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Post by raliverpool on May 16, 2017 20:58:30 GMT 1
The first in a 3 way tie split by ESC tiebreak rules:
17th 8 Jesus To A Child (1996) 29 Pts
The song was a melancholy bossa nova tribute to Michael's Brazilian lover Anselmo Feleppa, whom he met when performing in Rio de Janeiro in 1991. Feleppa died two years later from an AIDS-related brain haemorrhage. Although it was not officially released until January 1996, Michael unveiled the song in November 1994 during the inaugural MTV Europe Music Awards, where he performed it live in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. The song was Michael's first self-penned hit in his homeland for almost four years, where it also became his first solo single to enter the UK chart at number one. It also topped the charts in Australia, Spain, Finland, Norway & Ireland, s well as peaking at Euro Chart #2, USA #7, & Canada #10.
After Michael's death in 2016, Dame Esther Rantzen, founder of the charity ChildLine, revealed that Michael had secretly donated all of the single's royalties to the charity.
It scored points from 5 of us including a 1st: lewis17 & a 3rd vya.
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Post by raliverpool on May 16, 2017 21:10:19 GMT 1
16th 38 Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) (1982) 29 Pts
The debut single on Innervision Records, released in June 1982 was written by Wham! members George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. Michael rapped a number of verses about the joys of living every day to the fullest, reveling in unemployment and celebrating government assistance from the Department of Health and Social Security (the initials "DHSS" are repeatedly chanted during the song). It failed to chart at the time, but it re-release early in 1983 saw it become a UK #8 & Australia #9 hit largely thanks to the superb 12" version which turned up on their debut album Fantastic, and subsequent The Final compilation album.
It scored points from 6 of us, with mic1812 3rd place being the highest.
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Post by raliverpool on May 16, 2017 21:15:58 GMT 1
15th 15 Kissing A Fool (1988) 29 Pts
The jazzy sophisti-pop track from the Faith album, was the seventh and final single to be released from the album. With reflected in it peaking at UK #18, USA #5, Canada #7, & Australia #55. It was later covered by Michael Bublé on his self-titled album.
This scored points from 6 Haveners with vya's 12 Pts & ManicKangaroo's 8 Pts being the highest.
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Post by raliverpool on May 16, 2017 21:25:46 GMT 1
14th 44 Young Guns (Go For It!) (1982) 33 Pts
The song was Wham!'s first hit (UK #3, Australia #4, & Sweden #1), although it came with some help from the BBC music programme Top of the Pops, which invited Wham! on to the show (when they were outside the top 40 at #42, but had put on a great performance on Saturday Superstore, hence the show's producer new they were going to be entertaining) as a last-minute replacement for another famous near legendary act which had pulled out because the video was not ready. George returned the favour by performing that now ffar more famous track at the 1988 Mandela Day concert at Wembley Stadium (see video for the answer).
This scored points from 7 out of the 15 voters with 2 4ths: mic1812 & Shireblogger being the highest.
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Gezza
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Post by Gezza on May 16, 2017 21:34:33 GMT 1
"kissing A Fool" is my first loss (albeit I gave it 1 point) so my top 10 made it the top 15 overall- I'm happy! Effortlessly classy from George.
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Post by raliverpool on May 16, 2017 21:36:07 GMT 1
13th 6 Freedom! '90 (1990) 34 Pts
The uptempo third single taken from Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, though released as the second single from the album in the United States and Australia, was his anti-Fame song with lyrics showing someone who is more cynical about the music business than he had been before. Michael refused to appear in the video and allowed a group of supermodels (Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington, and Cindy Crawford) to appear instead. The single reached #1 in Canada, but stalled at USA #8 (lower than any of the 7 singles from the previous album Faith), UK #28 & Australia #18. To add insult to injury, less than 6 years later Robbie Williams cover version would become a bigger international hit outside of North America.
This scored points from 6 Haveners including Earl Purple's 1st & Rooster's 3rd.
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Post by raliverpool on May 16, 2017 21:48:01 GMT 1
Another 3 way tie to split ...
12th 24 Outside (1998) 37 Pts
The lead single from his 1998 greatest hits album Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael. The self depreciating yet satirical first single since he was arrested for engaging in a lewd act six months earlier by an undercover police officer in the public lavatory of the Will Rogers Memorial Park in Beverly Hills, California, an incident which prompted him to declare his homosexuality, which had been rumoured for some years but never publicly confirmed. But effectively killed his career in North America.
It reached UK #2, Spain #1, Australia #13, and went top 20 across the world except it failed to reach the top 100 in either the USA or Canada.
This scored points from 5 Haveners including 1 1st ManicKangaroo & 1 3rd Shireblogger.
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Post by raliverpool on May 16, 2017 21:55:34 GMT 1
11th 19 Freedom (1984) 37 Pts
The Make It Big album, mono recorded faux Motown uptempo classic was a chart topper in the UK, Ireland & Norway, and went top ten virtually everywhere else including Australia #3, USA #3 & Canada #10.
It received points from 7 of us including 1 1st from rubcale.
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Post by raliverpool on May 16, 2017 22:05:54 GMT 1
The last one for tonight ...
10th 9 Club Tropicana (1983) 37 Pts
George & Andrew's satire of the boom for cheap package holidays for younger, single people of a hedonistic nature. It was specifically seen in the UK as a swipe at the very popular Club 18-30 scheme. The video was their last to feature Dee C Lee (who was replaced by Helen "Pepsi" DeMacque in time for the Make It Big era), who left to join Paul Weller's band, The Style Council. (She was later married to "The Modfather II" for ten years (but now divorced), they have two children). The single peaked at UK #4, Ireland #4 & Australia #60. In truth I bought the single for its superior stand alone B-side after seeing it performed on the Russell Harty show (& getting a few spins on Radio 1)..
This received points from 8 out of 15, but the highest was 1 4th rubcale.
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Post by raliverpool on May 16, 2017 22:20:42 GMT 1
I'll leave you this before I go (go) ... a superb cover version from 1991 of another artist who left us 2016 ...
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Post by Shireblogger on May 16, 2017 22:43:47 GMT 1
Wham! tracks less popular than I would have expected.
This rate is a 2-horse race, but it will be interesting to see which tracks fill positions #3, #4 and #5.
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Post by rubcale on May 17, 2017 10:39:00 GMT 1
It would appear I've been listening to an entirely different set of songs than everyone else.
I expected Freedom to be at least top 5.
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Post by raliverpool on May 17, 2017 17:21:58 GMT 1
Wham! tracks less popular than I would have expected. This rate is a 2-horse race, but it will be interesting to see which tracks fill positions #3, #4 and #5. As someone who thought the battle for this season's Premier League title was going to be a 2-horse race between ..... Manchester City & Manchester United .... I'm curious to know what those two song are. I'm planning on counting down #9 - #5 tonight from circa 20:00 Hours; and the Top 4 tomorrow. If anyone else wants to predict the top 3 then post away.
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Post by raliverpool on May 17, 2017 21:08:17 GMT 1
9th 7 Father Figure (1987) 43 Pts
The moody single from the Faith album, was a USA #1, UK #11, Australia #5, Canada #2, & Ireland #2 hit.
It scored points from 7 of us, including 2 10 Pts: vya & lewis17; & 1 8 Pt: Crazytowel
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Post by raliverpool on May 17, 2017 21:14:40 GMT 1
8th 2 Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (1984) 44 Pts
The positive upbeat perky 1960s dance pop homage; was the lead track from the Make It Big album; the track was a global smash hit reaching #1 in the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden.
It received points from 9 out of 15, but fished now higher than 5th for 4 voters: Rooster; Andy; rubcale; & Gezza.
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Post by raliverpool on May 17, 2017 21:22:27 GMT 1
7th 25 Praying For Time (1990) 46 Pts
The song was Michael's first single in almost two years, entering the UK Singles Chart in August 1990. This lead single from his second solo album "Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1" was a dark and sombre reflection on social ills and injustice, and was hailed by critics, probably as it echoed back musically & lyrically to the 1971 albums by Marvin Gaye "What's Going On" & John Lennon "Imagine". The single topped the charts in USA & Canada, UK #6, & Australia #16.
It received points from 9 of us with 1 2nd raliverpool; & 2 3rds darkstar79, & Gezza.
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Post by raliverpool on May 17, 2017 21:28:50 GMT 1
6th 22 A Different Corner (1986) 51 Pts
The serious emotional torch ballad made it two UK #1 out of his first two solo singles. It also reached #1 in Canada, Norway, & the Netherlands, as well as USA #7 & Australia #6. The song was performed by Chris Martin as part of a tribute to Michael during the 2017 BRIT Awards.
This scored points from just 6 Haveners, but they included 3 2nds: whitneyfan, darkstar79, & Gezza; & 2 3rds: smokeyb, & lewis17.
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Post by raliverpool on May 17, 2017 21:31:29 GMT 1
The remaining 5 songs left are in alphabetical order:
Careless Whisper Everything She Wants Faith Fastlove Last Christmas
And the only voters who gave points to all 5 was mic1812....
I will reveal one more tonight ....
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Gezza
Member
Posts: 7,846
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Post by Gezza on May 17, 2017 21:34:37 GMT 1
Yay- Only "Faith" remains as the sole single in that lot I didn't award any points to so I'm happy overall.
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Post by raliverpool on May 17, 2017 22:14:50 GMT 1
Is this a surprise, I think it might be ......
5th 1 Last Christmas (1984) 55 Pts
The seasonal song which has been recorded by more than 400 artists, and the best selling UK single which failed to top the charts (behind Band Aid "Do They Know Its Christmas?" which featured George & Andrew .....) peaked at #1 in Ireland & Slovenia; #2 in the UK; Belgium; the Netherlands; Hungary; Italy; Norway & Sweden; #3 in Australia; Denmark; Finland; Greece; & USA #41 ... which to this day conceded an undisclosed portion of its publishing royalties to "Can't Smile Without You" the song written by Christian Arnold, David Martin, and Geoff Morrow, and recorded by various artists including Barry Manilow and The Carpenters.
This scored points from 7 Haveners including 1 1st Shireblogger; 1 2nd mic1812; 1 3rd whitneyfan; & 2 4ths smokeyb; & Andy.
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