George Michael - Did You Know?
June 13, 2019Music facts, music trivia, interesting stories and much more. Introducing the "Did You Know" page about English singer, songwriter and record producer, George Michael.
Enjoy!
George Michael (real name: Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou) was an English singer, songwriter, and record producer. Michael first rose to fame as part of the music duo Wham! and later embarked on a very successful solo career.
When George Michael was in high school, he met Andrew Ridgeley, and the two would become the music duo known as Wham!. The two realized that they shared an intense love for pop music, and when their friendship first blossomed, Andrew was the good looking, outgoing, and confident one, while George was unsure, shy and introvert.
This may sound weird to you, as you remember Geroge Michael as cool, but it was Andrew Ridgeley who groomed Michael into a pop star. Ridgeley thought Michael how to dress, how to style his hair and how to be a charismatic performer.
During his music career, George Michael had had seven No.1 singles in the UK and eight No.1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. Among the songs that topped the charts are: "Praying for Time", "Careless Whisper", "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and more.
In 2004, George Michael was named the most played artist on British radio during the period 1984–2004 by the Radio Academy. George Michael has won various music awards throughout his 30-year music career. These awards include three Brit Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, six Ivor Novello Awards, three American Music Awards, and two Grammy Awards from nine nominations.
George Michael ranks among the best-selling British musical acts, and to this day sold more than 115 million records all over the world.
On 25 December 2016, George Michael was found dead at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. The coroner's report attributed his death to natural causes. He was 53 years old.
George Michael wrote the song "You Have Been Loved" about his lover, Anselmo Feleppa, who sadly died of an aids-related illness in 1993.
The beginning of the song describes Anselmo's mother, who visits his grave, while passing by the school he attended. The first chorus has Anselmo's mother saying goodbye, telling him "you have been loved." The ending chorus has Anselmo dying, telling George Michael, "you have been loved."
While "You Have Been Loved" is an intense song about grief and death, the song also involves a spiritual struggle. While Anselmo and his mother both say that God is not dead, George Michael counters their comments, challenging God.
George Michael wrote the song "Jesus to a Child" in memory of his Brazilian partner, Anselmo Feleppa, who he met during a performance at the Rock in Rio II festival in Rio de Janeiro in 1991. Feleppa died only 2 years later.
George Michael said that he had never felt real love, until he met Anselmo. That is why Michael decided to dedicate the song "Jesus to a Child" and the entire album Older to his lost boyfriend.
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