For Boy George, this song won’t come and go.
The Culture Club frontman, 64, spoke of his disdain for the band’s hit “Karma Chameleon,” telling The Post that singing it is like “diarrhea through a wet sock.”
“People think that’s all I’ve ever done,” Boy George said of the 1983 chart topper while noting he understands why fans still want to hear it all these decades later.
In fact, it was the song chosen by Apple TV+ for the star to sing during the streamer’s latest competition show, “KPOPPED,” in front of a live studio audience.
Boy George revealed he almost didn’t participate in the program because of that.
“I have to say that when they first picked that song, I said, ‘Oh absolutely not,’” he recalled to The Post, noting it was the “obvious choice.”
“I wasn’t exactly excited by doing ‘Karma Chameleon.’ It was just, ‘Oh f–k off, that again.’ I’m being honest. That’s the truth,” Boy George explained. “I was like, ‘What the f–k?’ And in fact, the first phone call that we had with Apple, I went off. I was like, ‘I’m not doing this.’”
The Grammy winner went on to say, “You can imagine singing Karma Chameleon, for me. It’s like f–king diarrhea through a wet sock. It’s about as exciting as nothing I can explain.”
Boy George changed his tune, however, after speaking to his team.
“I was like, ‘You know what? I quite fancy going to South Korea,’” he shared of his decision. “It doesn’t really matter what I’m doing.”
And the singer is glad he did it.
“It was actually the adventure of going there in the end. I just loved it,” Boy George reminisced about his time in Seoul and participating in the show. “I was so happy I’d done it.”
“Karma Chameleon” was released in 1983 and became an instant sensation in both the UK and the US.
It was the second Culture Club single to reach the top of the UK Singles Chart, where it stayed at No. 1 for six weeks. The new wave anthem was the UK’s best-selling single that year.
In the US, “Karma Chameleon” landed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 100 list for three consecutive weeks in 1984. While it’s one of the pop band’s most well-known songs, it’s far from their only banger.
“Time (Clock Of The Heart),” “Miss Me Blind,” “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya,” and “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me,” which they earned their first and only Grammy for in 1984, are just some of Culture Club’s ’80s smashes.
Boy George branched out as a solo artist after the group’s first breakup in 1987 and released nine studio albums — but his career wasn’t always smooth sailing.
In 2023, the star opened up to The Post about how his sexuality hindered his success in the early years.
“I use the word ‘he’ and have done so for many years,” Boy George said at the time.
“In fact, when I was doing ‘Cheapness and Beauty,’ I was told emphatically in America that I would never get played on radio because the songs used the word ‘he,’” the singer added regarding his 1995 studio album.
He also shared that while society has evolved, the music industry has a long way to go in terms of LGBTQIA+ representation.
“If you are gay, and you keep it light, you can be camp on the surface and jump around in costumes, but don’t talk about anything serious,” he explained. “So no, I don’t think the industry has moved on, and I don’t think we are in a better place.”
But Boy George is always up for a challenge.
He recently starred in Apple TV+’s song battle series, “KPOPPED,” performing a youthful K-pop rendition of “Karma Chameleon” alongside members of the South Korean girl group STAYC.
Boy George went up against Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas from TLC and the other half of STAYC, who performed the 1995 “Waterfalls.”
Other Western superstars who also take part in the show include Patti LaBelle, Kylie Minogue, Boyz II Men, Mel B and Emma Bunton from the Spice Girls, Kesha, Eve, Vanilla Ice, J Balvin and more.
“KPOPPED” is available to stream on Apple TV+.
