Since this was recorded before Pete Burns passed away consider this a footnote for the curious - Boy George paid all of the costs for Burns' funeral out of pocket. True class.

I think Pete Burns' aesthetic can be best described as "genderfuck" rather than drag.

I actually did a lot of research on this song years ago. Apparently, Pete wanted it to sound like the kind of music you'd hear in gay bars at the time. He himself was bi, being married to a woman for over twenty years and married to a man for three years after that. I hear the reason Pete got all that plastic surgery is because he simply liked the freedom of customizing his own body. He was an... interesting man.

I love how these one-hit-wonders reviews are more like documentaries

Boy George to his credit, paid for Pete Burns funeral.

"Like a Gay Tom Jones." This is one of the best descriptions of Pete Burns ever.

Rest in Peace, Pete Burns. He died in 2016 and no one even remembers. Well, I do. That's why I hope he rests in peace.

I just realized that Pete Burns is basically an anime character

This song sounds awesome on piano.

The way he belts I NEED YOUR LOOOOOOOVE gets stuck in my head every time. Full force indeed.

"Its not who did it first, its who did it best" ...still Pete

Todd probably should have mentioned that "Brand New Lover" was a Top 20 single. It peaked at #15 in the winter of 1987, just 4 spots below where "You Spin Me Round" peaked, meaning Dead Or Alive's status as a one hit wonder is borderline at best.

Call me silly, but I LOVED Dead or Alive, and was infatuated with Pete Burns...EARLY career Pete.

“He took my bathroom scales and broke it”- Pete Burns on Boy George. Boy George called him “third degree burns” Later they laughed about it

To Be Fair, "brand new Lover" and "In Too Deep" were huge 80's club bangers

Steve Coy, the drummer (also on guitars later on) and only other constant member of DoA aside from Pete Burns, died last month. RIP.

Pete had really beautiful eyes.

Well at least Boy George paid for Pete Burns' funeral.

The sped up version of this song is exactly what my anxiety attacks feel like

'You Spin Me Round' was number 11 in the US. 'Brand New Lover' was number 15.

"Brand New Lover" is pretty awesome. They were more like a two-hit wonder.

The almost shot-for-shot recreation of this video with Paul Rudd as Pete - even doing his own singing - is amazing.

Who can forget Adam Sandler singing this to open up "The Wedding Singer"?

and now we see the origin of visual kei in Japanese rock-n-roll.

Pete Burns was so gorgeous before all his surgery. Especially during the Brand New Lover era.

I'm pretty sure all the other band members are being held hostage, that's why they're tied to a poll

I honestly love dead or alive, I love how their sound was ''turn everything to 10 and have the freak sing very loud over it'' and have a fair few of their albums, though I think their first is their best. Plus Pete Burns was just a character and always interesting to listen to. And yes they were big in japan. Some of my favorite tracks: I would do anything Sit on it My heart goes bang Something in my house Come home with me I cannot carry on

I love this song and will never stop. All this video made me decide is I need to incorporate a piano version of this into my wedding.

Though it fizzled in England, "Brand New Lover" hit #15 here (it was #1 on the dance charts) and was huge -- nearly as big as "You Spin Me Round" -- on MTV. The video got a ton of airplay. So I'd call them a two hit wonder. But I'm still glad to have gotten this video.

Pete Burns turned himself into something frightening. I remember Charlie Brooker talking about how he had a reality show years back where (much like the Apprentice) people were competing to be his personal assistant, and one of the things he made them do (to test their devotion and loyalty to him) was he threw a tube of his lipstick in a dumpster and the first one to find it won that round. These people literally threw themselves in the trash for him. ARGH!

It's amazing how this look likes a Visual Kei band. Huge Buck-Tick or early X-Japan vibes

That song is so over the top gay, it's great. I love it.

As a child growing up on the internet all I can think of when I hear this song is Meatspin.

I went to look Pete up after watching this only to find out he passed away late last year 😥

I don't know man, "Big Daddy of Rhythm" is probably the best song off of that album, plus "Something in my House" is pure brilliance.

Hot Take: "Brand New Lover" is a way better song than "You Spin Me Right Round" and you also could have at least mentioned that NUKLEOPATRA (the "1996 album" you mentioned) was released on legendary goth label Cleopatra Records in the US and featured a much more dramatic shift in tone than you implied.

Pete Burns looks very similar to David Bowie from Labyrinth

To quote RuPaul "we're all born naked and the rest is drag."

"Doofy simps like Rick Astley" Wow, not only did Todd use the word "simp" before it was cool in basically the exact same way it's used now, but he also said something that I entirely agree with while also being very mad at.

Pete died last year, such a bummer that they had to go out like that...

"Brand New Lover" deserves more credit!

Thanks for introducing me to their cover of That's the Way (I Like It), it is my favorite thing in the entire world.

2:21 Did she introduce them as "Dead AND Alive"?

Music aside....its tragic imo how badly he botched up his features with plastic surgery....I am watching these old videos thinking nonstop 'what a hot total beauty'.... Both from a het-female crushing on a man-hunk way, and a bi-female crushing on an androgynous female/drag queen guy way...He had really sublime features that he could have made unironically attractive in some many ways, even with all the ridiculous 80s getup he looks still potentially good...and while I don't know how gracefully he would have aged years down the road (and no idea how heavy his drug/alcohol abuses were but I am sure they were the standard level of 80's pop diva debauchery so I doubt Time would have been very good to him anyway) ....it STILL would have to have been better than what he ended up looking like. He went from artsy-fartsy Calvin Klein model to an abused looking Muppet. Sad. :(

Their album "Mad, Bad and Dangerous To Know" is so good I still spin it

Todd used the word simps way before it was big, impressive

So sad. I know a lot of people found him attractive no matter their sexuality. He did not have to do that.

"Lady Gaga in 30 years?" Nah, try Jeffree Star. 😏

Dude, Brand New Lover charted as high as 15 in 1986 and was huge in the club scene for freakin ever. I'd say that he had two smashes.

I don’t need more songs by them. You Spin Me Round is perfect. It’s fun, it’s provocative, it’e a banger. It’s a perfect freeze-frame of a specific feeling. For me the song and video are just the funniest and I love them.

'And here they are...Dead and Alive' Oops

RIP Pete Burns. He and Billy Paul were the first to go AFTER Todd covered them. A few subjects were long dead already but these two died after Todd gave them exposure.

big brother Pete Burns is the accurate liverpool representation we need lol

that beautiful and overwhelming Pete Burns.

There is something in my house, my house. It's just the ghost of a long-lost dead affair oh, there is something in my house, my house. I just keep hearing you running up and down my stairs but you're not there.......

Another fun post punk/goth connection is that an early member of Dead or Alive (Wayne Hussey) went on to join The Sisters of Mercy for their first album and later made his own band, The Mission. Still one of my favorite music connections

I love this song so much. It’s genuinely so good.

Maximum FABULOUS!

Thanks, Todd! This video helped me find one of my favorite songs: "Brand New Lover."

I feel like this is what it would be like if Loki had a music career. Like inside of trying to kill his brother he channeled all that energy into forming a band

Pete Burns is my spirit animal and this song is fucking incredible. I have 16 covers of it on my phone and it was all I listened to back in 2009-2010 while I played RuneScape. It brings back so many amazing memories. It’ll always be a special song to me. RIP Pete.

Oh my god. Their video for That's The Way (I Like It) is truly something to behold.

This is and always was (as the kids in the UK are saying) a banger.

its really sad that doa's music didn't really get more attention outside of this song. Most of they're music that was produced from boom boom and after was soooooo good. Dead or Alive is definitely one of my favorites.

“Anybody who confuses it for the Flo Rida song will get punched” *slams fist* THANK YOU!!

*You Spin Me Round exists* Flo Rida: time for me to make money off your hard work

I wonder how many people were introduced to this song through Meatspin? 🤔

I never realized how many Dead or Alive songs I hear regularly, and I'm not even counting their big hit. My job plays all their songs that Todd featured in the review..except for You Spin Me Round. Weird.

Another difference between Pete Burns and Boy George is the fact that Boy George is gay, and Pete is Bisexual. Pete has been married twice; once to a woman and once to a man. I feel like bisexuals are often overlooked because we have a tendency to want to pigeon hole people into neat, specific, single categories.

I honestly thought “Brand New Lover” should have been the song they are remembered for. Nothing wrong with “You Spin Me…”, but I can listen to “Brand New Lover” every day. And the guitar work on the album version is 🔥🔥🔥

I don't care what ANY of you people think, THIS SONG IS FANTASTIC!!!!!!

The internet ruined this song. You know why

I think you are wrong saying You Spin Me was the only good record the had. they sure did have other great songs that many people found even better. You Spin Me became a classic disco song also because of the right opportunity on a right time to become THAT big. songs like "Lover come back to me" ,"Brand New Lover" "Something In My House" and many more got great responses ....Pete was extremely talented and it troubled him, he had many issues. despite that, he was a brilliant singer with a great voice and the song "Sex Drive" in the 90's was and still is an awesome song, he wanted to create bouncy energy songs. what he did turned out great and amazing, but he wasn't about the music all the time, and people change and go through different things...as a person he's extremely interesting and as a singer very talented and it's a pity he didn't release much material in the 00'. but again, we can't be what people expected us to be, and Pete loved being different. so, you're wrong to say they didn't do well after Spin Me, they were fa mouse more in certain countries like Japan, Pete liked it better than that huge fame he had with Spin Me.

Apparently my coworkers and I thought it was a good idea to listen to this for 8 straight hours. This was over a year ago and that day still haunts me.

The one thing that Dead or Alive were not was one hit wonders. "Brand New Lovers", "Something in My House", "Lover Come Back to Me", and "In too Deep" filled the dance floor in both Gay and Straight Clubs. Rev George

I never get tired of this song! It's so damn catchy!

Some of you don't immediately associate this song with the shocker site "meatspin" and it shows.

Those hands in the music video always gave me the creeps....

I rediscovered the greatness of Dead Or Alive thanks to you, Todd. I love your work Keep it up!

Me and my family are from Liverpool and mum used to see Pete Burns all the time at Probe Records in the city centre in the early 80’s. Her friend also dated the bassist from Flock of Seagulls. Apparently it was crazy for pop stars in Liverpool back then.

One hit wonder? I recognize at least 2 of those songs (other than "You Spin Me Around"), and I don't live in the UK or even like that kind of music.

10:24 the absolute best part about this clip is the blaring 2008 fall out boy song in the background

This song is forever implanted in my memory because of two things -KZfaq Poops where they play it whenever something or someone spins -Neil Cicierega's "Wallspin"

What I love about Julian Cope and Robyn Hitchcock is that I was able to collect almost their entire solo discographys from used cd stores. And all of the music is good.

rip pete burns

I know who Julian Cope is. The Teardrop Explodes' "Reward" is a great song.

I had just about forgotten this existed. Can't say I wanna thank you for reminding me.

Loved the Dope cover at the end!

Gonna watch the Paul Rudd version again after this.

This had heavy rotation on MTV. I was 16 at the time, and developed appreciation for androgynous guys.

I just learned about this channel today and I've been watching your videos for about 2 hours straight now. They're all very well made and incredibly interesting, I didn't even know I was interested in music history before today lol. You rock that piano too, these are just wonderful videos. Thanks for making them!

The spinning ad like jingle vibe of spin me right round feels like such an endlessly funny & camp self aware trip, I can withstand the dizzy.

Heh, the Dope cover at the end :P

I remember watching that series of CBB (look, we had literally 5 TV channels, there wasn't much else on) and liking Pete a lot. Also he was probably my first exposure to someone who didn't conform to "traditional gender roles" (said with the biggest air-quotes ever) in his appearance. So, wild plastic surgery or not he certainly played a role in opening up my mind to the existence of the LGBTQIA+ community I'd find myself reaching out for just a couple of years later.

"Doofy simps like Rick Astley"

Great films Todd...love your work

I always come back to this video for your masterful setup and description of Stock-Aitken-Waterman, and you calling Pete Burns “a gay Tom Jones.” Also I always liked Brand New Lover, your 1986 example of their most representative output

Pete Burns vs Joan Rivers in the Plastic Surgery Horror Story battle of the decades! Gentlemen and ladies, place your bets!

sooo glad you exited with the Manson cover, I really like that actually

I love you for making this