By this time in George's career, the record company still wanted him to be eye candy like he was at the beginning of his career. This song was his attempt to let the record company know that he would like to remain with them, but that he had "grown up" and wanted his music to reflect that. The models represent what the record company was wanting him to continue to be so that they wouldn't risk losing $$$ with something new. The models were pretty faces but not musicians.
The five top supermodels of the day: Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Tatjana Patitz. The male models were John Pearson, Peter Formby, Rafael Edholm, and fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti.
The song was a big middle finger to the record company. They insisted that he had to look and act a certain way in the videos. He said he would prove that he was so big, that he didn’t even need to BE in the video. He was right. This song was a huge hit 😂.
He's not in the video to prove to record company it didn't matter what he looked like or even if he was in the video people would still buy it. It was huge a hit. RIP
His live MTV unplugged he filmed in the UK was such an amazing live acoustic performance. After all of the BS the industry threw at him, he still got that unplugged performance anyways! Beautiful man, beautiful voice and sacrificed his reputation for freedom ❤️
This was George Michael fighting back to the record industry. He was coming out and the burning of the iconic jacket he wore in previous videos let them know he was Free to go in new directions.
He means Freedom from HIS Image as per the image of the Burning Leather Jacket he was knows for wearing - EVERY SINGLE SONG from the LISTEN WITHOUT PREJUDICE Album is a GEM!
George Michael was and still is one of the best songwriters of all time. Many of his songs are very deep, like for example Cowboys and Angels, You have been loved, Jesus to a child. R.I.P George
The supermodels are: Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlingto. The Guys are male models:John Pearson, Peter Formby, Rafael Edholm and fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti.
Thank you for pointing that out to him. I was sitting here screaming at him! He also said Careless Whispers and added the "s" there, instead of Careless Whisper.
It's DIFFERENT with supermodels! Their WHOLE CAREER IS based STRICTLY on how they look! George Michael was in the MUSIC industry. It was SUPPOSED to be ABOUT HIS MUSIC - NOT his looks! In this he is saying that he was fine (in the beginning) to get attention for his group THROUGH his looks BUT it was STILL SUPPOSED to be ABOUT his MUSIC. The FOCUS was SUPPOSED to be ABOUT MUSIC!
But for the "perfection" the models had und often still have to pay a high price cause many of them have/had to almost torture themselves to follow the demand of absurdly thin models. Mostly created by Karl Lagerfeld whose obsession with thin women influenced the whole fashion and media industry... til today!
Yup, he took his life back with this song. BUT PEGASUS!!! There is so much more to it… The record company OWNED everything about this man’s image and career, none of who he was to the world before THIS was his choice. He really wanted to take control of his image, career and come out of the closet. But the record company was working overtime to prevent that, legal threats and everything. But George Michael not only refused to appear in this video, but he did NO PRESS for the song either. But because of his legal obligation to make a music video for this single, he contacted a few super model friends of his and they called their friends and they ALL SHOWED UP for him. It was the greatest chess move an artist could pull on their record company at the time. He out maneuvered them. This song said EVERYTHING. HE PROVED he didn’t need to plaster his face & ass everywhere for his fans to love him.
Thanks wholeheartedly for enlightening me! I hadn't been aware of all that. Great guy with guts and obviously a perfect sense when to put this out. I would have loved to have seen the faces of some of the people in charge at his record company... Oh, and by the way: I really love the passion you presented your statement with! Would have made George proud... ;o) All the very best from Germany
Interesting fact, Not only did George Michael write & produce that song, but he also played that funky Ass bass part. While George gets credit for being an amazing singer, no one really knows or acknowledges what a talented musician he was. The video was directed by David Fincher of Seven & Fight Club notoriety.
I just saw that Fincher directed this in 1990. Fight Club doesn't come out until '99!!! I didn't realize Fincher directed music videos. Holy crackers!!!
If memory serves, in the early 1990’s George Michael had a major contract dispute with Sony. This song was from his second album as a solo artist. He was so upset about feeling trapped, that he refused to be part of the video.
George refused to appear in the video, thus all the supermodels appearing in the video. At the time, I believe he was battling with his record label for artistic freedom...since he hadn't really "come out" officially as yet. Regardless, there is no denying just how catchy this song is. I did get to see him in concert once at Madison Square Garden. I still remember that show and just how entertaining he was. He left us way too soon. 💔
Are there really any excellent supermodels today? I’m not talking about the trash kar/jenners, but ones that would be equal to the Linda Evangelista’s? I think she’s coming up in the realm, but Kia Gerber, the daughter of Cindy Crawford could well occupied that space really shortly. Could it be because everybody has gone ballistic on the Internet and they don’t really feature magazine covers like they used to? Or music videos like they used to? The supermodels of the day everybody knew who they were.
You saw a nipple 😂😂... that's you, you were looking. I saw this mv soooo many times, never stopped my eyes on it . And yes, 90s on MTV... Also so strange you haven't heard this song...
George Michael was a British singer, songwriter, musician and music producer. Michael founded the duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981 and released his first solo album, Faith, in 1987. Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, Michael's real name, wrote all of the Wham! duo's hits himself and received the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year in 1985. After Wham! split up, he focused on his solo career, which began with a bang. In America, he celebrated six number one hits, all from his debut album "Faith" (including "Faith", "One More Try", "I Want Your Sex", "Father Figure"). By 2000, the debut album "Faith" had sold over ten million copies in the USA alone. George Michael died in December 2016 at the age of just 53 in his house in Oxfordshire. An autopsy revealed that he suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy. In addition, an inflammatory disease of the heart muscle (myocarditis) and fatty liver were diagnosed.
My favorite lyrics in this wonderfully written treatise are "I don't belong to you..." He was not a product but a human being. And the lyrics "some mistakes are built to last"- when you are born, like some of us- non heteronormative- you grow up with these messages of hate and are made to feel... Defective, because of something about your wiring that you DID NOT CHOOSE. Subsequently are made to feel "less than" and fed a steady diet of fear and condemnation to further your already diminished self-image and it becomes dangerous. But you/we are not mistakes but also made in His image.
This was a protest song by GM against Corporate ownership of his artistry that's why we didn't see him and why he blew up his guitar etc. and the blood wasn't vampiric it was more of a metaphor. ALSO this was the first and ONLY Supermodels in my opinion - this was all of them but close to. These ladies were and are still something else to this day.
The jacket, jukebox and guitar were all key items from his Faith film clip, which epitomised the executive image of his brand. Hence why all 3 were blown to pieces.
he had these 5 models in the video because of they were on the cover of British Vogue magazine around the time. but I wish they would have gone full out and also had Elle MacPherson, Claudia Schiffer etc in the video. But I agree that era's models are THE Supermodels.
The follow-up album to Listen Without Prejudice is Older. That is his best album, hands down. Jesus To A Child, Spinning The Wheel, Fast Love. It's all flawless. You would enjoy his stuff from LWPV1 to Older. He was an award winning lyricist.
Underrated??? He got all the top supermodels of that time to be in his video. Dude was on top of the world back in the day. I was a MTV geek back then, his videos were on constantly.
@@micheleparadis2808 Sorry if you don't like being wrong, but he was in no way underrated. Claim whatever special meaning you want, yet can't explain, he was a superstar. Not once did I ever get the impression he was being underestimated or underrated.
GM was estimated al lot. He was even to replace Mr. Mercury In Queen and worked with Elton John and performed with the best artists. His voice was unique and I recommend to listen his rendition of Stevies Wonder's "They Won't Go When I Go" where he shows his vocal range.
This is one of the best videos ever made. This video has brought regular people closer to the fashion industry and turned models into SUPERMODELS, this was the song and and video of a generation
@@queen_of_green420 when I was ten my brother used to tell me that Prince was gay... I told him "not in my fantasies" ...we never had to have that conversation again😁😁😁
Uhm, I think you must be male & NOT a teen or older in the 80s when George Michael FIRST hit the scene with WHAM! ALL us girls KNEW ALL about him INCLUDING that he was BI-SEXUAL (leaning MUCH MORE towards men) - ONLY after about 1 song! - in the mid 80s! - WAY before this song! - & YES, we were disappointed, but we still loved him anyways. (He STILL had "relations" later with women - even from this female model group.) Maybe you don't know about the "earring code" that came out IN THE 80s - BECAUSE of George Michael?? Again - WAY before this song? Single earring in the left ear by a male - hip, (heterosexual male) Single earring in the right ear by a male - (homosexual - I don't know if he had to be "hip" or not) An earring (by a male) in BOTH ears - (Bi-sexual) George Michael sported the double earring thing early on & many males took up his code to tell people (without having to say anything) which way they went - which could be very helpful info (& also not as damaging to another person's confidence if they don't show interest.)
@@Carrie-so3ro I was in my 20's then and no one thought he was gay, dating only very hot women at the time. Every girl I know wanted some of that. There were probably some gay people who thought he was gay........but they think everyone is gay. hehehehe
R.I.P. Michael 🕯Sadly many r to afraid to speak their truth for fear of judgement, threats and de@th. Many stay oppressed by hate what ever their siruation. Thanx, Peace
Incredible song! In the 80's George was with a hugely popular group called WHAM. He left the group for a solo career that exploded. His FAITH album catapulted him into iconic stratosphere the likes of Michael Jackson & Prince at the time. But it took its toll on him. The popularity depressed him and the focus was so much on his image that he felt his songs & writing were overlooked. He felt the record company was taking advantage of him and his image to make big money without considering the man. He was still in the closet at the time of this album as well so his life was not his own. With this album, he began to say enough. He refused to put himself in the videos he was making as a middle finger to his record company. Little did he know using supermodels would still grow his popularity but the record industry was not happy about not having him be in his own videos. They knew his face was a selling tool. In the video there are symbols of his past that he uses to tell the world he has had enough. He burns the leather jacket and blows up a jukebox & guitar from his "Faith" video and with lyrics saying - "Sometimes the clothes do not make the man" really say a lot. But this was a process for George and he was in a phase of self-discovery. This song eventually became an anthem for LGBTQ. In 1998 he was busted in a restroom in Hollywood for propositioning an undercover police officer for sex. It was his outing of his sexuality and while embarrassing for him at the time it helped him face the world with it openly. Looking back on his videos it is funny how we didn't know because all of the signs were there but it was good that he could finally be himself. Oh, and there is no (s) at the end of Michael by the way.
I love this song and the video full of supermodels! This was during his solo era after he left Wham! His style change a bit! While with Wham they had a song in 1984 entitled “Freedom”. So I’m guessing that’s why this one is called “Freedom 90” as it was released in 1990!❤❤
Rest in peace George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 - 25 December 2016). If you've never heard "Wake Me Up" when he was still in a duo called 'Wham" (with Andrew Ridgeley) - it's a bop. Wham was the first popular music band to perform in China in 1985.
Check out "Faith" by George Michael!!! That's another amazing song! Also check out "Last Christmas" as we get closer to Christmas!! The most iconic Christmas song ever written!!
five of the biggest supermodels on the planet: Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Tatjana Patiz, starred in the David Fincher-directed video for George Michael's “Freedom! The jukebox and the leather jacket he burned was from his video FAITH which he hated because they made him totally change his look and tried to pass him off as straight, because they wanted him to appeal to the female audience. Paula Abdul was the choreographer for the Faith video which mostly featured him shaking his ass.
This song was called freedom 90 because it was a totally different song than George Michael other tune which was also called (Freedom) that he did with his group Wham back in the 80s and he wanted to make sure everyone knew it was a different tune. George did not appear in this video anywhere instead he had nothing but supermodels lip sync to his voice. Ps you need to listen to The George Michael songs (Monkey), (I Want Your Sex), (John and Elvis are dead), (Kissing A Fool), (I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) with Aretha Franklin) & (If I Told You That with Whitney Houston) you will love them a lot.
Loved George. One More Try and Faith are 2 great videos by him. Somebody to Love with Queen at the Freddy Mercury tribute concert is another must see video with George
George Michael's "Praying For Time" is what you should listen to, especially since you appreciate lyrics so much. I like to watch the video in studio where he talks about the song first, then watch the video. AND if you haven't seen the video of the live performance with Queen & George Michael, you absolutely MUST!!!
This is a great example of lyrics that speak to people long after the context is gone. The song is actually very literal to things that had happened/that he had allowed in his career that created the public image he wanted to destroy. If you were around in the 80s, it was clear. “To win the race, a prettier face, brand new clothes and a big fat place on your rock and roll TV” - When he left Wham! and started his solo career with the album Faith, he did so with a new look in videos that took MTV by storm. In fact, he popularized the three-day old beard look (still with us today). The leather jacket, jeans, boots and cross earring were all part of it. “But when you shake your ass, they notice fast, some mistakes were built to last” - In the video for the song Faith, there is quite a focus on his lovely backside dancing in his iconic jeans. It was such a sensation that SNL did a sketch about it. I still laugh when I think about Dana Carvey (as George Michael) wiggling his butt and yelling “Look at it! It’s a perfect circle! Scientists calibrate their instruments by it! It’s a force to be reckoned with, accept it before it destroys you!” George Michael famously sarcastically thanked SNL “for giving his rear end the celebrity it deserved” at an awards show. I could go on. The point is that the details of the lyrics were very specific but the message and sentiment is timeless.
Loved this song! It was always on my training playlist when I was in the military. Great rhythm and pacing made it ideal for the long full kit forced marches. This song and the Proclaimers “500 miles” got me through the SSF Ironman (35 km forced march, 5 km canoe portage, 10 km canoeing, and a final 5 km forced march all with 35 lb ruck, weapon, and battle rattle). It was long ago but the body doesn’t forget that shit.
Yes it’s a double entendre . Later we found out .. in interviews ( like on Oprah)what he’s saying is true . He wanted to come out but was afraid it might ruin his career ( different times ) he had one of the greatest voices of all time . He was a sweet gentle soul . Yes this video is filled with alll of the 90’s super models Naomi, Cindy, Evangelista , Christy !!
This video was groundbreaking. It hit like a tonne of bricks when we were teenagers. It’s aged well too. But at the time there had never been a video like it. It blew our minds.
The fact that Prince and George Michael are not here and that they died in the same year still boggles my mind. They played a huge part in my music foundation. My grief ove rlosing them still hits me at random times. Like now. I don't think I will ever get over it. This song is AWESOME. RIP
“I don’t belong to you, and you don’t belong to me.” That says to me how to be healthy in a relationship. You’re each other’s partners, not each other’s belongings.
1) If ever there was a singer who could compete with Freddy Mercury, I always believed George Michael had the vocal range and power to do so. 2) I like the backstory of this video, because like the story of the song, GM was in a dispute with his label and MTV and refused to participate in the video, so the problem solution was getting 90's supermodels to lip sync. It's still an iconic video.
I'm so excited about this! (As many others will prob said, it took him years longer to come out of the closet. This was actually about Sony trying to mold him into the sex symbol that made him feel like people saw him as that rather than an actual talented musician. Which he truly was. Check out the burning of the leather jacket. Second verse was about him and the other dude in his group Wham.) So glad you checked this out. It is so good, and this is one of my favorite albums of all time. Seriously. And I love Coltrane, Nugent, 2Pac, Lyle Lovett, Bat For Lashes, Ren, Brand Nubian, and Willie Nelson. Fantastic album. This is great. Love ya dude. High school mind all-day. LOL. Every song on this album is awesome. Hersey's kiss LOL. Check out "Mothers Pride" about war veterans. It's heartbreaking. And awesome.
Being such a huge Wham! fan, I feel I need to give the other guy a name. Without him, we never would have had George Michael. Andrew Ridgely is his name.
This I feel is one of his best songs. The rhythm, the depth of the lyrics, the storytelling. It's such a great song. You'll notice in the video the jacket that catches on fire, that was the jacket he wore in the original video for the song Freedom. A symbolic break from that time / record company. His catalog of music is amazing. Father Figure, One More Try ( probably his best song ), Freedom, I Knew You Were Waiting / with Aretha Franklin ... when he was a member of Wham! I'm Your Man, Everything She Wants, Last Christmas, Wake Me Up Before You Go Go. A truly unique talent gone way too soon.
It's called Freedom 90 because Wham (his former band) had a song called Freedom. This song was the beginning of the decade where Supermodels ruled the world (including their own chain restaurant called Fashion Cafe, which is like a Planet Hollywood.
Yes they were some of the top .. what they called the "Super Models" of the late 80's and then 90's. The ones here were Linda Evangelista (In the short blonde hair) Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington (in the long white gown) Tatjana Patitz (Blonde with the Marilyn Monroe type hair style) and of course Cindy Crawford. There were about 20 huge models to come out of this era that changed the game of big contract models. Anyway.... George Michael was huge in the 80's and 90's and was known for his ability to really sing!!! Oh and yessssssss.... they did show that video on television back then.. not sure about MTV.. but they showed it up here on our music programs.. and on Much Music.. which is the Canadian version of MTV!! With everything that was being shown to us.. this video was not a big deal.. and no one batted an eye at the nip slip. Especially when full on nipples were shown at fashion shows every season.. so no biggie! It's funny to me how shocked you get at all these old videos.😅 I mean... today's videos seem to show way more and say way worse or far more vulgar and or violent things.. that is just accepted and tolerated. I dunno... I guess I can only speak from my perspective. Cheers from Canada 😊🍁
Yes! George Michael was extremely talented & if you listen to the lyrics they are a big FU to his record label. He also refused to be in the video or even on the album cover. You should add “Praying for Time” to your reaction list! RIP George Michael 😢
As someone who had his picture in a frame, the line take back your picture in a frame, makes me feel some type of way. 😂. Great song, great video. I LOVE GEORGE!
This video was controversial at the time because GM wasn't in it. Couldn't have pissed too many people off - 'Faith" won the Grammy for Best Album. "Father Figure" from that album is my all-time fave GM song. You should check it out.
George Michael did some of the most memorable duets, please try to check some out eg; Aretha Franklin, Sir Elton (live: don't let the sun go down), Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, and more...
Dude they were all supermodels of the 90's !
Yes. George was not physically in the video. All the top models of that time.
😂😂😂. Dude!
The short hair blonde is Linda Evangelista--one of the near perfect human females
By this time in George's career, the record company still wanted him to be eye candy like he was at the beginning of his career. This song was his attempt to let the record company know that he would like to remain with them, but that he had "grown up" and wanted his music to reflect that. The models represent what the record company was wanting him to continue to be so that they wouldn't risk losing $$$ with something new. The models were pretty faces but not musicians.
The five top supermodels of the day: Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Tatjana Patitz. The male models were John Pearson, Peter Formby, Rafael Edholm, and fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti.
The song was a big middle finger to the record company. They insisted that he had to look and act a certain way in the videos. He said he would prove that he was so big, that he didn’t even need to BE in the video. He was right. This song was a huge hit 😂.
Bs
Saved me saying it. Ta ❤
@@antoniolopes4754?
@@spruce381 music industry lies to promote their videos and artists. They do that all the time to push interest
Prince did the same when he walked onto the stage at the Grammys with "SLAVE" across his cheek.
Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford ... The who is who of 90s hotties.
Weirdly we never knew the names of the guys in this😂😂😂 they must have been big models too...
RIP tatjana
Christy is one of the most beautiful faces I have ever looked at😊
@@alifc1082 the guys were big models. However, in the modeling world, men are relegated to second tier status.
@@Roy-mw5jsat this time I was convinced Christy had the most beautiful face possibly ever
He's not in the video to prove to record company it didn't matter what he looked like or even if he was in the video people would still buy it. It was huge a hit. RIP
We didn't deserve George Micheal. A beautiful man who was hounded his whole life by the press
I feel same way and this also applies to Any Winehouse for me as well ❤ both Legends
His live MTV unplugged he filmed in the UK was such an amazing live acoustic performance. After all of the BS the industry threw at him, he still got that unplugged performance anyways! Beautiful man, beautiful voice and sacrificed his reputation for freedom ❤️
This was George Michael fighting back to the record industry. He was coming out and the burning of the iconic jacket he wore in previous videos let them know he was Free to go in new directions.
This Bro is anti gay
He was smart had another jacket the same at home.
Not actors, they were THE supermodels. Back when supermodels were naturally beautiful and unique.
The duet by George and Elton John is unreal!! “ don’t let the sun go down on me” A MUST REVIEW Showcases his voice imo Its live also
A beautiful version...❤ it
Chase Bank has used the song in their commercials
Yes! Best live duet that wasn't a group.
George Michael was one of the best singer-songwriters of his generation. RIP.
Man miss this man's voice ...he truly was a musical treasure we lost too soon. RIP...
George wrote and produced this song AND did the percussion as well as the vocals. He was a brilliant musician.
He means Freedom from HIS Image as per the image of the Burning Leather Jacket he was knows for wearing - EVERY SINGLE SONG from the LISTEN WITHOUT PREJUDICE Album is a GEM!
Yes, it’s definitely one of those albums with no skips.
George is one of the few musicians I can think of that exited his "boy band" era with WHAM, and made it even bigger on his own.
George Michael was and still is one of the best songwriters of all time. Many of his songs are very deep, like for example Cowboys and Angels, You have been loved, Jesus to a child. R.I.P George
The supermodels are: Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlingto. The Guys are male models:John Pearson, Peter Formby, Rafael Edholm and fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti.
@d.kyrstede3556 HOLY CRAP!!! I've tried to find the male models' names, thank you!
You forgot the most famous one, Milla Jovovich. 😉
george MICHAEL! NOT MICHAELS! respect the man rip george.
Haha, chill out. It's not like he called him George Dickhead
Thank you for pointing that out to him. I was sitting here screaming at him! He also said Careless Whispers and added the "s" there, instead of Careless Whisper.
Someone has been watching Tootsie too many times, LOL... Dorothy Michaels ;-)
So annoying isn't it , Ive no patience
Truth
I think his cover of I can't make you love me if you don't is the most beautiful and heartfelt version of all.
These are supermodels who can relate to the lyrics of the song, being tied to contracts and images.
It's DIFFERENT with supermodels! Their WHOLE CAREER IS based STRICTLY on how they look! George Michael was in the MUSIC industry. It was SUPPOSED to be ABOUT HIS MUSIC - NOT his looks!
In this he is saying that he was fine (in the beginning) to get attention for his group THROUGH his looks BUT it was STILL SUPPOSED to be ABOUT his MUSIC. The FOCUS was SUPPOSED to be ABOUT MUSIC!
@@Carrie-so3ro blah blah blah
These are not “the girl next door. “ These are not “body positive. “ These are straight up gorgeous women, perfection all of them.
But for the "perfection" the models had und often still have to pay a high price cause many of them have/had to almost torture themselves to follow the demand of absurdly thin models. Mostly created by Karl Lagerfeld whose obsession with thin women influenced the whole fashion and media industry... til today!
He was never one to shy away from controversy.
And that is why we love him. RIP GM ❤
The INCOMPARABLE George Michael.
This was his revolt from the music executives
Yup, he took his life back with this song. BUT PEGASUS!!! There is so much more to it…
The record company OWNED everything about this man’s image and career, none of who he was to the world before THIS was his choice. He really wanted to take control of his image, career and come out of the closet. But the record company was working overtime to prevent that, legal threats and everything. But George Michael not only refused to appear in this video, but he did NO PRESS for the song either.
But because of his legal obligation to make a music video for this single, he contacted a few super model friends of his and they called their friends and they ALL SHOWED UP for him. It was the greatest chess move an artist could pull on their record company at the time. He out maneuvered them. This song said EVERYTHING. HE PROVED he didn’t need to plaster his face & ass everywhere for his fans to love him.
You explained it beautifully!!!!!
Very, Very, Well Said.
And the burning of the leather jacket... iconic way to break with the past.
Thanks wholeheartedly for enlightening me! I hadn't been aware of all that. Great guy with guts and obviously a perfect sense when to put this out. I would have loved to have seen the faces of some of the people in charge at his record company...
Oh, and by the way: I really love the passion you presented your statement with! Would have made George proud... ;o)
All the very best from Germany
I was not a George Michael fan at the time, but this video made me rethink my opinion.
Interesting fact, Not only did George Michael write & produce that song, but he also played that funky Ass bass part.
While George gets credit for being an amazing singer, no one really knows or acknowledges what a talented musician he was.
The video was directed by David Fincher of Seven & Fight Club notoriety.
I just saw that Fincher directed this in 1990. Fight Club doesn't come out until '99!!! I didn't realize Fincher directed music videos. Holy crackers!!!
Miss this gorgeous man… one of the best voices in my opinion ❤😢
This song is exactly about what you suggested. He wants the freedom to be himself
George is a national treasure here in the UK
100% 💜
One of the best singers ever😊
If memory serves, in the early 1990’s George Michael had a major contract dispute with Sony. This song was from his second album as a solo artist. He was so upset about feeling trapped, that he refused to be part of the video.
George refused to appear in the video, thus all the supermodels appearing in the video. At the time, I believe he was battling with his record label for artistic freedom...since he hadn't really "come out" officially as yet. Regardless, there is no denying just how catchy this song is. I did get to see him in concert once at Madison Square Garden. I still remember that show and just how entertaining he was. He left us way too soon. 💔
We loved our supermodels back then.
When supermodels looked like supermodels.
Are there really any excellent supermodels today? I’m not talking about the trash kar/jenners, but ones that would be equal to the Linda Evangelista’s? I think she’s coming up in the realm, but Kia Gerber, the daughter of Cindy Crawford could well occupied that space really shortly. Could it be because everybody has gone ballistic on the Internet and they don’t really feature magazine covers like they used to? Or music videos like they used to?
The supermodels of the day everybody knew who they were.
I still love these 90s supermodels.
I took a picture of 90's Linda to the hair stylist a month ago.
This was iconic and George was essentially giving the finger to the music companies !
You saw a nipple 😂😂... that's you, you were looking. I saw this mv soooo many times, never stopped my eyes on it . And yes, 90s on MTV... Also so strange you haven't heard this song...
BP is always about the sex 😂
@@MissSJ4429always!
I have watched this video at least 100 times and never even noticed that… crazy 😂 I even showed this to my teenagers 😮
I was thinking the same thing. I have seen this video hundreds of times and never seen that. LOL
@@MissSJ4429 😄 This is, so, true. He tries to act like he isn't. But, he always is.
George Michael was a British singer, songwriter, musician and music producer. Michael founded the duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981 and released his first solo album, Faith, in 1987. Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, Michael's real name, wrote all of the Wham! duo's hits himself and received the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year in 1985. After Wham! split up, he focused on his solo career, which began with a bang. In America, he celebrated six number one hits, all from his debut album "Faith" (including "Faith", "One More Try", "I Want Your Sex", "Father Figure"). By 2000, the debut album "Faith" had sold over ten million copies in the USA alone. George Michael died in December 2016 at the age of just 53 in his house in Oxfordshire. An autopsy revealed that he suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy. In addition, an inflammatory disease of the heart muscle (myocarditis) and fatty liver were diagnosed.
He also gave Andrew Ridgeley co-writing credit om all the Wham! songs so that he would never want for money. A true friend.
My favorite lyrics in this wonderfully written treatise are "I don't belong to you..." He was not a product but a human being.
And the lyrics "some mistakes are built to last"- when you are born, like some of us- non heteronormative- you grow up with these messages of hate and are made to feel... Defective, because of something about your wiring that you DID NOT CHOOSE. Subsequently are made to feel "less than" and fed a steady diet of fear and condemnation to further your already diminished self-image and it becomes dangerous.
But you/we are not mistakes but also made in His image.
Unlike a lot of artists of his generation, George wrote all of his songs. Just a tremendous singer and songwriter! RIP George.
Artists of George’s generation often wrote their own songs. More than they do now for sure.
His song were like his personal diary he shared with us.
This was a protest song by GM against Corporate ownership of his artistry that's why we didn't see him and why he blew up his guitar etc. and the blood wasn't vampiric it was more of a metaphor.
ALSO this was the first and ONLY Supermodels in my opinion - this was all of them but close to. These ladies were and are still something else to this day.
The jacket, jukebox and guitar were all key items from his Faith film clip, which epitomised the executive image of his brand. Hence why all 3 were blown to pieces.
he had these 5 models in the video because of they were on the cover of British Vogue magazine around the time. but I wish they would have gone full out and also had Elle MacPherson, Claudia Schiffer etc in the video. But I agree that era's models are THE Supermodels.
The follow-up album to Listen Without Prejudice is Older. That is his best album, hands down. Jesus To A Child, Spinning The Wheel, Fast Love. It's all flawless. You would enjoy his stuff from LWPV1 to Older. He was an award winning lyricist.
George Michael, singer/songwriter, is one of the most underestimated/underrated artists, imho
Underrated??? He got all the top supermodels of that time to be in his video. Dude was on top of the world back in the day. I was a MTV geek back then, his videos were on constantly.
@@quor2243 what you're saying has nothing to do with what I mean. The arguments you bring tell me that you're a little too shallow to understand.
@@micheleparadis2808 Sorry if you don't like being wrong, but he was in no way underrated. Claim whatever special meaning you want, yet can't explain, he was a superstar. Not once did I ever get the impression he was being underestimated or underrated.
😂🤣😂🤣😂 George Michael underestimated/ underrated artist?? Oh please, where have you been in the 80s/90s??😅
GM was estimated al lot. He was even to replace Mr. Mercury In Queen and worked with Elton John and performed with the best artists. His voice was unique and I recommend to listen his rendition of Stevies Wonder's "They Won't Go When I Go" where he shows his vocal range.
This is one of the best videos ever made. This video has brought regular people closer to the fashion industry and turned models into SUPERMODELS, this was the song and and video of a generation
Kissing a fool is very lovely as well
Nice reaction. This is the song that broke all the girls hearts as George declares his freedom.
Don't ask me how but I knew him Freddie Mercury and boy George were gay when I was eight😂😂😂 love them all to pieces
I've never recovered.....💔
@@queen_of_green420 when I was ten my brother used to tell me that Prince was gay... I told him "not in my fantasies" ...we never had to have that conversation again😁😁😁
Uhm, I think you must be male & NOT a teen or older in the 80s when George Michael FIRST hit the scene with WHAM!
ALL us girls KNEW ALL about him INCLUDING that he was BI-SEXUAL (leaning MUCH MORE towards men) - ONLY after about 1 song! - in the mid 80s! - WAY before this song! - & YES, we were disappointed, but we still loved him anyways.
(He STILL had "relations" later with women - even from this female model group.)
Maybe you don't know about the "earring code" that came out IN THE 80s - BECAUSE of George Michael?? Again - WAY before this song?
Single earring in the left ear by a male - hip, (heterosexual male)
Single earring in the right ear by a male - (homosexual - I don't know if he had to be "hip" or not)
An earring (by a male) in BOTH ears - (Bi-sexual)
George Michael sported the double earring thing early on & many males took up his code to tell people (without having to say anything) which way they went - which could be very helpful info (& also not as damaging to another person's confidence if they don't show interest.)
@@Carrie-so3ro I was in my 20's then and no one thought he was gay, dating only very hot women at the time. Every girl I know wanted some of that. There were probably some gay people who thought he was gay........but they think everyone is gay. hehehehe
2:45 adding an "s" everywhere
Hope he has peace now because he definitely didn't have any while he was alive
Next from George should be Too Funky. All the 90's models again and in full form!
Father figure is an amazing song
R.I.P. Michael 🕯Sadly many r to afraid to speak their truth for fear of judgement, threats and de@th. Many stay oppressed by hate what ever their siruation. Thanx, Peace
Incredible song! In the 80's George was with a hugely popular group called WHAM. He left the group for a solo career that exploded. His FAITH album catapulted him into iconic stratosphere the likes of Michael Jackson & Prince at the time. But it took its toll on him. The popularity depressed him and the focus was so much on his image that he felt his songs & writing were overlooked. He felt the record company was taking advantage of him and his image to make big money without considering the man. He was still in the closet at the time of this album as well so his life was not his own. With this album, he began to say enough. He refused to put himself in the videos he was making as a middle finger to his record company. Little did he know using supermodels would still grow his popularity but the record industry was not happy about not having him be in his own videos. They knew his face was a selling tool. In the video there are symbols of his past that he uses to tell the world he has had enough. He burns the leather jacket and blows up a jukebox & guitar from his "Faith" video and with lyrics saying - "Sometimes the clothes do not make the man" really say a lot. But this was a process for George and he was in a phase of self-discovery. This song eventually became an anthem for LGBTQ. In 1998 he was busted in a restroom in Hollywood for propositioning an undercover police officer for sex. It was his outing of his sexuality and while embarrassing for him at the time it helped him face the world with it openly. Looking back on his videos it is funny how we didn't know because all of the signs were there but it was good that he could finally be himself.
Oh, and there is no (s) at the end of Michael by the way.
"I don't belong to you and you don't belong to me" was him telling Sony records that he'd had enough and wanted out of their contract.
these were the supermodels of the 90's .. naomi, cindy, linda, christy, etc
I love this song and the video full of supermodels! This was during his solo era after he left Wham! His style change a bit! While with Wham they had a song in 1984 entitled “Freedom”. So I’m guessing that’s why this one is called “Freedom 90” as it was released in 1990!❤❤
Rest in peace George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 - 25 December 2016). If you've never heard "Wake Me Up" when he was still in a duo called 'Wham" (with Andrew Ridgeley) - it's a bop. Wham was the first popular music band to perform in China in 1985.
I love George Michael he was an amazing singer may he rest in peace .
I somehow entered a George Michael live wormhole. That dude is the whole package. World class entertainer.
Got to listen to Go outside George is brilliant at UP YOURS songs . He really was one of the best
This song was a massive event in music history
Check out "Faith" by George Michael!!! That's another amazing song! Also check out "Last Christmas" as we get closer to Christmas!! The most iconic Christmas song ever written!!
five of the biggest supermodels on the planet: Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Tatjana Patiz, starred in the David Fincher-directed video for George Michael's “Freedom!
The jukebox and the leather jacket he burned was from his video FAITH which he hated because they made him totally change his look and tried to pass him off as straight, because they wanted him to appeal to the female audience. Paula Abdul was the choreographer for the Faith video which mostly featured him shaking his ass.
He said he was bisexual and this video is his protest against sony records, he didn't want them to " own" him and his music
Love George Michael, another great song is “Too Funky” featuring the supermodels & George ❤
This song was called freedom 90 because it was a totally different song than George Michael other tune which was also called (Freedom) that he did with his group Wham back in the 80s and he wanted to make sure everyone knew it was a different tune. George did not appear in this video anywhere instead he had nothing but supermodels lip sync to his voice.
Ps you need to listen to The George Michael songs (Monkey), (I Want Your Sex), (John and Elvis are dead), (Kissing A Fool), (I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) with Aretha Franklin) & (If I Told You That with Whitney Houston) you will love them a lot.
A snippet of an orchestral version of the Wham! song “Freedom” begins the video of “Faith.”
With your recent discovery of queen, check out George do “somebody to love” at Freddie’s tribute. Won’t disappoint
That song is my 'go to' when I need to test headphones
Loved George. One More Try and Faith are 2 great videos by him. Somebody to Love with Queen at the Freddy Mercury tribute concert is another must see video with George
George Michael's "Praying For Time" is what you should listen to, especially since you appreciate lyrics so much. I like to watch the video in studio where he talks about the song first, then watch the video. AND if you haven't seen the video of the live performance with Queen & George Michael, you absolutely MUST!!!
George Michael no S! These were all supermodels of the day.
This is a great example of lyrics that speak to people long after the context is gone. The song is actually very literal to things that had happened/that he had allowed in his career that created the public image he wanted to destroy. If you were around in the 80s, it was clear.
“To win the race, a prettier face, brand new clothes and a big fat place on your rock and roll TV” - When he left Wham! and started his solo career with the album Faith, he did so with a new look in videos that took MTV by storm. In fact, he popularized the three-day old beard look (still with us today). The leather jacket, jeans, boots and cross earring were all part of it.
“But when you shake your ass, they notice fast, some mistakes were built to last” - In the video for the song Faith, there is quite a focus on his lovely backside dancing in his iconic jeans. It was such a sensation that SNL did a sketch about it. I still laugh when I think about Dana Carvey (as George Michael) wiggling his butt and yelling “Look at it! It’s a perfect circle! Scientists calibrate their instruments by it! It’s a force to be reckoned with, accept it before it destroys you!” George Michael famously sarcastically thanked SNL “for giving his rear end the celebrity it deserved” at an awards show.
I could go on. The point is that the details of the lyrics were very specific but the message and sentiment is timeless.
Loved this song! It was always on my training playlist when I was in the military. Great rhythm and pacing made it ideal for the long full kit forced marches. This song and the Proclaimers “500 miles” got me through the SSF Ironman (35 km forced march, 5 km canoe portage, 10 km canoeing, and a final 5 km forced march all with 35 lb ruck, weapon, and battle rattle). It was long ago but the body doesn’t forget that shit.
Yes it’s a double entendre . Later we found out .. in interviews ( like on Oprah)what he’s saying is true . He wanted to come out but was afraid it might ruin his career ( different times ) he had one of the greatest voices of all time . He was a sweet gentle soul . Yes this video is filled with alll of the 90’s super models Naomi, Cindy, Evangelista , Christy !!
This video was groundbreaking. It hit like a tonne of bricks when we were teenagers. It’s aged well too. But at the time there had never been a video like it. It blew our minds.
I think it was called Freedom '90 also because with Wham! he already had a hitsong called Freedom (I don't want your freedom).
The fact that Prince and George Michael are not here and that they died in the same year still boggles my mind. They played a huge part in my music foundation. My grief ove rlosing them still hits me at random times. Like now. I don't think I will ever get over it. This song is AWESOME. RIP
Underrated GM songs: A Different Corner, Where Did Your Heart Go, Waiting for That Day
“I don’t belong to you, and you don’t belong to me.” That says to me how to be healthy in a relationship. You’re each other’s partners, not each other’s belongings.
For an absolute banger! Tears for fears Woman in chains 1995 with Olleta Adams live . It’s increada
1) If ever there was a singer who could compete with Freddy Mercury, I always believed George Michael had the vocal range and power to do so.
2) I like the backstory of this video, because like the story of the song, GM was in a dispute with his label and MTV and refused to participate in the video, so the problem solution was getting 90's supermodels to lip sync. It's still an iconic video.
I'm so excited about this! (As many others will prob said, it took him years longer to come out of the closet. This was actually about Sony trying to mold him into the sex symbol that made him feel like people saw him as that rather than an actual talented musician. Which he truly was. Check out the burning of the leather jacket. Second verse was about him and the other dude in his group Wham.) So glad you checked this out. It is so good, and this is one of my favorite albums of all time. Seriously. And I love Coltrane, Nugent, 2Pac, Lyle Lovett, Bat For Lashes, Ren, Brand Nubian, and Willie Nelson. Fantastic album.
This is great. Love ya dude. High school mind all-day. LOL. Every song on this album is awesome. Hersey's kiss LOL. Check out "Mothers Pride" about war veterans. It's heartbreaking. And awesome.
Being such a huge Wham! fan, I feel I need to give the other guy a name. Without him, we never would have had George Michael. Andrew Ridgely is his name.
Ah Man. You are gonna love Paulo Nutini Iron Sky when you finally find him. The guy is a genius. Just do it BP. 🙏🏼👊🏼
It's Freedom 90 because he recorded another song also called Freedom when he was in Wham
This I feel is one of his best songs. The rhythm, the depth of the lyrics, the storytelling. It's such a great song. You'll notice in the video the jacket that catches on fire, that was the jacket he wore in the original video for the song Freedom. A symbolic break from that time / record company. His catalog of music is amazing. Father Figure, One More Try ( probably his best song ), Freedom, I Knew You Were Waiting / with Aretha Franklin ... when he was a member of Wham! I'm Your Man, Everything She Wants, Last Christmas, Wake Me Up Before You Go Go. A truly unique talent gone way too soon.
my fave George Michael song! dbl ♥
It's called Freedom 90 because Wham (his former band) had a song called Freedom. This song was the beginning of the decade where Supermodels ruled the world (including their own chain restaurant called Fashion Cafe, which is like a Planet Hollywood.
Thank you! Scrolled the comments to see that you posted what I came here to say. Freedom with Wham was from 1984.
More George please.... 😊
Yes they were some of the top .. what they called the "Super Models" of the late 80's and then 90's. The ones here were Linda Evangelista (In the short blonde hair) Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington (in the long white gown) Tatjana Patitz (Blonde with the Marilyn Monroe type hair style) and of course Cindy Crawford. There were about 20 huge models to come out of this era that changed the game of big contract models. Anyway.... George Michael was huge in the 80's and 90's and was known for his ability to really sing!!! Oh and yessssssss.... they did show that video on television back then.. not sure about MTV.. but they showed it up here on our music programs.. and on Much Music.. which is the Canadian version of MTV!! With everything that was being shown to us.. this video was not a big deal.. and no one batted an eye at the nip slip. Especially when full on nipples were shown at fashion shows every season.. so no biggie! It's funny to me how shocked you get at all these old videos.😅 I mean... today's videos seem to show way more and say way worse or far more vulgar and or violent things.. that is just accepted and tolerated. I dunno... I guess I can only speak from my perspective. Cheers from Canada 😊🍁
Yes! George Michael was extremely talented & if you listen to the lyrics they are a big FU to his record label. He also refused to be in the video or even on the album cover. You should add “Praying for Time” to your reaction list! RIP George Michael 😢
Such a freaking good song. Enjoy! 😎
You're commrntary is my belief. Whoa! You are amazing. Keep it up, Babes! ❤🙏❤
As someone who had his picture in a frame, the line take back your picture in a frame, makes me feel some type of way. 😂. Great song, great video. I LOVE GEORGE!
Please do MORE reactions to George Michael. He made soooo many fabulous tunes. Pretty pleeeeease.
Cindy was the queen of hotness in the 90’s
Featured in "Freedom '90" - Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington - the man IS George Michael.
This video was controversial at the time because GM wasn't in it. Couldn't have pissed too many people off - 'Faith" won the Grammy for Best Album. "Father Figure" from that album is my all-time fave GM song. You should check it out.
George Michael did some of the most memorable duets, please try to check some out eg; Aretha Franklin, Sir Elton (live: don't let the sun go down), Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, and more...
The Original Supermodels, Beauty Personified ❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️
George MICHEAL
Michael😂
Some of David Fincher's best work on display here
Excellent choice of song to react to. Excellent song. Keep up the good stuff.
Love that BlackS Pegasus guy.Only bring it up cuz ya keep sayin it... Michael-no S.
I watch all the time,no hate 40!
Faith is a must listen!!! Please, please, please do that one next!!! 🙏
Anything from George Michael‘s MTV Unplugged concert is absolute 🔥🔥🔥
Love George Michael!!❤❤❤