GEORGE MICHAEL LETS THE SUN GO DOWN ON HIM...
(Yeah, I know that "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" was originally an Elton John song, with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It's just "George Michael Loses Faith" seemed too obvious a headline.)From the article "George Michael quits "dead" pop" by Ben Townley of Gay.com UK
"George Michael has announced he is to quit the pop world, although he is yet to decide on what his next steps will be.
Introducing a documentary on his life at the Berlin Film Festival, the gay singer announced his decision by declaring that the "genre is dead" and that he no longer has any competitors to fire him up.
He said the film, which includes complete access to the star and his friends, was the closing chapter and a chance for him to "explain" himself to his fans.
"I just thought it was very important to explain myself before I disappear," press reports said.
"I truly believe that there's a life for me that is not this one."
He said that the demise of pop music and the absence of political ideology left him uninspired.
The singer and songwriter, who made his name with Club Tropicana and Wake Me Up, said he also feels disenfranchised by the increasing diversification of music and radio.
"That genre is just dead as far as I am concerned," the Independent reports him as saying.
"Radio is now completely aligned with television which has never been my forte. Nobody wants to hear about politics or any kind of strong ideas in pop any more.""
Wait... I admit that WHAM's Make it Big is one of the greatest British pop albums ever recorded, with "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go!", "Careless Whisper", and the underrated "Freedom", and Music from the Edge of Heaven has "Last Christmas", one of the most frequently-covered songs of the last two decades, and George Michael's early solo career produced some more classic hits like "Faith", "Father Figure", "Kissing a Fool", and "Freedom 90", but since when were George Michael's songs ever political?
Maybe the political songs are on one of the two original studio albums he released since Listen Without Prejudice 15 years ago? The albums Older & Upper and Patience that hardly anyone bought?
Actually, no, the correct answer is that the politics were there all along, you plebians were all just too thick to get the message.
Let's look at some Wham! lyrics, shall we?
CLUB TROPICANA
Let me take you to the place
Where membership’s a smiling face,
Brush shoulders with the stars.
Where strangers take you by the hand,
And welcome you to wonderland -
From beneath their panamas...Club Tropicana, drinks are free,
Fun and sunshine - there’s enough for everyone.
All that’s missing is the sea,
But don’t worry, you can suntan!
This song is actually decrying "orientalism", the exoticization of the third world "other" as being more simple-minded and eager to serve their first world "masters" who come to these resorts as tourists for their own decadent pleasure, paying little attention to the frequently dire poverty just a few miles from the gorgeous white sand beaches, and giving the locals menial service industry jobs that do nothing to help them build sustainable economies. And it's about the rampant over-development of tourist resorts in tropical areas, spoiling the delicate ecosystems of the coastal and island rainforests.
Also, I don't think I need to point out that the real Club Tropicana is in... CUBA! So, with this song, George Michael was encouraging tourists from the English-speaking world to flout the embargo imposed by the evil and dangerous American government, ruled by, at the time the song was written, the dastardly stupid actor warmongerer president who will nuke us all and zap us with his "Star Wars" satellites, Ronald Reagan, and pump some much-needed dollars into a cooperative "Worker's Paradise" administered by the benevolent Fidel Castro. And the "stars" you "brush shoulders" with? Communist party officials from the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact states. I mean, the Red Star was another international symbol of communism, wasn't it? And remember, under communism, the drinks are free!
What about the chorus from "Everything She Wants"?
Somebody tell me,
Won’t you tell me...
Why I work so hard for you?
All to give you money,
All to give you money...
It's a song about the exploitation of the proletariat class by the capitalist class, the corporations and the shareholders and the stereotypical rich men at their Men's Clubs with their tuxedos and their top hats and their monocles. And this typical proletariat worker is almost at the point of revolt and is looking for an answer as to why he is helping other people get rich in the unsustainable capitalist system but, like most of the proletariat, he looks for the answer in the wrong sources as big media is all owned and controlled by the capitalist class with a vested interest in prolonging the status quo, and they're not going to tell him to cast off his shackles and join the revolution. But the capitalist media is just delaying the inevitable fall of the corporatist state.
So, as we can see from these two examples, George Michael isn't just using politics as an excuse as to why he hasn't had a major hit song since that duet with Elton John a decade or so ago now. His songs have always been really, really poliitical. The subtexts to his seemingly simple pop songs are so obvious. I'm not being really pretentious into reading these hidden meanings. It's what he meant all along!
Quoth Homer Simpson: "In case you can't tell, I'm being sarcastic."
posted by Steve Brandon @ 10:10 PM
2 Comments:
George Michael - Shoot The Dog lyrics
Artist: George Michael
Album: Twenty Five
Year: 2006
Title: Shoot The Dog Print
Correct
GTi, Hot Shot,
He parks it there, just to piss me off.
Bullyboy, gonna show ya who's tough,
I'm gonna shoot the dog, I'm gonna shoot the dog
It's party time, everyday
I spent Saturday night on Novocaine
Called the pigs, but nobody came
I'm gonna shoot the dog, I'm gonna shoot the dog...(come on ladies)
Nine nine nine gettin' jiggy
People did you see that fire in the City?
It's like we're fresh out of democratic,
Gotta get yourself a little something semi-automatic yeah...
That's why I'm always gettin' stoned yeah
That's why I'm out there havin' fun again
Good puppy, good puppy
Rolling on over...
Mustapha
Mazeltov,
The Gaza Boys,
All that holy stuff.
I got the feelin' when it all goes off,
[Shoot The Dog Lyrics on
http://www.lyricsmania.com/]
They're gonna shoot the dog, they're gonna shoot the dog.
So, Cherie my dear,
Could you leave the way clear for sex tonight?
Tell him
"Tony Tony Tony, I know that your horny, but there's somethin bout that Bush
ain't right"
Nine nine nine gettin jiggy,
People did you see that fire in the city?
It's like we're fresh out of democratic
Gotta get yourself a little something semi-automatic yeah...
That's why I'm always gettin' stoned yeah
That's why I'm out there havin' fun again,
Good puppy, good puppy,
Rollin' on over for The Man...
The Ayatollah's gettin' bombed yeah,
See Sergeant Bilko having fun again,
Good puppy, good puppy
Rollin on over for The Man....
I believe, I believe what the old man said
Though I know that there's no lord above
I believe in me, I believe in you
And you know I believe in love
I believe in truth though I lie a lot
I feel the pain from the push and shove
No matter what you put me through
I'll still believe in love
And I say
Cherie Baby, Spliff up
I wanna kick back mama
And watch the world cup with ya baby
Yeah, That's right!
We're getting freeky tonight
Stay with me tonight
Let's have some fun while Tony's stateside
It's gonna be alright
It's gonna be alright
See Tony dancing with Dubya
Don't you wanna know why?
--
f.e.m. nov 2007 greece
George Michael - Star People '97 lyrics
Artist: George Michael
Album: Ladies And Gentlemen Disc 2
Year: 1998
Title: Star People '97
(keep dreaming)
star people
counting your money until you soul turns green
star people
counting the cost of you desire to be seen
I do not count myself among you
I may have been living in a dream
it's just that there seem so many of you
can't help but hope there's a difference between
and if I love to be a hundred and one
I will never understand what you are. honey?
I'm looking for sympathy
just get me on NBC
and where the hell's my dumb ass PR?
yeah-a-yeah
I said maybe your mama gave you up boy
(it's the same old, same old)
I said maybe your daddy didn't love you enough girl
(how much is enough)
star people
never gorget your secret's safe with me
just look at all the wonderfull people
trying to fotget just who and what they have been
oh (oh) it's a dream (it's a dream)
with a nightmare stuck in the middle (middle)
are you serious? I'm just curious
without all this attention
you'd die
I'd die
we'd die
and if I live to be a hundred and one (wouldn't we baby)
I will never understand what you are (ooh, I'm talking to you)
you're looking for sympathy from people who work to eat
and they don't really seem to mind
yeah-a-yeah
yeah-a-yeah
I said maybe your mama gave you up boy
(it's the same old, same old)
I said maybe (baby) your daddy didn't love you enough
(love you enough) girl
how much is enough? 3x
are you serious? I'm just curious 7x
yeah, more glycerine
let's go back to the day
huh DJ (why do you wanna tell me that?)
DJ (get yourself some Oprah case)
is that what makes a star? ooh
do you really think you've got it so hard? huh?
do you think it might do you some good to look around you
and decide how you night feel
if the pain you felt was real
tell me
is that why you're a star?
now nothing comes for nothing baby oh
that fame and fortune's heaven sent
and who gives a f*** about your problems darling
cos you can pay the rent
you can pay, pay, pay, pay, pay, pay, pay, pay
you can pay, is that why you're a star?
cry baby, cry baby
baby you're a star
is that why you're a star?
baby, baby you're a star
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