Boyfriend (Boy George album)
Boyfriend is the third solo studio album by English singer Boy George, released in April 1989 by Virgin Records, just six months after his previous album, "Tense Nervous Headache", which Virgin Records decided to not release in the United Kingdom, due to its lead-single "Don't Cry" performing poorly. Background and release. Upon a suggestion from the 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". "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, it peaked at No. 5 on the US "Billboard" R&B Charts and No. 26 on the "Billboard" Dance Charts, 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). The artwork from "Headache" was simply recycled for the new package, although a slightly different shot from the same photo sessions was chosen. Commercial performance. 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." In America, Virgin Records decided to put together the album "High Hat", combining the Griffin/Riley recordings  with five of the tracks from "Headache".