Boy George. Photo: ddp via Reuters Connect

Boy George released a new song on Monday expressing support for Israel and the Jewish community while defending the Jewish state’s military campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip following the terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel.

“We Will Dance Again” features the British pop icon and longtime Israel supporter singing partly in Hebrew. Its opening lyrics include: “You say genocide, I say war / When you’re attacked, that’s what the army’s for / Does it get ugly? You bet it does / When I know you wanna kill every last one of us.”

The Culture Club singer, who is not Jewish, also references the Hamas-led massacre at the Nova music festival, singing that the victims were “raped … murdered … for the crime of dancing.”

Boy George goes on to criticize musicians who have publicly condemned Israel.

“You condemn the Jews, with selective memory,” he sings. “Musicians holding flags, mouthing like sheep / Propaganda fueled by the internet feels so weak.”

“We will dance again,” Boy George repeatedly sings in the chorus. “And there will be no war.” He later adds: “But if you’re ever confused / I stand with the Jews / I don’t feel brave, I just need to behave like a human.”

The “Karma Chameleon” singer posted on X and Instagram audio of the upbeat song as well as its title in both Hebrew and English. The phrase “We Will Dance Again” has been used by Israelis and supporters of Israel to express solidarity with victims of the Oct. 7 attack at the Nova festival.

 

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Boy George and Italian artist Senhit represented San Marino in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, which several countries boycotted because of Israel’s participation. When asked about the countries who were opposed to Israel’s inclusion in the song contest, Boy George defended Israel’s involvement. “I have many, many Jewish friends that I’ve had since I was 15 or 16 years old,” he said. “Are people asking me as a principled human being to turn my back on my Jewish friends? It’s not going to happen; it’s never going to happen.” He added that he has worn the Star of David from the start of his career and that he felt “very connected to the Jewish people.”

“I am not necessarily affiliated with Israel. I don’t really have an opinion on that. But the job of music is to unite people,” he said.

Boy George also expressed solidarity with the Jewish community at a rally against antisemitism held in London earlier this summer. He said in February he hopes to perform in Israel again in the near future even after facing pressure from anti-Israel musicians, like Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters, to not perform in the country. In 2020, he collaborated on a song with Israeli artist Asaf Goren that features both English and Hebrew lyrics.