Daily Jam - One More Try

I have a soft spot for the music of George Michael.  Probably because i grew up with it, the sounds of those first two solo albums in particular being so prevalent in the pop culture of the late '80s and early '90s.  Here's a ballad from "Faith" for this Wednesday morning.  Listen to "One More Try" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Freedom! '90

This column was originally published in 2019...when i was still in my 30's.

I think for a lot of folks my age (nearing 40), George Michael played a significant, or at least a partial roll in our collective sexual awakening, be it the young girls who thought he was hot, the young, gay boys who felt the same way, along with a kinship they may or may not have only subconsciously been aware of, and the kids like me who liked to ogle the supermodels the artist frequently had star in his music videos (Cindy Crawford in a bath tub? Oh my). It didn’t matter who or what you were, straight, gay, or bisexual, male or female, black or white; George Michael was here with the sex, and our prepubescent and adolescent minds absorbed it like a handkerchief daubing the sweat from our excited brows.

Is it getting hot in here?

Now, I’m not going to get gross here, or be overly personal in a way that would make far too many of us uncomfortable, but growing up, I was a fan of the man’s music videos, along with a slew of other hot, bothered, and relatively steamy videos that would air in the nighttime hours before my parents would send me to bed. I didn’t care so much for Michael’s music, as it never really existed in my wheelhouse, but the videos certainly held my…attention. But then we got “Freedom! ’90,” the absolutely glorious single from 1990’s Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, and here we had a video (directed by David Fincher) that featured a bunch of beautiful, sexy models, explosions, and a song that actually kicked ass.

Maybe it’s about coming out. Or maybe it’s about breaking up. Or maybe it’s about saying “fuck you” to a record label, or discarding a manufactured image and past for something that’s more real. It doesn’t really matter. The song kills, whatever it may be about, and my ears and body perk up every single time I hear that opening beat.

“I won’t let you down…”

††† (Crosses) Cover George Michael

Want to hear ††† (Crosses), the duo of Deftones main man Chino Moreno and Shaun Lopez, cover George Michael?  Of course you do.  In what appears to be an annual tradition, the pair have offered up a cover tune for our listening perusal for the Christmas season.  Last year's was the Q Lazarus classic "Goodbye Horses," and for 2022 we've got George Michael and "One More Try."  And it's pretty damn enjoyable.  Check it out below.

It's Christmas Time! IV: The Quest for Peace

These are always fun.  The folks over at Retro Promenade have just released their fourth volume of Christmas themed synth wave and synth pop jams, delightfully titled "It's Christmas Time! IV: The Quest for Peace."  They're cheesy sure, but can also be pretty infectious.  Listen to Vast Hill's cover of Wham!'s "Last Christmas" below and download the whole album here.

Sonic Advent Calendar: Day 25 - Last Christmas

Merry Christmas i suppose.  I was originally going to post a different song today (John Zorn and Mike Patton performing "The Christmas Song"), but circumstances beyond anyone's control has determined otherwise.  I just found out a few minutes ago that George Michael passed away (this morning i guess), so here's "Last Christmas" from Wham! instead.  Watch below, and let's hope this last week of 2016 shows an inkling of mercy.

Peace.

RIP George Michael

We may be about done with 2016, but 2016 is not done with us.  RIP George Michael.  The singer passed away peacefully in his home over the holidays at the age of 53.  Watch the video for "Freedom 90" below, one of my all time faves as the video was quite possible a significant part i my sexual awakening way back in the day.