Where's the Dress explained

Type:single
Artist:Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley
Album:The Good Ol' Boys — Alive and Well
B-Side:Wildlife Sanctuary
Released:1984
Genre:Country
Length:2:48
Label:Columbia
Producer:Blake Mevis
Chronology:Moe Bandy
Prev Title:It Took a Lot of Drinkin' (To Get That Woman Over Me)
Prev Year:1984
Next Title:Woman Your Love
Next Year:1984

"Where's the Dress" is a song by American country music singers Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley. It was released in 1984 as a single from The Good Ol' Boys — Alive and Well, their collaborative album on Columbia Records. The song is a satire of Boy George and Culture Club.

Content

"Where's the Dress" was the first collaborative effort between Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley since their 1981 album Hey Joe! Hey Moe!,[1] which included the singles "Hey Joe (Hey Moe)" and "Honky Tonk Queen".[2] The song is a parody of Culture Club and its lead singer Boy George's androgynous fashion styles, with the two singers pondering adopting a similar fashion sense in order to become more successful. Joe Stampley's son, Tony, is one of the song's co-writers, and Blake Mevis is the song's producer.[1] To promote the song, Bandy and Stampley wore dresses and earrings when distributing the singles to radio stations; they dressed similarly on the cover of the single, as well as using a similar style to many of Culture Club's single covers.[1]

While Boy George himself otherwise liked the song, he later sued Bandy and Stampley for incorporating the intro of "Karma Chameleon" into the song without his permission. The three parties later settled the matter out of court.[3]

Music video

The song also featured a music video, directed by Rod Thompson and produced by Jim Owens. In 1985, it won the award for Best Country Video at the American Video Awards.[4] Similarly to the song's concept, the video features the two singers cross-dressing.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Nashville Scene . Kip Kirby . Billboard . 50 . May 19, 1984.
  2. Book: Whitburn, Joel. Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2017. Record Research, Inc. 2017. 35-36, 341-342. 978-0-89820-229-8.
  3. News: Moe Bandy and his determination revitalizes career . The South Bend Tribune . June 5, 1988 . June 12, 2021.
  4. News: Award-winning videos . . April 12, 1985 . June 12, 2021.
  5. RPM Country Tracks for August 18, 1984 . RPM . 12 . August 18, 1984.