Marilyn, whose real name is Peter Robinson, is an Anglo-Jamaican singer-songwriter who, apart from her singing talent, will stay in musical history in the 80s for her particularly outrageous androgynous look.
His stage name Marilyn is of course in reference to Marilyn Monroe and he developed his androgynous side from his teenage years, wearing vintage dresses and sporting peroxidized blonde hair. It was this particular look that made him join the New Romantic movement, which would experience its heyday in the early 80s.
It was while attending nightclub "The Blitz", the hyper trendy club in London and run by Steve Strange (of the group Visage), that he made several key encounters. There he crossed paths with a certain… Boy George, before he formed Culture Club. A meeting that will bring them together to the point of subsequently sharing the same squat ...
And it is precisely the enormous success of Culture Club, and especially of its androgynous leader Boy George, that will change the game. Indeed, several labels will go in search of profiles identical to that of Boy George and it is with this in mind that Phonogram Records will offer Robinson its first contract.
He released his first Single "Calling your name" in 1983, a first Single that will hit the world and propel the young singer in a dazzling way on the front of the stage.
Success confirmed a year later in 1984 with the release of "Cry and be free" but also, and above all, "You don’t love me" which also became a worldwide hit. The success did not prevent financial difficulties and the singer was forced by his record company to go into exile in the United States in order to "make it over".
But the American adventure will unfortunately turn into a nightmare. He begins by cutting his hair and stops putting on makeup, a new behavior that deeply destabilizes fans from the beginning. A recording of the music video for his new Single "Baby U left me (In the cold)" follows which turns into a disaster and which will end up destabilizing him completely.
This will not prevent the release of his first - and only - album "Despite straight lines" the following year in 1985. Album from which will be extracted his last notorious hit which is precisely "Baby U left me (In the cold)" .
The artist will eventually fall into drugs and a rather violent public argument with Boy George will end up tarnishing an image already rather degraded.
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
80s Decade :
Calling your name 1983
Cry and be free 1984
You don’t love me 1984
Baby U left me (In the cold) 1985
Surrender to your love 1985
Pray for thaht sunshine 1985
2010s Decade :
Love or money 2016
Tracks :
1983 ... the shattering start of a youngster who has everything of a Boy George but not necessarily the equivalent talent. Anyway, first title and first mega hit. HU-GE !
1984 ... a sequel at the extreme opposite of the previous title. We go from Dance to Intimist quite suddenly. Astonishing transition which at least has the merit of showing another side of the singer ...
1984 ... a parenthesis quickly closed. Back to Dance but on this one, it's a semi Dance mode, not too violent, rather in hybrid mode. A bit like him what. But a fashion that works because here he gets its new global top hit!
1985 ... everything changed, both the style and the sound. A metamorphosis violent enough to pick up a little more to the standards of the moment. It is not without interest but everything that made its originality has disappeared ...
1985 ... an adventure that is already ending. And yes, like I said at the start, Boy George is not who wants to. Three short years of career and then goes. Hard law of the trade ...
1985 ... ah, no, there's still a little one left. And rather of good quality, it would be a shame to miss it ...
1985...come on, if you look carefully, there is also this one. A title which will go completely unnoticed and which will unfortunately spell the end of the game...
2016...when we thought we would never see him again, here he is back in a completely unexpected way, to say the least, almost 30 years later. So in music nothing is ever finished !
Wiki :
Discography :