Top 10 Alert!
Song#: 2707 Date: 04/26/1986
Debut: 57
Peak: 7
Weeks: 16
Genre: Pop, Adult Contemporary
Pop Bits: The spring of '86 was both good and not so good for the duo known as Wham! George Michael and Andrew Ridgely had just scored their fifth Top 10 hit in a row with "I'm Your Man," yet Michael wanted to move on from the teen pop sounds of Wham! into something more mature. To do that, he needed to go solo so the duo decided to split. But before going their separate ways, they decided to record a few more songs and issue out a last album. In the UK and other territories, the duo assembled a more compilation-like double album titled The Final. For the US and a couple other countries, a single album called Music from the Edge of Heaven was released. "I'm Your Man" was included on the disc as well as this single, which was solely credited to George Michael. The plaintive ballad made it into the Pop Top 10 while also reaching #6 at AC. It would help push the album to #10 and go platinum.
ReduxReview: I was a little taken aback when I first heard this track. Coming off the goofy "I'm Your Man," this lovely tune was so unexpected. I think folks knew that George Michael had some skills going on, especially after "Careless Whisper," but this song confirmed that he had the chops to carry a solo career with something more than the bubblegum pop of Wham. This is an elegant track with a new maturity and a terrific vocal. Sadly, I rarely hear this song anymore. It comes up in my playlists, but it has kind of taken a back seat to Michael's bigger hits out in the world. Although his Faith album would be the one to cement his solo career, this is the song that really signaled the beginning.
ReduxRating: 8/10
Trivia: This song was George Michael's first solo hit in the US. Elsewhere in the world it was his second. When the song "Careless Whisper" was first released as a single in 1984, it was credit only to George Michael except for in the US. Apparently, his US label wasn't sure Michael's sole name could carry the single so they decided to credit it to Wham! featuring George Michael. Therefore it's not been considered a Michael solo song in the US. In the UK it was considered a solo effort and credited as such. The song reached #1 as did "A Different Corner." That made Michael the first solo act in the UK to hit #1 with their first two singles.
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