Boy George has said he believes his pro-Israel song We Will Dance Again is “calling for peace”. The 65-year-old singer wrote the track because he “felt compelled to speak up” after the attack at the Nova music festival in Israel on October 7, 2023, and wanted to show support for the victims.
Song's Origins and Release
Boy George, whose real name is George O’Dowd, previously said he would fire members of his band who did not want to perform the track, which he self-released over the summer. The singer has since released the song through Warner Music Group and Alternative Distribution Alliance.
Boy George said: “I wrote We Will Dance Again after visiting the Nova festival exhibition in London, which compounded the horror of October 7. Meeting the parents of victim Jake Marlow and survivor May Hayat, I felt compelled to speak up, and the song was born. I always feel I express myself best in my music.”
Controversial Lyrics and Response
Shortly after its release, the song sparked controversy for its lyric: “You say genocide, I say war.” It also contains criticism of pro-Palestinian activists, including the verse: “You condemn the Jews, with selective memory / Musicians holding flags, mouthing like sheep / Propaganda fuelled by the internet feels so weak.”
Boy George said: “The most important line in the song to me is: ‘If you are confused, I stand with the Jews.’ That is not a political statement or political opinion, as Judaism is a religion, and not a government, but right now, with the rise in antisemitism, it feels like a very important thing to say.”
Support and Defence
Warner Music Group previously said in a statement that it “provides a platform for artists and songwriters across the world of all backgrounds, beliefs and viewpoints and supports their creative freedom”.
Boy George previously defended We Will Dance Again in a post on Instagram in August, saying: “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.”
The Culture Club star also addressed using generative AI to write the song, saying the technology removed “all the human interference”, adding: “The lyrics are mine, the melody is mine.”
Boy George, who is not Jewish, has recently voiced support for Jewish people. He told The Telegraph: “Over the years it’s been a really personal thing. It doesn’t mean that I don’t have compassion for Palestinians, it doesn’t mean that I agree with what’s going on in Israel, but I am always going to defend the people that I love. I have a lot of Jewish friends and there would never be a situation where I’d turn my back on them.”
