George's Life, #4

Time of Second album for George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. But this time, Wham! boys decided to Make it big.



They look like a Gleem ad; George Michael's music is an unabashed rehash of Motown; and no one seems to know what exactly Andrew Ridgely does. No matter: Make It Big is an almost flawless pop record, a record that does exactly what it wants to and has a great deal of fun doing it. Sure, it's slight stuff and too thinly orchestrated at times, but George Michael can write and sing rings around fellow teen dream Simon Le Bon. He may be less soulful than Boy George (remember, we're talking British white boys only) but he's got a much wider range, from rumbly bass to keening falsetto, which he uses to first-rate effect on "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go."

As a songwriter and performer, Michael has learned his lessons well. Gripe all you want about the cops from Holland-Dozier-Holland's "It's the Same Old Song," but "Freedom" is truly irresistible: snappily written, perfectly arranged, superbly sung. His moodier side gets an airing on "Careless Whisper." While his voice may be technically accomplished, it also has a prissy side that sinks the song.

So much for the hits (each was Number One in the U.K.); otherwise, Make It Big is mighty short on material. What should be zingy three-minute pop songs are dragged out to four or five minutes to fill up vinyl. Though that's a minor failure in the pleasantly daffy "Credit Card Baby" or the Spectorish "Heartbeat," there's really no excuse for the minute forty seconds of instrumental lounge music with which "Like a Baby" bumbles to a start. Still, George Michael is a glossy-faced talent who can't be written off. Everyone has a guilty pleasure. Why not let Wham! be yours?

1. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
2. Everything She Wants
3. Heartbeat
4. Like A Baby
5. Freedom
6. If You Were There
7. Credit Card Baby
8. Careless Whisper

As sample, I post Wake me Up before you go-go video, a symbol for '80.

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George's Life, #3

It was 1983, 9th of July. Fantastic! Album was released by George and Andrew.
Fantastic! is the misguided debut release from the U.K. duo Wham. With Fantastic, George Michael and partner Andrew Ridgeley introduced themselves as leather jacket-clad, street-smart "rebels." This approach proved wildly popular in the U.K., where Fantastic! was a Top Ten hit, but the album went largely unnoticed in the States. Fantastic is now notable only for its early appearance of Michael, who would become an international superstar by the mid-'80s. While Fantastic! showcases the young (20 at the time of the album's release) George Michael's ability to craft engaging, hook-filled melodies, much of the material on Fantastic! suffers from the duo's pretentious, tough-guy posturing. The empty funk of the U.K. hits "Bad Boys," "Young Guns (Go For It)," and the embarrassing "Wham Rap" barely registers, and Michael's smart-alecky, self-conscious lyrics are often unintentionally hilarious. Although Michael eventually became well known as a reasonably successful emulator of R&B trends, neither these tunes nor Fantastic's stupefying remake of the Miracles' "Love Machine" give any indication of his abilities. At best, Fantastic! can be viewed as a testament to George Michael's maturity. "Nothing Looks the Same in the Light" and "Club Tropicana," two of Fantastic's best tunes, lean toward the lush, adult pop of Michael's later solo work. These songs are ultimately more successful than the juvenile meanderings of "Bad Boys" and "Wham Rap." Fortunately, Michael and Ridgeley would later ditch the superficial, leather-jacketed approach for the more sophisticated pop of later Wham releases like "Everything She Wants" and "Freedom" (both from 1984's Make It Big) and "The Edge of Heaven" (from 1986's Music From the Edge of Heaven), finding major U.S. success in the process. Fantastic! isn't a good album, but it's oddly entertaining. It's certainly interesting hearing the difference between the frothy Fantastic and Michael's later, "serious" solo work like Listen Without Prejudice and Older. And Fantastic! is also good for a few chuckles. Unfortunately, that probably wasn't George Michael's intention. But even he might get a good laugh out of it.

This is the list of Fantastic! song :

1. Bad Boys
2. A ray of sunshine
3. Love Machine
4. Wham! Rap (enjoy what to do? )
5. Club Tropicana
6. Nothing looks the same in the light
7. Come on!
8. Young Guns (go for it! )
   

As sample from that Album, I am publishing here Bad Boys! video:



And this is the lyric:

Dear mummy, Dear Daddy,
You had plans for me, I was your only son.
And long before this baby boy could count to three,
You knew just what he would become.
Run along to school,
No child of mine grows up a fool,
Run along to school.
When you tried to tell me what to do,
I just shut my mouth and smiled at you,
One thing that I know for sure-
BAD BOYS
Stick together, never Sad Boys
GOOD GUYS
They made rules for fools, so get wise...
Dear Mummy, Dear Daddy,
Now I'm nineteen as you see,
I'm handsome, tall, and strong.
So what the hell gives you the right to look at me,
As if to say Hell, what went wrong?
Where were you last night?
You look as if you had a fight.
Where were you last night?
Well I think that you may just be right,
But don't try to keep me in tonight,
Because I'm big enough to break down the door.
BAD BOYS
Stick together, never Sad Boys
GOOD GUYS
They made rules for fools, so get wise...
Boys like you, are bad through and through.
Still,
girls like me, always seem to be with you....
We can't help but worry,
You're in such a hurry,
Mixing with the wrong boys,
Playing with the wrong toys.
Easy girls,
And late nights,
Cigarettes, and love bites
Why do you have to be so cruel?
YOU'RE SUCH A FOOL

George's Life, #2

The Executive's failure didn't freeze George's will. With his mate Andrew, he decided to create a "serious" group, calling it Wham! . It was the real start of his career.
In October 1982, they performed their first single, Young Guns (go for it!), but this song hadn't a big success, being out of UK Top40.
This is a rare video of them.



But then, Fate wanted to give them a chance. A video that should have been shown during a Top of the Pops had had some problems, so.. TOTP asked them to "cover that hole". They performed Young Guns! video, gaining visibility they needed.
Wham! phenomenon was gonna starting!
Now I am publishing here the video about Top of the Pops' Young Guns! .



And this is the lyric.

Hey sucker
(What the hell's got into you?)
Hey sucker
(Now there's nothing you can do)
Well I hadn't seen your face around town awhile,
So I greeted you, with a knowing smile,
When I saw that girl upon your arm,
I knew she won your heart with a fatal charm.
I said "Soul Boy, let's hit the town!"
I said "Soul Boy, what's with the frown?"
But in return, all you could say was
"Hi George, meet my fiancee"
Young Guns,
Having some fun
Crazy ladies keep 'em on the run.
Wise guys realize there's danger in emotional ties.
See me, single and free
No tears, no fears, what I want to be.
One, two, take a look at you
Death by matrimony!
Hey sucker,
(What the hell's got into you?)
Hey sucker!
(Now there's nothing you can do.)
A married man? you're out of your head
Sleepless nights, on an H.P. bed
A daddy by the time you're twenty-one
If your happy with a nappy then you're in for fun.
But you're here
And you're there
Well there's guys like you just everywhere
Looking back on the good old days?
Well this young gun says CAUTION PAYS!
Young Guns,
Having some fun
Crazy ladies keep 'em on the run.
Wise guys realize there's danger in emotional ties.
See me, single and free
No tears, no fears, what I want to be.
One, two, take a look at you
Death by matrimony!
I remember when he such fun and everthing was fine,
I remember when we use to have a good time,
Partners in crime.
Tell me that's all in the past and I will gladly walk away,
Tell me that you're happy now,
Turning my back
Nothing to say!
"Hey tell this jerk to take a hike,
There's somethin' 'bout that boy I don't like"
"Well sugar he don't mean the things he said"
"Just get him outta my way, 'cause I'm seeing red
We got plans to make, we got things to buy
And you're wasting time on some creepy guy"
"Hey shut up chick, that's a friend of mine,
Just watch your mouth babe, you're out of line"

George's life, #1

George Michael was born on June 25, 1963 in Bushey (near London), Hertfordshire, England. His real name is Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, reflecting his Greek-Cypriot origin. His father, called Jack, moved in London on 1950's , where he married George's mother, Lesley.
He's never had a great relationship with his father, who didn't believe into his musical career. This was due of his family's economical situation, not very good at that time. His father would have preferred him not to take such a riskful career, instead of a safer job; but this wasn't enough to stop George from his dream.
He was a quite shy boy, a little fat and with pimples; years later, during his Faith tour, in an italian TV interview he stated: "I have still inside the imagine of that fat ugly boy; that's why I have decided to adopt a seky look, taking my revenge".



See this video and set the timer at 2:00 minutes. There, George talks about it.

He spent his early years in the places of his birth, frequenting Bushey Meads School; there, he got to know his mates Andrew Ridgeley and Costas Michael, and they formed a short-living group called The Executive. Their demo weren't noticed by anybody, and this was a little hit against George's decision to become a singer; anyways, he decided to keep on singing, trusting in his faculties and, why not, in the future.
Facts are talking for him!!!

George wrote a song about his childhood. It's called Round here.


This is the lyric:

My daddy got here on the gravy train
I guess my mama had a real bad start to the game
They went walking and she took his name
Round here
There was dancing in the afternoons those days
Waiting tables, chasing girls with the money he made
It was 1957, and love felt the same, love felt the same
Frightened little girl, she makes a break
Into the arms of... something better
Round here
I hear my mama call in Kingsbury Park
Just me and David and a football that glowed in the dark
Waiting patiently to make my mark
Round here
And I remember my first day at school
And I remember trouble, and thinking I was so cool
I remember it all, like yesterday
Don't you
Every time I try to leave this place
Something inside says, "You can do better"
Round here
So come with me, let me show you where I've lived
I want to put my hands in this earth again
Music fell like rain to the streets
The Specials and The Jam, to The Beat
Even though I think I've seen everything there is to see of this world
I gotta be thankful that this crowded space
Is the place of my birth
When all that I wanted, was to be someone.
Two little Hitlers in an old church hall
Some cheesy covers and those neighbours that banged on the walls
Andy says it's time to show them all
Round here
Please sir, we two have other plans
Please sir you would not understand,
What's going on
Is magical, can't you see
That some of us do more than dream
Every time I try to leave this place
Something inside says, "Keep on keeping, on and on...."
Around here
So come with me, let me show you where I've lived
I want to put my hands in this earth again
Music fell like rain to the streets
The Specials and The Jam, ABC
Even though I think I've seen everything there is to see of this world
I gotta be thankful that this crowded space
Is the place of my birth
My birth,
In this town,
Yes I guess I got to be someone
To be somebody
In the Beautiful city
This place I call home
These streets of London
It's everything I know (everything and everybody)
On the streets of London
I want to thank you
My daddy got here on the gravy train.

Contents changed

As you have noticed, I've changed this week's content. The pic is more recent than the previous one, and the video.. Well it's about the long content-series I am gonna starting in a few days. I am gonna talking about George's life, from the beginning to the end.. And this video seems to be one of the first interview about him on net!
Let's enjoy it, mates!

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George's Life: Introduction

Soon I'm gonna starting a review about George Michael's Life.
Year by year, we'll follow his career and personal life, trying to understand how the first influences the second, and vice-versa. This way, we'll be able to better interpretate his last years, and maybe we'll preview where his future will bring him.
I'll publish Media Content into the right column, according to the year we'll talking about.
Thanks for your time, and don't forget to comment, thanks!