up with the House on Fire".[4]

In the US, Cash Box praised the "effervescent production and Boy George’s rich, silky voice."[5] Billboard said it consists of "guileless, breezy hooks."[6]

Music video

The video-clip for the song, which cast Boy George and Jon Moss as silent film-stars racing cars across a black/white movie screen, was filmed at the Brixton Academy, London. George's friend Alice Temple can also be seen in the video.

Track listing

7"

A. Move Away
B. Sexuality (7" version (alternate mix))

12"

Released at least in UK, Argentina, Australia, Spain, USA

A. Move Away (Extended Mix)
B. Sexuality (Tango Dub Remix Version)

5"

Released as a 5" picture disc vinyl with gatefold cardboard picture sleeve

A. Move Away
B. Sexuality

Chart performance

Chart (1986)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[7]	10
Belgian Singles Chart	7[citation needed]
Canadian Adult Contemporary Singles Chart[8]	8
Canadian Singles Chart[8]	15
Dutch Singles Chart[9]	16
French Singles Chart[10]	47
German Singles Chart[11]	21
Irish Singles Chart[12]	6
Italian Singles Chart[13]	10
New Zealand Singles Chart[14]	16
Norwegian Singles Chart[15]	8
Swedish Singles Chart[16]	7
Swiss Singles Chart[17]	18
UK Singles Chart[18]	7
US Adult Contemporary Chart[19]	11
US Billboard Hot 100[19]	12
US Dance/Club Play Singles[19]	4
US Hot Dance Music Sales[20]	8
US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart[19]	87

In popular culture

The song was featured in the background of a 1986 episode of the US daytime soap opera General Hospital. In 1986, Boy George sang the song in a guest-starring role in an episode of the television series The A-Team entitled "Cowboy George". The song also featured in the first episode of Casualty.^{[citation needed]}

References

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