It was one of Culture Club’s best songs, and most certainly a Great Song of 1983…featuring Boy George in fine voice…and fantastic guest vocals by British singer Helen Terry.

“Church of the Poison Mind” (from the album “Colour by Numbers”) was well on its way to #1, but thanks to a kill shot by by their record company, Virgin/Epic, it stalled at #10 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

Why? Because They released “Karma Chameleon” while “Poison Mind” was still moving up the charts, and the two songs fought for airtime on both radio and MTV.

“Karma Chameleon” won the battle by passing “Church of the Poison Mind” on the way to #1.

Still, “Church of the Poison Mind” was a bona fide hit in 13 other countries, reaching as high as #2 in the UK and Ireland.

And here’s a double Fun fact: The song was inspired by Stevie Wonder’s hit “Uptight (Everything is Outta Sight” (And You might even notice a Beach Boys influence or two during the bridge.)

“Church of the Poison Mind” was a Great Song of 1983, and Billboard has ranked it as Culture Club’s BEST song overall.

It’s hard to argue with that!