The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 450

Number 450

George Michael

"Faith"

(1987)
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Genre: Pop

No quicker had i wrote the words George Michael in the header and yup, he was back in the news again and yup, you - know - what - for. Story here. What is with Public Toilets? How on earth can the local dunny with more words on the wall than a Websters Dictionary [and 90% of the words don't even make dictionary standards], appear attractive enough to turn ya on??? Surely he must have enough quid by now to replicate a loo in one of his mansions? Anyway, back in 1987, long before George Michael went potty [excuse the pun], George Michael was a bona fide pop star. His debut album "Faith" was "widely considered one of the greatest albums in pop music history" [or so says one wiki expert] and, even winning a Grammy for Album of the Year. Not to mention selling over 20 MILLION to date.
See, there must be enough money to build his very own Public Bog, can sorta be like an off suite to his bedroom. Dammit, i just realised I've eaten dinner - don't feel well - have to go. mmmmph!
New advert for port-a-loo's

A superbly crafted mainstream pop/rock masterpiece, [see it wasn't just the thought of some crazed wiki/Michael fanboy], Faith made George Michael an international solo star, selling over ten million copies in the U.S. alone as of 2000. Perhaps even more impressively, it also made him the first white solo artist to hit number one on the R&B album charts. Michael had already proven the soulful power of his pipes by singing a duet with Aretha Franklin on the 1987 smash "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," but he went even farther when it came to crafting his own material, using sophisticated '70s soul as an indispensable part of his foundation. Of course, it's only a part. Faith's ingenuity lies in the way it straddles pop, adult contemporary, R&B, and dance music as though there were no distinctions between them.

Er, interesting article?

In addition to his basic repertoire of funky dance-pop and airy, shimmering ballads, Michael appropriates the Bo Diddley beat for the rockabilly-tinged title track, and proves himself a better-than-decent torch singer on the cocktail jazz of "Kissing a Fool." Michael arranged and produced the album himself, and the familiarity of many of these songs can obscure his skills in those departments -- close listening reveals his knack for shifting elements in and out of the mix and adding subtle embellishments when a little emphasis or variety is needed. Though Faith couldn't completely shake Michael's bubblegum image in some quarters, the album's themes were decidedly adult. "I Want Your Sex" was the most notorious example, of course, but even the love songs were strikingly personal and mature, grappling with complex adult desires and scarred by past heartbreak. All of it adds up to one of the finest pop albums of the '80s, setting a high-water mark that Michael was only able to reach in isolated moments afterward. ~ [Steve Huey, All Music Guide]

History & Video

mmmm, Lynx

Having disbanded Wham! the previous year, there was a keen expectation for Michael's solo career and "Faith" would go on to become one of his most popular and enduring songs, as well as being the most simplistic in its production. It was the second of six singles released from the well-received album.
"Faith" is just over three minutes long, the first 37 seconds of which is taken up by a straightforward, fade-up organ introduction (based on the Wham! song "Freedom"). Eventually, a two-chord guitar progression takes up the song with Michael singing a basic but meaningful lyric about not being tempted away from his relationship by a nonetheless attractive third party. A famous video was made which provided some definitive images of the 1980s music industry in the process - Michael in shades, leather jacket and a particularly memorable pair of tight Levi's blue jeans and cowboy boots, playing a guitar near a classic-design jukebox. ~ [Source: Wikipedia]
For Wham see Number 581
For more George Michael see Number 821
For Aretha Franklin see Number 563

What does Rolling Stone think about Mr Michael?
George Michael is a natural. Even as the pinup images of Wham! fade to gray, singles like "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" and "Careless Whisper" remain indelible – they're virtually impossible to forget, whether you actually like them or not. Just twenty-four, Michael has emerged as one of pop music's leading artisans, a painstaking craftsman who combines a graceful knack for vocal hooks with an uncanny ability to ransack the past for musical ideas and still sound fresh. Unsurprisingly, Faith is the move toward adulthood, signaled by the conscientiously horny "I Want Your Sex." Sure, songs about drug abuse, abused wives, Thatcherism and the choice between monogamy and freelance lust are nothing new, but how many other current singer-songwriters can evoke a personal stake in their subject matter? One of Michael's secret weapons is his knowledge that the power and eloquence of soul music come from simply singing what you feel. And as Faith proves, he's got the equipment to render some relatively complex feelings. ~ [Source: Rolling Stone - Mark Coleman 1988]
Rolling Stone magazine deemed their '450th Song of all Time' was "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" by Glen Campbell. Glen Campbell has appeared in The Definitive 1000 @ Number 884
Other songs with reference to George Michael: #460, #519, #563, #601, #628, #930, #962

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Our toilets are out of service) and the Album ranked at 480

This song has a Definitive 1000 rating of 77.2 out of 108