Waking Up with the House on Fire

Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |Template:Short description|noreplace}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Colour by Numbers1983From Luxury to Heartache1986studioWaking Up with the House on FireWaking Up with the House on Fire CD cover.jpgCulture Club22 October 1984<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>1984Red Bus Studios, London* New wave

• blue-eyed soul36:52Virgin (UK)
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Waking Up with the House on Fire is the third album by the English new wave group Culture Club, released on 22 October 1984. The album peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the band's third top five album.

Overview

The first single, "The War Song", hit #2 in the UK and went Top 20 in the US in late 1984. While Waking Up with the House on Fire became the band's third consecutive Platinum seller in both the UK and the US, it was less successful than the group's previous album, Colour by Numbers (1983). It was certified gold or platinum in many countries, even earning Double Platinum status in Canada.

The other two singles were "The Medal Song" (UK No. 32), (with its B-side, "Don't Go Down That Street" being released as a single from a subsequent EP in Japan but only reaching No. 69 in the charts) and "Mistake No. 3" (US No. 33). In Mexico, "Don't Talk About It" was released as a single in mid 1985 and charted at number eight. Billboard called "Mistake No. 3" "slow, lyrical musings on human weakness" that is "an unusually sad song" for Culture Club.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Reception

Template:Album ratings Reviews for Waking Up with the House on Fire have been fairly negative. In Smash Hits magazine, reviewer Tom Hibbert stated the album was "a disaster of mediocrity" and that the majority of the tracks were "a characterless stodge of bland blue-eyed soul, slouching rhythms, pedestrian horns and nonchalant vocals...".<ref name="smash"/>

AllMusic's Lindsay Planer retrospectively rated the album two out of five stars. He 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." He also explained that it "was in no way aided by the irony-laden yet undeniable banality of the emphasis track [...], "The War Song"." However, he 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 flavour."<ref name="AMG" />

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."<ref name="christgau" />

Track listing

• The Chilean cassette edition starts with an extended version of "The War Song".

Personnel

Culture Club

• Boy George – vocals
• Mikey Craig – bass guitar
• Roy Hay – guitar, piano, keyboards, sitar, electric sitar
• Jon Moss – percussion, drums

Additional musicians

• Phil Pickett – keyboards, backing 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
• Chris 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

Weekly charts

Chart (1984–1985)	Peak position
Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart<ref name="auchart">Template:Cite book</ref>	2
Canadian RPM Albums Chart<ref>Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 5 March 2012</ref>	6
Dutch Mega Albums Chart<ref name="nlchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	7
French SNEP Albums Chart<ref name="fracharts">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2
Italian Albums Chart<ref name="itayearend">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	7
Japanese Oricon LP Chart<ref name="Jachart">Template:Cite book</ref>	4
New Zealand Albums Chart<ref name="NZchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	15
Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart<ref name="Nochart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	9
Spanish Albums Chart<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	4
Swedish Albums Chart<ref name="sechart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	19
Swiss Albums Chart<ref name="chchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	21
UK Albums Chart<ref name="UKchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2
US Billboard 200<ref name="USchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	26
West German Media Control Albums Chart<ref name="dechart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	22

Year-end charts

Chart (1984)	Position
Australian Albums Chart<ref name="auchart"/>	68
Canadian Albums Chart<ref name="CAYearend84">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	30
French Albums Chart<ref name="frayearend">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	61
Italian Albums Chart<ref name="itayearend"/>	60
Japanese Albums Chart (Oricon)<ref name="Jachart"/>	60
UK Albums Chart<ref name="UKYearend">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	54
Chart (1985)	Position
Canadian Albums Chart<ref name="CAYearend85">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	89
Japanese Albums Chart<ref name="Jachart"/>	113

Release details

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