George Michael spent 1st of 12 weeks at #1 with Faith

Faith George Michael

Released: November 3, 1987 Peak: 112 US, 16 RB, 11 UK, 15 CN, 3 AU Sales (in millions): 10.0 US, 1.2 UK, 25.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: pop

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Faith (10/24/87) #1 US, #2 UK, #5 AC, sales: 0.5 m Father Figure (1/9/88) #1 US, #11 UK, #3 AC, #6 RB I Want Your Sex (6/6/87) #2 US, #3 UK, #43 RB, sales: 1.0 m One More Try (4/16/88) #1 US, #8 UK, #1 AC, #1 RB, sales: 0.5 m Hard Day (10/17/87) #21 RB Hand to Mouth Look at Your Hands Monkey (7/9/88) #1 US, #13 UK, #8 RB Kissing a Fool (10/8/88) #5 US, #18 UK, #1 AC, #33 RB Total Running Time: 49:37

Rating: 4.219 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings) Quotable: “One of the finest pop albums of the ‘80s” – Steve Huey, All Music Guide Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “A superbly crafted mainstream pop/rock masterpiece,” SH Faith was George “Michael’s stunning solo debut after four years in the lightweight British duo Wham!” MR and it made him “an international solo star.” SH He scored four consecutive #1 hits in the U.S. with singles from the album (“Faith”, “Father Figure”, “One More Try”, and “Monkey”). That made him the only British male solo artist to land that many chart-toppers from one album. WK He book-ended his four #1’s with two more top 10 hits (“I Want Your Sex” and “Kissing a Fool”). Some of those songs “were among the decade’s best pop.” MR “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.” SH The album made Michael “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.” SH However, he didn’t just cross genres. He was equally successful at “funky dance-pop and airy, shimmering ballads.” SH As for the former, “Michael appropriates the Bo Diddley beat for the rockabilly-tinged title track” SH In regards to the latter, there was “the heartfelt ballad Father Figure.” MR However, he also proved “himself a better-than-decent torch singer on the cocktail jazz of Kissing a Fool.” SH “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.” SH “Though Faith couldn’t completely shake Michael’s bubblegum image in some quarters, the album’s themes were decidedly adult.” SH With its “wicked R&B groove” MR 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.” SH “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.” SH “Unlike so much 1980s treacle, this disc hold ups surprisingly well.” MR Notes: A 2011 remaster added “A Last Request (I Want Your Sex Part 3)” to the original album and added a second disc of remixes (three of “Monkey” and one of “Hard Day”), instrumental versions of “Faith” and “Kissing a Fool,” covers of two Stevie Wonder songs (“I Believe When I Fall in Love” and “Love’s in Need of Love Today”), and the song “Fantasy.”

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for George Michael SH Steve Huey, All Music Guide MR Michael Ruby, Amazon.com (essential recording) WK Michael Ruby, Wikipedia First posted 3/25/2008; last updated 2/28/2024.

George Michael hit #1 with “Faith”

Faith George Michael

Writer(s): George Michael (see lyrics here) Released: October 12, 1987 First Charted: October 23, 1987 Peak: 14 US, 15 CB, 15 GR, 13 RR, 5 AC, 2 UK, 14 CN, 11 AU, 8 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.6 UK, 1.79 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 28.17 video, 396.95 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: George Michael started his transition from half of the bubblegum-pop duo Wham! to a more serious artist in 1987. First, he dueted with Aretha Franklin on the #1 song “I Knew You Were Waiting for Me.” He followed that with the controversial “I Want Your Sex,” a #2 solo hit with a decidedly more adult message. The title cut from his first solo album, Faith, could arguably be viewed as Michael finally planting his flag in the “now I’m a serious artist” land for good. “Faith” topped the charts at the end of 1987 and was followed to the #1 spot by “Father Figure,” “One More Try,” and “Monkey,” giving the album four chart-topping hits. This one, however, spent the longest time on top and was named the song of the year by Billboard magazine. The album went on to win the Grammy for Album of the Year. The “rockabilly-tinged title track” AMG was supposedly written as a rock and roll pastiche, which is demonstrated by the incorporation of Bo Diddley’s classic rock and roll beat WK which is also present on Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away” and U2’s “Desire.” SF While the video depicted Michael playing guitar, he didn’t know how to play. SF Thank Scottish session player Hugh Burns for the guitar lick which harkened back to the ‘50s Sun Records-era and Bo Diddley. SF Michael worked with Burns for hours to synch the guitar sound to his vocals. SF However, the song definitely had a modern touch as well. It was one of the first digital recordings, meaning he could write and record lyrics line-by-line and even word-by-word. Whie the process was tedious, it let Michael scrutinize every syllable to create the polished track he wanted. SF Resources: AMG All Music Guide FB Fred Bronson (2007). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (4th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 685. SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 11/26/2020; last updated 2/3/2023.