Boy George has threatened to fire members of his band who refuse to perform his pro-Israel song, We Will Dance Again. In an Instagram video uploaded on Sunday, the 65-year-old Culture Club frontman, real name George Alan O'Dowd, defended his use of artificial intelligence to create the track and insisted that any human musician would have hindered his creative process.
The song, released on social media last month, includes the controversial lyric: 'You say genocide, I say war'. It references the attack at the Nova music festival, where O'Dowd writes people were 'murdered brutally for the crime of dancing'. Around 1,200 people died during the October 7 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, and since the war began, the Palestinian death toll has surpassed 73,000, according to reports.
Band Members Face Ultimatum
In his recent Instagram post, O'Dowd stated: 'Even now the song is written, there are people in my band who are questioning whether they'll perform it with me. And those people will be fired.' He added: 'I don't need gatekeepers, and one of the great things about AI is that it removes all the interference, all the human interference.'
Maintaining that he wrote the song, O'Dowd stressed: 'The lyrics are mine, the melody is mine.' He claimed that using AI makes him 'more creative', adding: 'That's what I do with Culture Club, that's what I do with all the people I work with because I don't play an instrument. That doesn't make me lazy or make me uncreative. In fact, I think AI has made me more creative.'
West End Pullout After Backlash
Following public backlash over the song, the musician's management announced that he would not make his West End return to play King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium from August 3-15 as originally planned.
About his decision to withdraw, O'Dowd wrote in a social media post: 'Sometimes, I realise that being an air sign I expect the world to understand me without having to explain myself. The suggestion that I feel no compassion for Palestinians is both untrue and absurd. I am devastated for the loss of the innocent lives on both sides of this war and I call for peace.' He also criticised those branding him a 'genocide denier' while 'those who deny the suffering of Israelis are given a free pass'.
Inspiration Behind the Song
George said his now-controversial song was inspired by his visit to the Nova Exhibition and meetings with families and survivors. He shared on X (formerly Twitter): 'My song is pro peace and about the emotions I felt after visiting the Nova Exhibition and talking to Michael and Lisa Marlowe who had their son Jake taken from them. Murdered trying to help others. #Shalom'
He continued: 'I also spent time talking to May Hayat who survived while her best friend was murdered. We took a picture standing in front of all the people who were killed that day. Everyone knows what happened to innocent women, kids, babies, sons and fathers on that day, innocent people who were at a festival celebrating life.'
Song Lyrics and Criticism
Earlier this year, O'Dowd claimed he had no opinion on Israel; however, on July 28, he released the song. The opening lyrics include: 'You say genocide, I say war / When you're attacked, that's what the army's for / Does it get ugly? You bet it does / When I know you wanna kill every last one of us.'
The song also criticises the pro-Palestinian movement and musicians critical of Israel: 'You condemn the Jews, with selective memory / Musicians holding flags, mouthing like sheep / Propaganda fuelled by the internet feels so weak.'
