Tag Archives: George Michael

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Song of the Day #6,070: ‘Careless Whisper’ – Wham! featuring George Michael

The week of February 16, 1985, gave us a classic pop hit, with Wham!’s ‘Careless Whisper’ spending its first of three weeks at #1.

The song was credited in the U.S. to “Wham! featuring George Michael” and in the UK to Michael as a solo artist, but it appeared on the duo’s sophomore album, Make It Big, and was released as that record’s second single. Interestingly, it was the only song on that album co-written by Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, yet it was the one attributed to Michael as a solo performer.

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Song of the Day #5,486: ‘Father Figure’ – George Michael

The next member of the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class, George Michael, has been eligible for inclusion since 2012 but went un-nominated until this year.

Michael will be inducted as a solo performer, meaning his contributions with Wham! will go unrecognized. Wham! could theoretically be inducted separately, and have been eligible since 2008, but that seems highly unlikely now that Michael is entering the Hall. After all, the pop duo released only three albums during their short run.

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Song of the Day #5,465: ‘Careless Whisper’ – Michael Jackson (AI)

Today’s AI-generated track is the best I’ve heard yet. This one imagines Michael Jackson singing George Michael’s ‘Careless Whisper.’

I don’t know what sets it apart. Maybe the programmer has spent more time recreating Jackson’s vocals than others. Or maybe there is some quality in Jackson’s voice that makes it easier to render digitally. Or maybe the AI is on par with the rest but this excellent match of song and performer masks the imperfections. At any rate, this one is pretty special.

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Song of the Day #5,131: ‘One More Try’ – George Michael

My final Stranger Things soundtrack suggestion is one of the four #1 singles produced by George Michael’s blockbuster solo debut, Faith.

Not ‘Faith’ or ‘Father Figure,’ which are both a bit too adult for a show focused on teenagers, and not ‘Monkey,’ which is a great dance track but a bit too silly for a show about monsters threatening all life on Earth.

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Song of the Day #3,162: ‘Waiting For That Day’ – George Michael

george_michael_listen_prejudiceMy #3 album of 1990 is Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, the second solo album by the late George Michael.

Three years earlier, Michael scored a massive hit with the pop classic Faith, an extremely difficult act to follow. Listen Without Prejudice sold only a third as many copies as its predecessor and received mixed to positive reviews, but for my money it’s just as strong an album.

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