George Michael –
Another one bites the dust! George Michael was a flawed diamond but man did he give his all. Born in 1963, allegedly he has died just today, 25 December 2016, he was known for these three things:
- Wham (80s dance pop outfit)
- His solo career
- His sexuality
And we LOVE him for all of them. Before you cast aspersions, just remember that this guy sold more than 80 MILLION albums in his time. That deserves big kudos.
Wham (80s dance pop outfit)
Fantastic, the bands’ first album, was released in 1983 and includes Club Tropicana (below via Vevo), Young Guns and Wham Rap! It went No. 1 and had multiple top ten hits. Imagine this happening to you as a teenager?
Their second album, Make It Big, went No. 1 on the US charts, including No. 1 hits Wake me Up Before You Go Go, Freedom.
In his copious amounts of spare time (not), George also contributed background vocals to David Cassidy’s The Last Kiss (1985) and Elton John’s Nikita and Wrap Her Up (1985).
His solo career
Although Careless Whisper was his first solo hit (1984), this was released during his time with Wham. Post-Wham, his first biggie was a duet with Aretha Franklin I Knew You Were Waiting. His effortless (well, that’s how it appeared to us the punters) collab with other huge global stars was another angle on his ability to not take himself too seriously, when millions were doing the exact opposite.
He won a Grammy for this one with Aretha.
In 1987 Faith was released, with George writing and producing every track on the album. I Want Your Sex was the lead track from this album but I honestly feel that every track from this album is worthy of exploration. I Want Your Sex is not about casual sex (George’s words), but not everyone else thought so. When introducing the song on American Top 40, host Casey Kasem, referred to it as “the new single by George Michael”. Go George! His creative work is really only an expression of his desire – how everyone else took it is up to them.
I Want Your Sex – such a strong, directional song!
His sexuality
Fast Love – such a smooth, sexy song! Watch here.
George’s sexuality was a matter for himself of course, but his public journey to his own awareness of his sexuality was something that we watched from the media circus. How would you have managed coming out from one of the most successful 80s outfits?
I have no idea how I could have done what he did, and the more he got into trouble with the law (engaging in lewd acts in Cali loos with policemen, 1998, arrested for possession of dope, 2006), the more I liked him.
You see, George is only human. He has foibles like the rest of us and I would only hope that I had the grace and humour to take the piss outta myself if that ever happened to me.
