Time (Clock of the Heart) explained

Time (Clock of the Heart)
Cover:Timeclock-CultureClub.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Culture Club
Album:Kissing to Be Clever (US Version)
Released:19 November 1982 (UK) / 29 March 1983 (US)
Recorded:1982
Genre:
Length:3:42
Label:Virgin, Epic
Producer:Steve Levine
Prev Title:Do You Really Want to Hurt Me
Prev Year:1982
Next Title:I'll Tumble 4 Ya
Next Year:1983

"Time (Clock of the Heart)" is a song by the British new wave band Culture Club, released as a stand-alone single in most of the world and as the second single from their debut album Kissing to Be Clever in North America. As the follow-up single to their global hit, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me", "Time (Clock of the Heart)" peaked at #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, kept from the #1 spot by Irene Cara's "Flashdance... What a Feeling". "Time" was also a major hit in the band's native UK, reaching #3 on the UK Singles Chart and selling over 500,000 copies in that country.

The song appears on the North American version of Culture Club's album Kissing to Be Clever. In Europe and other regions, it does not appear on the album, but instead was released as a stand-alone single in November 1982. For many of these markets, its first inclusion on a Culture Club album was on the band's 1987 greatest hits album, This Time: The First Four Years.

Critical reception

Cash Box said the song has "a gentle funk anchor on an otherwise airy romantic ballad."[3] In a retrospective review of the song, Allmusic journalist Stewart Mason wrote: "Of all of Culture Club's early hits, Time (Clock of the Heart) has probably aged the best. Boy George drops the cryptic self-mythology long enough to deliver a tender, heartfelt lyric on lost love."[4]

In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked it the 10th best song of 1982 on their list "100 Best Songs of 1982".

Formats and track listing

  1. "Time (Clock of the Heart)" – 3:42
  2. "White Boys Can't Control It" – 3:42
  1. "Time (Clock of the Heart)" – 3:41
  2. "Romance Beyond the Alphabet" (Time Instrumental) – 3:34
  1. A1."Time (Clock of the Heart)" – 3:42
  2. B1."White Boys Can't Control It" – 3:42
  3. B2."Romance Beyond the Alphabet" – 3:44
  1. A1."Time (Clock of the Heart)" – 3:42
  2. B1."Romance Beyond The Alphabet" – 3:42
  3. B2."I'm Afraid Of Me (Extended Version)" –
  1. A1."Time (Clock of the Heart)" – 3:42
  2. A2."White Boy (Long Version)"
  3. B1."I'm Afraid Of Me (Long Version)" –
  4. B2."Do You Really Want To Hurt Me (Dub Version)" –

Personnel

Culture Club

lead vocals and backing vocals

electric guitar and backing vocals

keytar

drums and backing vocals

Additional members:

piano, glockenspiel and tubular bells

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1982)Peak
position
Belgian VRT Top 30[5] 9
Dutch Top 40[6] 7
Irish Singles Chart[7] 4
UK Singles Chart[8] 3
Chart (1983)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 12
Austrian Singles Chart[10] 9
Canadian RPM Singles Chart[11] 4
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[12] 7
German Singles Chart[13] 16
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart[14] 4
Swedish Singles Chart[15] 11
Swiss Singles Chart[16] 9
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 2
US Billboard Adult Contemporary[18] 6
US Billboard Black Singles[19] 34

Year-end charts

Year-end chart (1983) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[20] 79
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[21] 34

Certifications

CountryProviderCertificationSales/shipments
CanadaCRIAGold[22] 50,000+
United KingdomBPIGold[23] 500,000+

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Stanley, Bob . Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Here Comes That Feeling: New Pop. 13 September 2013. Faber & Faber. 978-0-571-28198-5. 535.
  2. Sheffield. Rob. September 27, 2022. 100 Best Songs of 1982. September 9, 2023. Rolling Stone. Time (Clock of the Heart)” is a bittersweet soft-soul lament....
  3. Reviews. Cash Box. April 16, 1983. 2022-07-18. 8.
  4. Web site: Mason . Stewart . Time (Clock of the Heart) – Culture Club : Listen, Appearances, Song Review . AllMusic . 1982-11-03 . 2013-02-25.
  5. Web site: Radio 2 – Top 30 van zaterdag 05 februari 1983. Dutch. VRT Top 30. 1983-02-05. 2009-02-14. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120409063716/http://top30-2.radio2.be/#/chart-list/1898. 9 April 2012. dmy-all.
  6. Web site: De Nederlandse Top 40. Dutch. Dutch Top 40. Radio 538. 15 January 1983. 2009-02-14.
  7. Web site: The Irish Charts – All there is to know. Irish Recorded Music Association. 1982-11-28. 2009-02-14.
  8. Web site: The Official Charts Company – Culture Club – Time (Clock of the Heart). The Official UK Charts Company. 2009-02-14.
  9. Book: Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
  10. Web site: Culture Club – Time (Clock of the Heart) (Song). German. Ö3 Austria Top 40. 1983-04-15. 2009-02-14.
  11. Web site: Top Singles – Volume 38, No. 13, May 28, 1983. RPM. RPM Music Publications Ltd. 1983-05-28. 2009-02-14.
  12. Book: Nyman, Jake . 2005 . Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja . 1st . Tammi . Helsinki. 951-31-2503-3. Finnish .
  13. Web site: Chartverfolgung: Culture Club – Time (Clock of the Heart). German. Media Control Charts. 1983-03-21. 2009-02-14.
  14. Web site: Culture Club – Time (Clock of the Heart) (Song). Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. 1983-05-15. 2009-09-26.
  15. Web site: Culture Club – Time (Clock of the Heart) (Song). Sverigetopplistan. 1983-02-22. 2009-02-14.
  16. Web site: Culture Club – Time (Clock of the Heart) (Song). German. Swiss Charts. Hung Medien. 1985-03-20. 2009-02-14.
  17. Web site: Hot 100: Week of Jun 18, 1983 – Time (Clock of the Heart). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1983-06-18. 2009-02-14.
  18. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn . 1993 . Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993 . Record Research . 62.
  19. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn . 1996 . Top R&B Singles 1942-1995 . Record Research . 100.
  20. Web site: Kent Music Report – National Top 100 Singles for 1983 . . Imgur.com . 22 January 2023.
  21. December 24, 1983 . Talent Almanac 1984: Top Pop Singles . TA-18 . Billboard . 95 . 52 .
  22. Web site: Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) . . 1983-08-01 . 2009-02-14 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100501065534/http://www.cria.ca/cert_db_search.php . 1 May 2010 .
  23. Web site: Certified Awards. British Phonographic Industry. 1983-01-01. 2009-02-14.

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