"Church of the Poison Mind" is a 1983 hit single for the British pop band Culture Club. It was the first single to be released from their second album Colour by Numbers.
The song is characterized partly for its Motown feel; indeed, the opening of "Church of the Poison Mind" sounds similar to Stevie Wonder's hit, "Uptight (Everything's Alright)". The harmonica solo was played by Jud Lander. The subject of the song is an attack on the attitudes of certain churches and faiths on homosexuality.
The song reached #2, being kept off the top spot by David Bowie's "Let's Dance". It was a Top 10 hit in Canada and the United States. In the latter it was still climbing the charts when "Karma Chameleon" was released elsewhere, and subsequently became a huge hit. This prompted Epic Records to release "Karma" ahead of schedule. "Church of the Poison Mind" actually reached its peak position the same week "Karma" debuted on the US charts. In many countries its B-side was the heavily-percussive street song "Man Shake" and in some others, such as the United States, it was the song "Mystery Boy". Both songs were on the 12-inch in many countries, except Canada, where it was issued with an extended version of previous hit "I'll Tumble 4 Ya".
In this single, Helen Terry became famous as the female backup singer with such a powerful voice.
Famous quotes containing the words church of, church, poison and/or mind:
“Now folks, I hereby declare the first church of Tombstone, which ain’t got no name yet or no preacher either, officially dedicated. Now I don’t pretend to be no preacher, but I’ve read the Good Book from cover to cover and back again, and I nary found one word agin dancin’. So we’ll commence by havin’ a dad blasted good dance.”
—Samuel G. Engel (1904–1984)
“Baseball is the religion that worships the obvious and gives thanks that things are exactly as they seem. Instead of celebrating mysteries, baseball rejoices in the absence of mysteries and trusts that, if we watch what is laid before our eyes, down to the last detail, we will cultivate the gift of seeing things as they really are.”
—Thomas Boswell, U.S. sports journalist. “The Church of Baseball,” Baseball: An Illustrated History, ed. Geoffrey C. Ward, Knopf (1994)
“My heart pumps yet the poison draught of you.”
—William Empson (1906–1984)
“The mind of the people is like mud,
From which arise strange and beautiful things.”
—W.J. (Walter James)