Pete Burns

Pete Burns
Burns in 1980
Born
Peter Jozzeppi Burns

(1959-08-05)5 August 1959
Port Sunlight, Cheshire, England
Died23 October 2016(2016-10-23) (aged 57)
London, England
Resting placeWest London Crematorium
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • television personality and presenter
Years active1977–2016
Spouses
Lynne Corlett
​
​
(m. 1980; div. 2006)​
Michael Simpson
​
​
(m. 2007; div. 2008)​
Musical career
Genres
Labels
Formerly ofDead or Alive

Peter Jozzeppi Burns (5 August 1959 – 23 October 2016) was an English singer, songwriter and television personality who formed the band Dead or Alive in 1980 during the new wave era and was the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter. He sold over 17 million albums and 36 million singles worldwide and also gave the songwriting and record production trio Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) their first UK No. 1 hit single.[1][2][3] His first three albums all reached the UK Top 30, with Youthquake reaching the Top 10. Additionally, the band had seven UK Top 40 singles, two US Top 20 singles and another two singles which went to No. 1 on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.[1] In 2016, Billboard magazine ranked Dead or Alive as one of the most successful dance artists of all time.[4]

His debut album, Sophisticated Boom Boom, was released in 1984, producing a series of minor hits in the United Kingdom, most notably his version of "That's the Way (I Like It)" (originally recorded by KC and the Sunshine Band) which gave the band their first UK Top 40 hit. Their second album, Youthquake, brought Burns and the band international recognition, largely due to the success of the lead single, "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1985.[5] In 2020, The Guardian ranked the song No. 5 in their list of "The 100 Greatest UK No. 1s" and Classic Pop ranked it No. 1 in their 2021 list of "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs".[6][7] The album also contained three other UK Top 30 hits and was certified Gold by both the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The band's third album, Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know, was released in 1986, scoring several further hit singles including "Brand New Lover" which peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,[8] and spent two weeks at No. 1 on the American dance chart in addition to "Something in My House" which peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 3 on the American dance chart.[9] In 1987, a greatest hits album was released entitled Rip It Up containing singles from their two prior albums and the following year, Nude was released with singles "Turn Around and Count 2 Ten" and "Come Home with Me Baby" being massive chart successes in America and Japan.[10] Burns had a significant impact and influence on Japanese pop culture especially with J-pop and visual kei. He also achieved greater superstar status in the region than both Michael Jackson and Madonna.[11]

Burns continued to achieve celebrity status in the British media following his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother 4, in which he received attention for his verbal tirades against housemates Jodie Marsh and Traci Bingham. He finished in fifth place on the finale, receiving 13.6% of the vote, and appeared on further television reality shows, including as a presenter. Burns was noted for his deep baritone voice along with his flamboyant dress style, eyepatch, and androgynous gender bender appearance. Though he avoided labelling himself, Burns has been recognised as a gay icon and an individual who helped bring gay music into mainstream popularity.[12][13][14][15] Burns was also the subject of tabloid speculation over his addiction to cosmetic surgery which bankrupted him and caused fatal health problems.[16]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference inimitable was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 1141. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
  4. ^ "Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists : Page 1". Billboard. December 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  5. ^ "The 'Stranger Things' Season 4 Soundtrack Is the Ultimate Love Letter to the 1980s". Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  6. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Petridis, Alexis; Snapes, Laura (5 June 2020). "The 100 greatest UK No 1s: 100-1". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs". Classic Pop. August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 166.
  9. ^ "Official Charts > Dead or Alive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Nude > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles" at AllMusic. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference final was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Pete Burns: The LGBTQ+ Icon That Was Ahead Of His Time". The Liverpudlian. 10 May 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  13. ^ "Remembering Dead or Alive's Pete Burns, An Overlooked LGBT Pioneer". Billboard. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Pete Burns: 'I was marginalised to a gay audience and you know what? That's absolutely fine by me!'". RetroPop. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Dead Or Alive at G-A-Y: The Pete Burns Interview You've Never Heard Before". Steve Pafford. 2 April 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference freakunique was invoked but never defined (see the help page).