Boyfriend (Boy George album)

Upon a suggestion from Sharon Heyward, head of the Black Music department of Virgin, American producers Gene Griffin and Teddy Riley flew over to London during sessions for Tense Nervous Headache to record four tracks which Boy George disliked. "I thought Teddy and I would write together," he'd later tell in his autobiography Take It Like a Man.[2] "I agreed to sing them if I could work on the lyrics, which I did with little success. I convinced myself the fat beats and production would compensate for the lack of substance. I was wrong. When I received the final mixes I went into depression (...) They'd invested a ridiculous $75,000 and didn't care about my artistic integrity." The tracks were left off the Headache album. Virgin, now refusing to have anything more to do with that album, went ahead and released "Don't Take My Mind on a Trip" in February 1989 in an attempt to recoup their money. Despite it continuing Boy George's disappointing charts performances when it only made No. 68 in the UK Singles Chart,[3] it peaked at No. 5 on the US Billboard R&B Charts and No. 26 on the Billboard Dance Charts,[4] prompting Virgin to go ahead and put a new album together, assembling the four Riley/Griffin tracks on side one, and two previously unreleased tracks on side two as well as two previously released tracks "Girlfriend" from the soundtrack Slaves of New York and "No Clause 28" protest single (No. 57 UK charts, June 1988).[5] The artwork from Headache was simply recycled for the new package, although a slightly different shot from the same photo sessions was chosen.

The album failed to chart anywhere. A second single "Whether They Like It or Not" was released in Europe in June 1989. "I did the rounds on automatic," Boy George admitted. "It was enough misery to make me finally realize that I knew better."[6] In America, Virgin Records decided to put together the album High Hat, combining the Griffin/Riley recordings with five of the tracks from Headache.