Jesus Loves You (band)
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1989 in United Kingdom |
| Founder | Boy George |
| Defunct | 1992 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
| Owner | Boy George (founder) |
Jesus Loves You was a UK-based musical group established by vocalist Boy George, known for combining elements of electronic dance music, Indian classical music, and Western pop music. Their songwriting predominantly addressed subjects such as love, spirituality, and equality among people.
History
After the dissolution of Culture Club, Boy George embarked on a solo path, initially gaining recognition with singles from his 1987 debut album Sold. Nevertheless, his follow-up albums Tense Nervous Headache (1988) and Boyfriend (1989) ventured into electronic dance genres but did not achieve substantial commercial success, although they found favor within club scenes.
Jesus Loves You was created by Boy George as a collaborative endeavor under his own label, More Protein, focusing on underground releases rather than mainstream chart performance. Using the alias Angela Dust, he co-composed "After the Love" alongside former Culture Club drummer Jon Moss; this track served as their debut single.
Initial releases saw limited impact on UK charts. During a visit to India, Boy George adopted aspects of the Hare Krishna faith, which inspired the spiritually themed 1991 single "Bow Down Mister." This song became their highest-charting UK single at No. 27 and gained considerable popularity throughout Europe, notably reaching No. 2 in Austria.
Riding this wave of success, their first album The Martyr Mantras was launched in 1991. Boy George credited the Hare Krishna teachings with supporting his recovery from heroin addiction.
Towards the end of 1991, remixed versions of "Generations of Love" and "After the Love" were released as singles.
In July 1992, Jesus Loves You performed at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium before an audience of 35,000 during a Hare Krishna festival.
A follow-up album titled Popularity Breeds Contempt was scheduled for release in December 1992. However, after the lead single "Sweet Toxic Love" underperformed on charts, Virgin Records decided to cancel the album's launch. The remaining tracks have since been made available, and the group disbanded shortly thereafter.
In 2005, a white label 12" single named "Love Your Brother" was issued under the Jesus Loves You moniker, with suggestions of a forthcoming album that ultimately never came to fruition.
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | AUT | GER | ||
| 1990 | The Martyr Mantras | 60 | 136 | 13 | 44 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Version (A-side) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | AUT | BEL (FLA) |
FRA | GER | NED | SWI | |||
| 1989 | "After the Love" | 68 | 160 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 Glorious Years Mix |
| 1990 | "Generations of Love" | 80 | 145 | – | – | – | – | – | – | Land of Oz Mix |
| "One on One" | 83 | – | – | – | align(")–" | "–" | "–" | "–" | "Fon Force Mix" | |
No singles were launched in the United States. In that market, The Martyr Mantras was released as a Boy George album rather than under Jesus Loves You.
See also
External links
- Acid house musicians
- English pop music groups
- English house music groups
- British soul musical groups
- British world music groups
- Performers of Hindu music
- Musicians from the Balearic Islands
- 1989 establishments in the United Kingdom
- 1992 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
- Musical groups established in 1989
- Musical groups disbanded in 1992
- 20th-century British musicians
- Virgin Records artists
- Musical groups disestablished in 1992