125-563: (Redirected from Mike George ) Not to be confused with George Michael . Michael or Mike George may refer to: Michael George (footballer) , Australian rules footballer Michael J. George , member of the Minnesota House of Representatives Mike George (radio presenter), British radio presenter Mike George (wrestler) , American professional wrestler Michael Carl George , American murderer [REDACTED] Topics referred to by
250-564: A Brazilian dress designer whom he had met at the Rock in Rio concert in 1991. Six months into their relationship, Feleppa discovered that he was HIV-positive . Michael later said: "It was terrifying news. I thought I could have the disease too. I couldn't go through it with my family because I didn't know how to share it with them – they didn't even know I was gay." In 1993, Feleppa died of an AIDS-related brain haemorrhage . Michael's single, " Jesus to
375-506: A Child ", " Fastlove ", " Outside ", " Amazing ", and " An Easier Affair ". Michael came out as gay in 1998, and was an active LGBT rights campaigner and HIV/AIDS charity fundraiser. His personal life, drug use, and legal troubles made headlines following an arrest for public lewdness in 1998 and multiple drug-related offences. The 2005 documentary A Different Story covered his career and personal life. His 25 Live tour spanned three tours from 2006 to 2008. In 2011 Michael fell into
500-468: A Child ", is a tribute to Feleppa (Michael consistently dedicated it to him before performing it live), as is his album Older (1996). In 2008, speaking about the loss of Feleppa, Michael said: "It was a terribly depressing time. It took about three years to grieve, then after that I lost my mother. I felt almost like I was cursed." Last Christmas " Last Christmas " is a song by English pop duo Wham! . Written and produced by George Michael , it
625-563: A Child ". The song was a melancholy tribute to his lover, Anselmo Feleppa, who had died in March 1993. The song entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 1 and No. 7 on Billboard upon release in 1996. It was Michael's longest UK Top 40 single, at almost seven minutes long. The exact identity of the song's subject—and the nature of Michael's relationship with Feleppa—was shrouded in innuendo and speculation, as Michael had not confirmed he
750-507: A battle for the coveted Christmas number one spot in Britain seemed set to be between Wham! and the year's other big act, Frankie Goes to Hollywood , who had achieved a third No. 1 in early December with " The Power of Love ". The Band Aid single written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure , produced the No. 1 single " Do They Know It's Christmas? ", while Wham!'s offering peaked at No. 2 for much of
875-580: A coma during a bout with pneumonia, but recovered. He performed his final concert at London's Earls Court in 2012. Michael died of heart disease on Christmas Day in 2016, at his home in Goring-on-Thames , Oxfordshire. George Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou ( Greek : Γεώργιος Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου ) on 25 June 1963, in East Finchley . He was the only son and the youngest child of three. His father, Kyriacos "Jack" Panayiotou,
1000-617: A condition of severing contractual ties with the label. Ladies & Gentlemen was a success, peaking at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for eight weeks. It spent over 200 weeks in the UK chart, and is the 45th best-selling album ever in the UK. It is certified seven-times platinum in the UK and multi-platinum in the US, and is Michael's most commercially successful album in his homeland, having sold more than 2.8 million copies. As of 2013,
1125-478: A moral problem with being gay", Michael told her. "I thought I had fallen in love with a woman a couple of times. Then I fell in love with a man, and realised that none of those things had been love." In 2004, Michael said, "I used to sleep with women quite a lot in the Wham! days but never felt it could develop into a relationship because I knew that, emotionally, I was a gay man. I didn't want to commit to them, but I
1250-583: A new Christmas-themed track, " December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas) ", on his website for free. In early 2010, Michael performed his first concerts in Australia since 1988. On 20 February 2010, Michael performed his first show in Perth at the Burswood Dome to an audience of 15,000. On 2 March 2011, Michael announced the release of his cover version of New Order 's 1987 hit " True Faith " in aid of
1375-404: A predisposition to being gay in which the environment is irrelevant." In 2007, Michael said he had hidden his sexuality because of worries over what effect it might have on his mother. Two years later, he added: "My depression at the end of Wham! was because I was beginning to realise I was gay, not bisexual." During the late 1980s, Michael had a relationship with make-up artist Kathy Jeung, who
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#17327915694171500-537: A regular basis, peaking at No. 3 on 7 December 2019. In November 2016, total US sales of the digital track stood at 751,000 downloads according to Nielsen SoundScan , placing it 10th on the list of best-selling Christmas/holiday digital singles in US SoundScan history. The song debuted at No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the chart dated 7 January 2017, after George Michael died. In December 2018,
1625-401: A song of his. Michael also appeared on the 2008 finale show of American Idol on 21 May, singing "Praying for Time". When asked what he thought Simon Cowell would say of his performance, he replied "I think he'll probably tell me I shouldn't have done a George Michael song. He's told plenty of people that in the past, so I think that'd be quite funny." On 25 December 2008, Michael released
1750-629: A top-40 hit in Belgium, as well as on the European Hot 100 Singles , on which the song reached number 38. John Perry from NME named "Last Christmas" by Whigfield Single of the Week, writing, "Gird your loins and don that silly party hat, pop-pickers, because what we have here is the classic Christmas single. [...] The Whigster has taken what was a definitive Christmas song and given it a monster ' I Feel Love ' hi-NRG fuel-injection that will have
1875-630: A winter landscape. Whigfield's cover of "Last Christmas" climbed into the top 10 in both Denmark and Spain, peaking at numbers six and five, respectively. It was also a top-20 hit in Finland and a top-30 hit in Ireland and the United Kingdom. In the latter country, "Last Christmas" / "Big Time" peaked at number 21 during its first week on the UK singles chart , on 10 December 1995. It was additionally
2000-541: A world tour. In Los Angeles, Michael was joined on stage by Aretha Franklin for "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)". It was the second highest grossing event of 1988, earning $ 17.7 million. At the 1988 Brit Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on 8 February, Michael received the first of his two awards for Best British Male Solo Artist . Later that month, Faith won the Grammy Award for Album of
2125-480: Is "right side up", and when Ridgeley's character wears it, he wears it "upside down". On numerous occasions, Michael presents a thoughtful expression, suggesting his conflicting emotions. As Michael is decorating the Christmas tree some decoration falls to the floor where Michael's ex-girlfriend is sitting and the ex-couple shares a few seconds of a knowing look at each other. At the end of the video, everyone leaves
2250-454: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou ; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon , he is one of the best-selling musicians of all time , with his sales estimated at between 100 million to 125 million records worldwide. Michael
2375-561: Is the most successful Christmas single of all time, having spent 169 weeks on the German Singles Chart and attained a peak position of No. 1 on 24 December 2021. It has charted every year since 1997. In January 2008, the song fell from No. 4 to No. 64 there, also making it the biggest fall out of the top 10 on the singles chart. In Ireland the single went to number one for one week in December 1984 before being replaced at
2500-412: Is wearing more muted colours. There is a brief flashback to a prior Christmas, showing Michael's character presenting Kathy Hill's character with a jewelled brooch. In the present time, Ridgeley is wearing the brooch, suggesting that Hill gave the same gift (perhaps by regifting it) to her new love after she and Michael parted ways. When Hill wears the brooch after receiving it from Michael's character, it
2625-655: The Billboard 200 for 12 weeks and topped the UK Albums Chart. It is one of the best-selling albums of all time , having sold over 25 million copies worldwide. The singles " Faith ", " Father Figure ", " One More Try ", and " Monkey " reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Michael became the best-selling music artist of 1988 , and Faith was awarded Album of the Year at the 1989 Grammy Awards . Michael's second solo album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1990),
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#17327915694172750-515: The Billboard Hot 100 in the US, and No. 28 on the UK Singles Chart. " Mother's Pride " gained significant radio play in the US during the first Persian Gulf War during 1991, often with radio stations mixing in callers' tributes to soldiers with the music. Later in 1991, Michael embarked on the Cover to Cover tour in Japan, England, the US, and Brazil, where he performed at Rock in Rio . The tour
2875-597: The Red Hot Organization which raised money for AIDS awareness; a fourth track, "Crazyman Dance", was the B-side of 1992's " Too Funky ". Michael donated the royalties from "Too Funky" to the same cause. "Too Funky" reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100. "George Michael was the best. There's a certain note in his voice when he did ' Somebody to Love ' that
3000-566: The UK Albums Chart , and in the US, the album had 51 non-consecutive weeks in the top 10 of Billboard 200 , including 12 weeks at No. 1. Faith had many successes, with four singles ("Faith", " Father Figure ", " One More Try ", and " Monkey ") reaching No. 1 in the US. Faith was certified Diamond by the RIAA for sales of 10 million copies in the US. To date, global sales of Faith are more than 25 million units. The album
3125-570: The UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 upon its release. For Michael, it became his third consecutive solo number one in the UK from three releases, after 1984's "Careless Whisper" (though the single was actually from the Wham! album Make It Big ) and 1986's " A Different Corner ". The single was also the first Michael had recorded as a solo artist which he had not written himself. The co-writer, Simon Climie ,
3250-501: The UK singles chart —it was held off the top spot at Christmas by Band Aid 's " Do They Know It's Christmas? " (on which Michael also performed). After many chart runs in subsequent years, which included three more weeks at number two, and which saw the recording become part of RCA Records' catalogue, the song finally reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on New Year's Day 2021 (chart week ending date 7 January 2021), more than 36 years after its initial release; in doing so, it became
3375-616: The Vietnam War . Michael performed the song on numerous TV shows including Top of the Pops and So Graham Norton . His performance of the song on Top of the Pops on 7 March 2003 was his first studio appearance on the programme since 1986. He ran into conflict with the show's producers for an anti-war, anti-Blair T-shirt worn by some members of his band. McLean stated that he was "proud of George Michael for standing up for life and sanity". When Michael's fifth studio album, Patience ,
3500-418: The best-selling single of 1988 in the US. It also reached No. 1 in Australia, and No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The video provided some definitive images of the 1980s music industry in the process—Michael in shades, leather jacket, cowboy boots, and Levi's jeans, playing a guitar near a classic-design jukebox. On 30 October, Faith was released in the UK and in several markets worldwide. Faith topped
3625-413: The cable-car that is visible in two shots is from Saas-Fee , Switzerland , where the video was filmed on 21 November 1984. It becomes clear early on that the character of Ridgeley's girlfriend (played by model Kathy Hill) was previously in a relationship with Michael and that the song is aimed at her. She can be spotted throughout the video by the fact that she is usually wearing red, but everyone else
3750-415: The iTunes Store . Grande's cover draws primarily from pop music , contemporary R&B and soul and also includes newly written lyrics in place of some of the originals. The verses have been described as having a more poppy and R&B vibe than the original. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. "Last Christmas" was covered by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen in 2015 and
3875-502: The "Greatest Hot 100 Artists of All Time" and Rolling Stone ' s the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time". The Radio Academy named him the most played artist on British radio during the period 1984–2004. Michael was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. Born in East Finchley , Middlesex, Michael rose to fame after forming the pop duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981. Their first two albums, Fantastic (1983) and Make It Big (1984), reached number one on
Michael George - Misplaced Pages Continue
4000-609: The Days of Our Lives " with Lisa Stansfield and " Somebody to Love ". Michael's performance of "Somebody to Love" was hailed as "one of the best performances of the tribute concert". Michael later reflected, "It was probably the proudest moment for me of my career, because it was me living out a childhood fantasy, I suppose, to sing one of Freddie's songs in front of 80,000 people." The Five Live EP featured five live recordings (six in several countries) performed by Michael, Queen, and Lisa Stansfield . "Somebody to Love" and "These Are
4125-607: The Days of Our Lives" were recorded at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. " Killer ", " Papa Was a Rollin' Stone ", and " Calling You " were recorded during his Cover to Cover tour in 1991. All proceeds from the sale of the EP benefited the Mercury Phoenix Trust. Sales of the EP were strong through Europe, where it debuted at No. 1 in the UK and several European countries. Chart success in
4250-586: The Executive, with Ridgeley, Ridgeley's brother Paul, Andrew Leaver, Jamie Gould, and David Mortimer (later known as David Austin ). Michael formed the duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981. On the cusp of fame, he decided to legally change his name to the more accessible George Michael. The band's first album Fantastic reached No. 1 in the UK in 1983 and produced a series of top 10 singles including " Young Guns ", " Wham Rap! ", and " Club Tropicana ". Their second album, Make It Big , reached No. 1 on
4375-571: The Last Century is a studio album of cover tracks. The album achieved the lowest peak of his solo efforts, peaking at No. 157 on the American Billboard 200 albums chart and at No. 2 in the UK Albums Chart. In 2000, Michael worked on the hit single " If I Told You That " with Whitney Houston . Michael co-produced on the single along with Rodney Jerkins . Michael's first single from his fifth studio album, " Freeek! ", reached
4500-595: The MP3 was released for free download, Michael appealed to those who downloaded the track to make a contribution to "The Prince William & Miss Catherine Middleton Charitable Gift Fund". The Symphonica Tour began at the Prague State Opera House on 22 August 2011. In October 2011, Michael was announced as one of the final nominees for the Songwriter's Hall of Fame . In November, he had to cancel
4625-651: The Netherlands, the song never reached No. 1, peaking at No. 2 in January 1985 (behind Band Aid 's " Do They Know It's Christmas? "). In the Dutch Singles Top 100 (one of three charts in the Netherlands that claims to be the "official" chart, but it is the only one that is not broadcast and remains unpublished except on its own official web page), the song has now entered on 16 different occasions, including every year since 2006. Its highest position after 1984
4750-487: The Official Video Streaming Chart. The following week, the song set a new UK chart record and was streamed 17.1 million times, the most number of plays in a week. It became the UK's best-selling vinyl single release in 2019. In December 2023, for the first time in the song's history, it won the coveted Christmas number 1 spot on The Official Chart Show with Jack Saunders. In Germany, the song
4875-540: The Sun Go Down on Me" was released as a single at the end of 1991 and reached No. 1 in both the UK and US. In 1991, Michael released an autobiography through Penguin Books titled Bare , co-written with Tony Parsons . An expected follow-up album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 2 , was scrapped due to Michael's lawsuit with Sony . Instead, Michael donated three songs to the charity project Red Hot + Dance , for
5000-520: The Sun Go Down on Me" with Elton John at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium in London on 13 July 1985. He also contributed background vocals to David Cassidy 's 1985 hit "The Last Kiss", as well as Elton John's 1985 successes " Nikita " and " Wrap Her Up ". Michael cited Cassidy as a major career influence and interviewed Cassidy for David Litchfield's Ritz Newspaper . Wham!'s tour of China in April 1985,
5125-470: The Symphonica Tour would resume in autumn. The final concert of the tour—which was also the final concert of Michael's life–was performed at London's Earls Court on 17 October 2012. Symphonica was released on 17 March 2014, and became Michael's seventh solo No. 1 album in the UK, and ninth overall including his Wham! chart-toppers. The album was produced by Phil Ramone and Michael; the album
Michael George - Misplaced Pages Continue
5250-653: The Top 10 in the UK. His next single was " Shoot the Dog " which was released in July 2002 during the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq . The video for the song showed Tony Blair as George Bush 's poodle . The single's cover featured the Daily Mirror 's "Howdy Poodle" front page from earlier in the year. Responding to criticism, Michael said, "I am British, I live here, I pay my taxes, and I'm very, very worried that we are now
5375-501: The UK Official Albums Chart Top 100 on 7 October 2022. Michael stated that his early fantasies were about women, which "led me to believe I was on the path to heterosexuality ", but at puberty he started to fantasise about men, which he later said "had something to do with my environment". At the age of 19, Michael told Andrew Ridgeley that he was bisexual . Michael also told one of his two sisters, but he
5500-709: The UK Official Soundtrack Albums Chart and at number 11 on the UK Albums Chart on 15 November 2019. It also entered the Australian Albums Chart at number seven, the Irish Albums Chart , where it debuted at number 32, climbing to number 26 the following week, and at number 55 on the US Billboard 200 . On 22 June 2022, the documentary film Freedom Uncut was released. Michael had been working on
5625-413: The UK and US, due to its sexually suggestive lyrics. MTV broadcast the video, featuring celebrity make-up artist Kathy Jeung in a basque and suspenders, only during the late night hours. Michael argued that the act was beautiful if the sex was monogamous, and he recorded a brief prologue for the video in which he said: "This song is not about casual sex." One of the racier scenes involved Michael writing
5750-422: The UK charity telethon Comic Relief . Michael appeared on Comic Relief itself, featuring in the first Carpool Karaoke sketch of James Corden , with the pair singing songs while Corden drove around London. On 15 April 2011, Michael released a cover of Stevie Wonder's 1972 song, " You and I ", as an MP3 gift to Prince William and Catherine Middleton on the occasion of their wedding on 29 April 2011 . Although
5875-634: The US Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart . They had commercial success with singles " Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) ", " Young Guns (Go for It) ", " Bad Boys ", " Club Tropicana ", " Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go ", " Last Christmas ", " Everything She Wants ", " Freedom ", and " I'm Your Man ". Their 1985 tour in China was the first by a Western popular music act, and generated worldwide media coverage. Michael took part in Band Aid 's UK number-one single " Do They Know It's Christmas? " in 1984 and performed at
6000-408: The US was less spectacular, where it reached No. 40 on the Billboard 200 ("Somebody to Love" reached No. 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100 ). The performance would later feature on Queen's compilation album Greatest Hits III . During November 1994, after a long period of seclusion, Michael appeared at the first MTV Europe Music Awards show, where he gave a performance of a new song, " Jesus to
6125-716: The Year at the 31st Grammy Awards . At the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards on 6 September in Los Angeles, Michael received the Video Vanguard Award . According to Michael in his film, A Different Story , success did not make him happy and he started to think there was something wrong in being an idol for millions of teenage girls. The whole Faith process (promotion, videos, tour, awards) left him exhausted, lonely and frustrated, and far from his friends and family. In 1990, he told his record company Sony that, for his second album, he did not want to do promotions like
6250-550: The Year from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors . Michael performed on the original 1984 Band Aid recording of " Do They Know It's Christmas? "—he appears third on the song after Paul Young and Boy George sing their lines. The song became the UK Christmas number one and Michael also donated the profits from "Last Christmas" and "Everything She Wants" to charity. Michael sang "Don't Let
6375-426: The album had reached worldwide sales of approximately 15 million copies. The first single of the album, " Outside ", was a humorous song making a reference to his arrest for soliciting a policeman in a public toilet. " As ", his duet with Mary J. Blige , was released as the second single in many territories around the world. Both singles reached the top 5 in the UK Singles Chart . Released in 1999, Songs from
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#17327915694176500-1114: The album was " Flawless ". It was a dance hit in Europe as well as North America, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and becoming Michael's last No. 1 single on the US Dance chart. Twenty Five is Michael's second greatest hits album, celebrating the 25th anniversary of his music career. Released in November 2006 by Sony BMG , it debuted at no. 1 in the UK. During the 2005 Live 8 concert at Hyde Park , London, Michael joined Paul McCartney on stage, harmonising on The Beatles classic " Drive My Car ". In 2006, Michael embarked on his first tour in 15 years, 25 Live . The tour began in Barcelona , Spain, on 23 September and finished in December at Wembley Arena in England. On 9 June 2007, Michael became
6625-432: The album, became a No. 1 hit in Europe. When Michael appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on 26 May 2004, to promote the album, he performed "Amazing", along with his classic songs " Father Figure " and " Faith ". On the show, Michael spoke of his arrest, the public revelation of his homosexuality, and his resumption of public performances. He allowed Oprah's crew inside his home outside London. The fourth single taken off
6750-473: The award for Best British Album. The album's first single, "Praying for Time", with lyrics concerning social ills and injustice, was released in August 1990. James Hunter of Rolling Stone magazine described the song as "a distraught look at the world's astounding woundedness. Michael offers the healing passage of time as the only balm for physical and emotional hunger, poverty, hypocrisy, and hatred." The song
6875-519: The biggest-selling single in UK chart history not to reach number one, and the 10th best-selling UK single overall. As of December 2023, "Last Christmas" has sold over 1.93 million physical copies and downloads, becoming the eighth best-selling single of all time in the UK overall. It was certified sextuple platinum in December 2023. In December 2019, it peaked at No. 1 on both the UK Official Vinyl Singles Chart and on
7000-473: The chart placing was "a testament to its timeless appeal and charm", adding: "It is a fitting tribute to George's song-writing genius... he would have been immensely proud and utterly thrilled." The period of 36 years taken to reach number one was a UK chart record, which would be surpassed by Kate Bush with " Running Up That Hill " in June 2022 which took 37 years. On 7 September 2017, Michael's estate released
7125-673: The charts in fourteen countries and peaked within the top ten of the charts in several countries including Australia, Canada and the United States. It also reached number two on the Billboard Global 200 in January 2021. Wham! donated all of their royalties to relief efforts for the Ethiopian famine . In a UK-wide poll in December 2012, it was voted eight on the ITV television special The Nation's Favourite Christmas Song and
7250-447: The charts in the US. Singles from that album included " Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go " (No. 1 in the UK and US), " Freedom ", " Everything She Wants ", and " Careless Whisper " which reached No. 1 in nearly 25 countries, including the UK and US, and was Michael's first solo effort as a single. In December 1984, the single " Last Christmas " was released. In 1985 Michael received the first of his three Ivor Novello Awards for Songwriter of
7375-649: The charts on 1 January 2021, 36 years after its original 1984 release. In the process, "Last Christmas" achieved the chart record for the longest time taken for a single to peak at the top of the UK singles chart after its first release, a feat that had previously been held by " (Is This The Way To) Amarillo? by Tony Christie , which topped the chart in March 2005, 33 years and four months after its initial release in November 1971. The record has since been surpassed in June 2022 by Kate Bush with " Running Up That Hill ", which took 37 years. By February 2020 , "Last Christmas" had sold over 1.90 million copies, being at that time
7500-443: The cottage and when the group get out of the cable-car, they are all properly "paired off" with Michael and his new girlfriend played by actress Debbie Killingback, looking happy. The video also featured the duo's backing singers Pepsi and Shirlie . The music video, originally shot on 35mm film, was released on 13 December 2019 in 4K Ultra HD resolution. The music video's original film director Andy Morahan had found seven out of
7625-637: The crowd to clap along to "Club Tropicana", but "they hadn't a clue – they thought he wanted applause and politely gave it", before adding that some Chinese did eventually "get the hang of clapping on the beat." A UK embassy official in China stated "there was some lively dancing but this was almost entirely confined to younger western members of the audience." The tour was documented by film director Lindsay Anderson and producer Martin Lewis in their film Wham! in China: Foreign Skies . With
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#17327915694177750-565: The duo play. The audience included members of the Chinese government. Chinese television presenter Kan Lijun, who was the on-stage host, spoke of Wham!'s historic performance: "No-one had ever seen anything like that before. All the young people were amazed and everybody was tapping their feet. Of course the police weren't happy and they were scared there would be riots." Wham! performed their hits with scantily clad dancers and strobing disco lights. According to Napier-Bell, Michael tried to get
7875-482: The eight rolls of original 35mm rushes and worked with teams at Cinelab London and VFX artist Russ Shaw at Nice Biscuits post production to recreate the video using the higher-resolution film. Sales figures based on certification alone. Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. Streaming-only figures based on certification alone. The film Last Christmas (2019) prominently features
8000-519: The episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden airing on 16 December 2015. Bianca Gracie of Idolator described the song as "quintessential Carly" for highlighting Jepsen's unique vocals and synth production and wrote that her cover will "charm your... socks off". Nolan Feeney of Time echoed those sentiments, noting that "Last Christmas" is "the kind of brokenhearted yet warm and sweet song [Jepsen] excels at". Jackson McHenry of Vulture applauded Jepsen for her straightforward approach to
8125-497: The fifth UK number one single for the duo. Prior to it reaching number one, "Last Christmas" had for many years held the record as the highest-selling single never to top the charts by the Official Charts Company (OCC) with 1.9 million copies sold (not including streams). This record is now held by " Mr. Brightside " by The Killers . The song reached number one in the UK after it was streamed 9.2 million times in
8250-399: The film is taken from the Wham! classic. An official soundtrack album was released by Legacy Recordings on CD, two-disc vinyl , and digital formats on 8 November 2019. The album contains 14 Wham! and solo George Michael songs, as well as a previously unreleased song originally completed in 2015 titled " This Is How (We Want You to Get High) ". The soundtrack album debuted at number one on
8375-496: The film shortly before his death, alongside David Austin , and provides the narration throughout. NME , The Guardian and Empire all praised the film and rated it 4/5 stars. On 30 September 2022, a remastered and expanded version of Older was released comprising the original Older album, the Upper disc and three bonus CDs, containing remixes and live recordings of Older -era tracks. The album charted at number 2 on
8500-399: The first artist to perform live at the newly renovated Wembley Stadium in London. On 25 March 2008, a third part of the 25 Live Tour was announced for North America, with 21 dates in the US and Canada. Michael made his American acting debut by playing a guardian angel to Jonny Lee Miller 's character on Eli Stone , a US TV series. Each episode of the show's first season was named after
8625-483: The first visit to China by a Western popular music act, generated worldwide media coverage, much of it centred on Michael. The headline in the Chicago Tribune read: "East meets Wham!, and another great wall comes down". Before Wham!'s appearance in China, many kinds of music in the country were forbidden. The band's manager, Simon Napier-Bell , had spent 18 months trying to convince Chinese officials to let
8750-445: The following year's Live Aid concert. Michael's first solo single, " Careless Whisper " (1984), reached number one in over 20 countries, including the UK and US. The second solo single, " A Different Corner ", also reached number one in 1986. After Wham! disbanded that year, Michael released the number-one duet with Aretha Franklin , " I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) ". His debut solo album, Faith (1987), stayed at number one on
8875-625: The home his parents bought soon after his birth; he attended Roe Green Junior School and Kingsbury High School . Michael had two sisters: Yioda (born 1958) and Melanie (1960–2019). On BBC's Desert Island Discs , Michael said that his interest in music followed an injury to his head around the age of eight. While Michael was in his early teens, the family moved to Radlett . There, Michael began attending Bushey Meads School in Bushey , where he, as "Yog", met, sat down next to, and befriended, his future Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley . The two had
9000-531: The introduction and chorus melody to "Last Christmas", which Ridgeley later called "a moment of wonder". The song was recorded in August 1984, at Advision Studios , London , England. George Michael wrote, performed, produced and played every single instrument on the track. With a LinnDrum drum machine, a Roland Juno-60 synth and sleigh bells, they began recording the song in the summer, Michael having "plastered [the studio] in Christmas decorations to set
9125-401: The last week of 2020 and sold 1,555 downloads, resulting in a total of 40,149 combined sales. Having been the Christmas number two again in 2022, "Last Christmas" finally achieved the accolade of Christmas number one in 2023, 39 years after its initial release. Combining sales and streams, it also became the third biggest song of all time in the UK. Outside the United Kingdom, the song topped
9250-444: The latter reached No. 47. The single was released in 1993 on CD single in the country and peaked at No. 17, selling nearly 40,000 copies that week. It was reissued in November 2001 and 2004 as a two-track CD with the single edit and the " pudding mix". As a result of the success, "Last Christmas" is the eighth best-selling single of all time in Japan released by a non-Japanese act, with total physical sales of 683,000 units. In
9375-419: The moment, so I stopped sleeping with them." In the same interview, he added: "If I wasn't with Kenny [his boyfriend at the time], I would have sex with women, no question". He said he believed that the formation of his sexuality was "a nurture thing, via the absence of my father who was always busy working. It meant I was exceptionally close to my mother", though he stated that "there are definitely those who have
9500-420: The mood". The only other people in the studio were engineer Chris Porter and two assistants, Paul Gommersal and Richard Moakes. According to Porter, lyrically "you've got the happiness of the rhythm track, but against that you've got the sadness of the unrequited love". Wham! already had two number one singles on the UK singles chart during 1984, and news that they were planning a Christmas single meant that
9625-470: The music of George Michael, including this song. The song is featured in the movie, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever which was played twice. On behalf of the writers of the song " Can't Smile Without You ", made popular by Barry Manilow , publishing company Dick James Music sued Michael for plagiarism in the mid-1980s, claiming that "Last Christmas" lifted its melody from the former. The case
9750-451: The nation stomping those accursed parsnips into Auntie Mabel's best rug in front of The Queen..." "Last Christmas" was recorded in 2006 for Warner Bros. Records by Ashley Tisdale . The song was released to US radios on 11 November 2006 and as a digital download on 21 November 2006. This song was the first single released by Ashley Tisdale in her deal with Warner Bros. Records and became her official first holiday single. Tisdale performed
9875-524: The one for Faith . Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 was released in September 1990. The title is an indication of his desire to be taken more seriously as a songwriter. The album was released in Europe on 3 September 1990, and one week later in the US. It reached No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart and peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200. It spent a total of 88 weeks on the UK Albums Chart and
10000-539: The period. Wham! donated all "Last Christmas" / " Everything She Wants " royalties, the former of which exceeded £250,000 (equivalent to £1,010,000 in 2023), to the Ethiopian famine relief fund. In subsequent years, the song entered the UK Top 40 on 15 occasions, reaching the Top 10 no fewer than six times (including a run of five consecutive years between 2016 and 2020). In 1985 and 2017 it equalled its best ever chart position of number two, before finally topping
10125-467: The remainder of the tour as he became ill with pneumonia in Vienna, Austria, ultimately slipping into a coma. In February 2012, two months after leaving hospital, Michael made a surprise appearance at the 2012 Brit Awards at the O 2 Arena in London, where he received a standing ovation, and presented Adele the award for Best British Album. In March, Michael announced that he was healthy and that
10250-599: The same career ambition of being musicians. Michael busked on the London Underground , performing songs such as " '39 " by Queen . His involvement in the music business began with his working as a DJ, playing at the Bel Air Restaurant in Northwood , London, clubs, and local schools around Bushey, Stanmore , and Watford . This was followed by the formation of a short-lived ska band called
10375-408: The same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_George&oldid=1246068044 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
10500-459: The second most dangerous country in the world thanks to our special relationship with America." It reached No. 1 in Denmark and made the top 5 in most European charts. It peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart. In February 2003, Michael recorded another song in protest against the looming Iraq war, Don McLean 's "The Grave". The original was written by McLean in 1971 and was a protest against
10625-406: The single " Fantasy ", featuring Nile Rodgers , was released. Having charted at number two upon its release in 1984 (behind Band Aid's " Do They Know It's Christmas? " which Michael also performed in), "Last Christmas" finally reached number-one in the UK Singles Chart on New Year's Day 2021 (chart week ending date 7 January 2021), more than 36 years after its initial release. Andrew Ridgeley said
10750-460: The single " Fantasy ". Written and produced by Michael, was recorded while he was working on Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 . However, the track was not included on the album. Instead in October 1990, it was featured on the " Waiting for That Day " single in the United Kingdom and on the " Freedom! '90 " single in the rest of the world. On 7 September 2017, a new version reworked by Nile Rodgers
10875-749: The single in 2007 on Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Christmas in Rockefeller Center , and in 2009 in the Citadel Outlets of Los Angeles , California . The song was one of the B-sides on the European CD singles of Tisdale's first single " Be Good to Me " and Tisdale's second single " He Said She Said ", from the album Headstrong . The song has been included on several compilation albums, including Disney Channel Holiday and A Very Special Christmas 7 . "Last Christmas"
11000-402: The snow, collecting logs and taking them to a large house preparing for a Christmas party, a similar video was made for McElderry's version of " O Come All Ye Faithful ". The advert and both videos were directed by Steve Lucker. "Last Christmas" was covered by American singer Ariana Grande , and serves as the lead single from Grande's Christmas Kisses . It was released on 19 November 2013 in
11125-532: The song became the first Christmas single to chart during the year-end holiday season, debuting at number 38 for the week ending November 23. In 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021, "Last Christmas" reached No. 1 in the Swedish singles chart . The music video to "Last Christmas" directed by British commercial, film and music video director Andrew Morahan , shows Wham! members Michael and Ridgeley accompanying girlfriends to see friends at an unspecified ski resort cottage;
11250-463: The song re-entered the Hot 100, reaching No. 25 in January 2019, and then a new peak of No. 11 in the first issue of 2020. On the issue dated 2 January 2021, "Last Christmas" reached No. 9 on the Hot 100, its first foray into the top 10 and returning Wham! to the top 10 after a 35-year break. The following year, on the issue dated 1 January 2022, the song reached No. 7. On the issue dated 24 December 2022,
11375-544: The song reached a new peak of No. 6 on the Hot 100. On the year's last issue of the Billboard Hot 100, dated 31 December 2022, "Last Christmas" reached top five. On Billboard ' s first issue of 2023, dated 7 January, the song reached a new peak of No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), it was certified double platinum in December 2019 and has sold 2 million digital units. In 2024,
11500-404: The song was featured on the soundtrack of the movie . Despite censorship and radio play problems, "I Want Your Sex" reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 in the UK. The second single, " Faith ", was released in October 1987, a few weeks before the album. "Faith" became one of his most popular songs. The song was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four consecutive weeks, becoming
11625-562: The success of Michael's solo singles, " Careless Whisper " (1984) and " A Different Corner " (1986), rumours of an impending break up of Wham! intensified. The duo officially separated in 1986, after releasing a farewell single, " The Edge of Heaven " and a farewell compilation, The Final (their third album Music from the Edge of Heaven was released in North America and Japan), plus a sell-out concert at Wembley Stadium that included
11750-471: The top by Band Aid 's " Do They Know It's Christmas? ". It also went back to number one in Ireland at the end of December 2022. The single was originally released in two different formats in Japan with different cover art, a 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl (Long version) both with "Credit Card Baby" as their B-side. The former entered the top 20 of the Oricon Singles Chart peaking at No. 15, while
11875-471: The words "explore monogamy" on his partner's back in lipstick. Some radio stations played a toned-down version of the song, "I Want Your Love", with the word "love" replacing "sex". When "I Want Your Sex" reached the US charts, American Top 40 host Casey Kasem refused to say the song's title, referring to it only as "the new single by George Michael." In the US, the song was also sometimes listed as "I Want Your Sex (from Beverly Hills Cop II )", since
12000-506: The world premiere of the China film. The Wham! partnership ended officially with the commercially successful single "The Edge of Heaven", which reached No. 1 on the UK chart in June 1986. During early 1987, at the beginning of his solo career, Michael released " I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) ", a duet with Aretha Franklin . "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" was a one-off project that helped Michael achieve an ambition by singing with one of his favourite artists. It scored number one on both
12125-565: Was Michael's first solo greatest hits collection. The collection of 28 songs (29 songs are included on the European and Australian release) are separated into two-halves, with each containing a particular theme and mood. The first CD, titled "For the Heart", predominantly contains ballads; the second CD, "For the Feet", consists mainly of dance tunes. It was released through Sony Music Entertainment as
12250-580: Was No. 4 (during the 2016 and 2018 Christmas season). In the Dutch Mega Top 50 (which was first published in 1993), the song re-appeared in 1997, 2000, 2007, 2008, and 2013. "Last Christmas" was not released commercially as a single in the United States until November 2014, when it was made available on 12" vinyl as a Record Store Day exclusive. Since then, the song has re-entered the Billboard Holiday Songs Chart on
12375-435: Was Ramone's last production credit. On 2 November 2016, Michael's management team announced that a second documentary on his life, entitled Freedom , was set to be released in March 2017. A month after, English songwriter Naughty Boy confirmed plans to collaborate with Michael, for a new song and album. Naughty Boy claimed that the song is "amazing but [...] bittersweet". On 7 September 2017 (months after Michael's death),
12500-614: Was a Greek Cypriot restaurateur who emigrated from Patriki , Cyprus , to England in the 1950s. His mother, Lesley Angold (born Harrison, died 1997), was an English dancer. In June 2008, Michael told the Los Angeles Times that his maternal grandmother was Jewish, but she had married a non-Jewish man and raised their children with no knowledge of their Jewish background due to her fear during World War II . Michael spent most of his childhood in Kingsbury , London, in
12625-436: Was advised not to tell his parents about his sexuality. In 1998, not long after he was outed for his sexuality, Michael said on Parkinson that he became confident he was gay when he fell in love with a man. This stance was reiterated in a 1999 interview with The Advocate , where Michael told the editor-in-chief, Judy Wieder, that it was "falling in love with a man that ended his conflict over bisexuality". "I never had
12750-443: Was also a number one in the UK and yielded the Billboard Hot 100 number one " Praying for Time " and the worldwide hit " Freedom! '90 ". Michael went on to release a series of multimillion-selling albums, including Older (1996), Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael (1998), Songs from the Last Century (1999), Patience (2004), and Twenty Five (2006). The albums earned him multiple hits such as " Jesus to
12875-443: Was an instant success, reaching No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 in the UK. A video was released shortly thereafter, consisting of the lyrics on a dark background. Michael did not appear in this video or any subsequent videos for the album. The second single from Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 , "Waiting for That Day", was an acoustic-heavy single, released as an immediate follow-up to "Praying for Time". "Freedom! '90"
13000-411: Was attracted to them. Then I became ashamed that I might be using them. I decided I had to stop, which I did when I began to worry about AIDS, which was becoming prevalent in Britain. Although I had always had safe sex , I didn't want to sleep with a woman without telling her I was bisexual. I felt that would be irresponsible. Basically, I didn't want to have that uncomfortable conversation that might ruin
13125-535: Was certified four-times Platinum by the BPI. The album produced five UK singles, all of which were released within an eight-month period: " Praying for Time ", " Waiting for That Day ", " Freedom! '90 ", " Heal the Pain ", and " Cowboys and Angels " (the latter being his only single not to chart in the UK top 40). Michael refused to do any promotion for the album. At the 1991 Brit Awards , Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 won
13250-410: Was covered by the cast of Glee , led by Lea Michele , Cory Monteith with Amber Riley , and was released in 2009 exclusively on iTunes as a charity single, then in 2010 on Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album . The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 , becoming the first time a cover version of the song appeared on that chart. British singer Joe McElderry covered the song in 2011. This version
13375-477: Was covered in 2006 by Crazy Frog and released as a Christmas single. "Last Christmas" was recorded in 2007 by Cascada . It was released on iTunes in November 2007. The single had only a digital release but six days later, it was released on the single " What Hurts the Most " which was the first single from their second album . It was also released as part of their Christmas album, It's Christmas Time . The song
13500-505: Was dismissed when a musicologist presented 60-odd songs from the past century that had a comparable chord sequence and melody. Italian dance act Whigfield covered "Last Christmas" and released it as a double A-side with " Big Time " in the UK in December 1995. The single was also released as a double A-side single in Germany with " Close to You ". In other countries, "Last Christmas" was released on its own with various remixes. The single
13625-502: Was highly acclaimed by music critics, with AllMusic journalist Steve Huey describing it as a "superbly crafted mainstream pop/rock masterpiece" and "one of the finest pop albums of the '80s". In a review by Rolling Stone magazine, journalist Mark Coleman commended most of the songs on the album, which he said "displays Michael's intuitive understanding of pop music and his increasingly intelligent use of his power to communicate to an ever-growing audience." In 1988, Michael embarked on
13750-399: Was homosexual and did not do so until 1998. The video for "Jesus to a Child" was a picture of images recalling loss, pain and suffering. Michael consistently dedicated the song to Feleppa before performing it live. Michael released " Fastlove ", an energetic tune about wanting gratification and fulfilment without commitment, in 1996. The single version was nearly five minutes long. "Fastlove"
13875-409: Was known as a creative force in songwriting, vocal performance, and visual presentation. He achieved 10 number-one songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 and 13 number-one songs on the UK Singles Chart . Michael won numerous music awards , including two Grammy Awards , three Brit Awards , twelve Billboard Music Awards , and four MTV Video Music Awards . He was listed among Billboard ' s
14000-477: Was not a proper promotion for Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 . Rather, it featured Michael singing his favourite cover songs. Among his favourites was " Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me ", a 1974 song by Elton John ; Michael and John had performed the song together at the Live Aid concert in 1985, and again for Michael's concert at London's Wembley Arena on 25 March 1991, where the duet was recorded. "Don't Let
14125-404: Was produced by Larry Pignagnoli and reached number 21 in the UK, which was Whigfield's final release on Systematic Records. It also appears on various Special Edition versions of her debut album, Whigfield (1995), and also on Whigfield II (1997). The accompanying music video for Whigfield's cover was directed by Italian director Giacomo De Simone, featuring the singer performing the song in
14250-400: Was pure Freddie." —Queen guitarist Brian May on Michael's performance at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. Michael performed with Queen at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert on 20 April 1992 at Wembley Stadium . The concert was a tribute to the life of the late Queen frontman, Freddie Mercury , with the proceeds going to AIDS research. Michael performed " '39 ", " These Are
14375-414: Was regarded for a time as his artistic "muse" and who appeared in the " I Want Your Sex " video. Michael later said that she had been his "only bona fide" girlfriend, and that she knew of his bisexuality. In 2016, Jeung reacted to Michael's death by calling him a "true friend" with whom she had spent "some of the best time of [her] life". In 1992, Michael established a relationship with Anselmo Feleppa,
14500-543: Was released as a single from Listen Without Prejudice / MTV Unplugged (2017). The album includes the original version of "Fantasy" and the 1998 version; the Nile Rodgers remix was not included on the disc but was made available to purchasers as a digital download. On 18 October 2017, a music video was released on Vevo . In 2019, the Emma Thompson -written film Last Christmas was released. The title of
14625-540: Was released as a single on 19 December 2011, an EP was also released digitally in Ireland on 4 November 2011, and in the UK on 7 November 2011. Joe McElderry's version is taken from his third studio album, Classic Christmas , released 28 November 2011. 7th Heaven Remix & Production have done a remix for the song. A short music video was made using footage which was filmed for the Classic Christmas ' s album advertising, it features McElderry outside in
14750-399: Was released in 2004, it was critically acclaimed and went to No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart . The album became one of the fastest-selling albums in the UK, selling over 200,000 copies in the first week alone. It reached the Top 5 on most European charts and peaked at No. 12 in the US, selling over 500,000 copies to earn a Gold certification from the RIAA . " Amazing ", the third single from
14875-428: Was released on 3 December 1984 via CBS Records internationally and as a double A-side via Epic Records with " Everything She Wants " in several European countries. The song has been covered by many artists since its original release, including Whigfield , Crazy Frog , Billie Piper , Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande . Upon its initial release in 1984, "Last Christmas" spent five consecutive weeks at number two in
15000-468: Was released to digital retailers on 20 November 2015 through 604 Records (in Canada) and Interscope Records and School Boy Records (internationally). Jepsen's rendition was praised by critics for combining stylistic elements similar to the original with modern production. She performed the song live at the annual NBC television special Christmas in Rockefeller Center airing on 2 December 2015, and on
15125-399: Was supported by a futuristic virtual reality-related video. The single reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, spending three weeks at the top spot. In the US, "Fastlove" peaked at No. 8. Following "Fastlove", Michael released Older , his third studio album. In the UK, the album was particularly notable for producing a record six top three hit singles in a two-year span. In 1996, Michael
15250-737: Was the second of only two singles from Listen Without Prejudice to be supported by a music video (the other being the Michael-less "Praying for Time"). The song alludes to his struggles with his artistic identity, and prophesied his efforts shortly thereafter to end his recording contract with Sony Music . As if to prove the song's sentiment, Michael refused to appear in the video (directed by David Fincher ), and instead recruited supermodels Naomi Campbell , Linda Evangelista , Christy Turlington , Tatjana Patitz , and Cindy Crawford to appear in and lip sync in his stead. It also featured lyrics critical of his sex symbol status. It reached No. 8 on
15375-410: Was unknown at the time; he later had success as a performer with the band Climie Fisher in 1988. Michael and Franklin won a Grammy Award in 1988 for Best R&B Performance – Duo or Group with Vocal for the song. In late 1987, Michael released his debut solo album, Faith . The first single released from the album was " I Want Your Sex ", in mid-1987. The song was banned by many radio stations in
15500-682: Was voted Best British Male at the MTV Europe Music Awards and the Brit Awards ; and at the British Academy's Ivor Novello Awards , he was awarded the title of Songwriter of the Year for the third time. Michael performed a concert at Three Mills Studios, London, for MTV Unplugged . It was his first long performance in years, and in the audience was Michael's mother, who died of cancer the following year. Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael (1998)
15625-499: Was voted most popular song of the 1980s in Channel 5 's Christmas 2020 countdown Britain's Favourite 80's Songs . It was the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century in the UK until it was overtaken by " Fairytale of New York " in 2011. "Last Christmas" had its beginnings in 1983, while George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley were visiting Michael's parents. It was written by Michael in his childhood bedroom. Michael played Ridgeley
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