a&e features
10 hidden gems by George Michael
Shocking Christmas death sparks reappraisal of out singer’s lesser-known track
Given the shocking death of pop superstar George Michael on Christmas Day at the age of 53, it’s not surprising that his mourning fans have been listening through his outstanding catalog of music, which stretches more than 30 years as a solo artist and as one half of the duo Wham!, and reliving their favorite moments from the gifted musician.
Most everybody knows his many monster hits: “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” “Careless Whisper,” “Everything She Wants,” “I Knew You Were Waiting for Me” (with Aretha Franklin), “Faith,” “Father Figure,” “One More Try,” “Monkey,” “Playing for Time” and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” (with Elton John) were all No. 1 singles in the U.S.
Other major singles include “I Want Your Sex,” “I’m Your Man,” “A Different Corner,” “Freedom ‘90,” “Too Funky” and “Fastlove.” While most readers will be familiar with these, there’s another side to George Michael’s music that might be ripe for discovery by fans who haven’t delved fully into his extensive body of work. Here are 10 lesser-known George Michael gems you may not know.
“Battlestations” (1986)
By the time Wham! made it big, George Michael was already eyeing a solo career. The global smash “Careless Whisper” was Michael’s first solo single even though in the U.S. it was credited to Wham! Featuring George Michael and it was included on Wham!’s chart-topping second album, “Make it Big.”
After announcing Wham!’s dissolution in early 1986, Michael promised one final album with the duo and a farewell concert. Wham! went out with a bang at a massive show on June 28, 1986 at Wembley Stadium. The last album is essentially a compilation of a few newly recorded tracks, assorted singles and leftovers (including the now-ubiquitous holiday single “Last Christmas” and the No. 3 smash “I’m Your Man). In North America the album was dubbed “Music from the Edge of Heaven,” while elsewhere it was called “The Final” and featured a different track listing.
One of the highlights is the lithe and funky “Battlestations,” a stripped down electronic-pop gem that recounts a rocky romance similar in theme to the chart-topping “Everything She Wants.” “Battlestations” points to the more mature adult-themed pop that Michael would explore on his classic debut solo album “Faith.”
“They Won’t Go When I Go” (1990)
George Michael was a huge Stevie Wonder fan and covered several of his songs over the course of his career. The finest is his stunning take on the ballad “They Won’t Go When I Go,” which Wonder released on his 1974 album “Fulfillngness’ First Finale.” Michael’s recording, featured on his second solo album “Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1,” is a powerfully rendered version with a dynamic multi-layered vocal performance over a simple piano accompaniment. It’s one of George Michael’s most spellbinding tracks, a true testament to his power as a vocalist, arranger and producer of the highest caliber.
“Do You Really Want To Know?” (1992)
In the midst of George Michael’s legal battle with Sony Music over his perception that the corporate behemoth failed to adequately promote his downbeat 1990 album “Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1,” Michael donated three dance tracks that were originally intended for a planned upbeat sequel to the intense and serious Vol. 1 to the AIDS charity compilation “Red Hot + Dance.”
One track, the high-energy “Too Funky,” became a substantial hit, but his two other contributions to the album, “Happy” and the uber-catchy “Do You Really Want to Know?,” are worth checking out as well. They offer a taste of what a terrific listening experience “Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 2” might have been.
A fourth track, “Crazyman Dance,” was included as a B-side on the “Too Funky” single. Michael had been planning a deluxe reissue of “Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1” prior to his death, and while it’s unknown if the project will still see the light of day, it would be fantastic indeed if the complete unreleased “Vol. 2,” including these excellent overlooked dance tracks, is included in the package.

An early ‘90s record company photo of the late George Michael. (Photo by Bradford Branson; courtesy Columbia Records)
“You Have Been Loved” (1996)
George Michael’s 2006 album “Older” was his first in six years, and his return after a high-profile feud with Sony Music essentially stalled his career for half a decade. While the first single “Jesus to a Child” was met with initial excitement in the U.S., and its follow-up “Fastlove” became Michael’s final major American hit, the album performed markedly worse in the U.S. than in his native U.K. and other countries internationally.
The downbeat tone of the album, largely inspired by the 1993 death of Michael’s lover Anselmo Feleppa of an AIDS-related brain hemorrhage, did not translate well to U.S. radio and many of the low-key but exquisite tracks that became popular internationally were overlooked in America. One in particular is the stunning and heartbreaking tribute “You Have Been Loved,” a sublime recording brimming with genuine emotion. Michael delivers one of his greatest vocal performances on a song that shows his heart firmly on his sleeve.
“If I Told You That” (duet with Whitney Houston, 2000)
Whitney Houston originally released the smooth and funky R&B gem “If I Told You That” for her smash 1998 album “My Love is Your Love.” Two years later she re-recorded it for inclusion on a greatest hits set as a duet with George Michael. His soulful vocal fits the vibe of the song perfectly and he and Houston make a dynamic pair, generating plenty of chemistry.
The video, featuring Houston and Michael dancing and singing the song together, looking and sounding their best, is startlingly poignant for such an upbeat song. It seems to speak directly to the waste of extraordinary talent represented by the early deaths of two of pop music’s most shining stars. Had the track been released a decade earlier, it surely would have soared to the top of the American pop charts. In 2000, at a time when neither Houston nor Michael were riding high on the pop charts as in their heyday, the song was a minor hit internationally but in the U.S. it was essentially ignored.
“The Long and Winding Road” (2002)
Michael performed this sublime cover of the Beatles’ 1970 classic “The Long and Winding Road” for a 1999 concert in tribute to Paul McCartney’s late wife Linda, who had died after a long battle with cancer in 1998. Michael later included his recording as one of the B-sides to this sexy U.K. dance single “Freeek!” Particularly in the later part of his career, Michael often relied upon covers of some of his favorite songs and he was a gifted interpreter of other artists’ work. This smooth and empathetic vocal on the Beatles’ final single lends it a poignancy and gravitas that fits the somber occasion for which it was performed.
“John and Elvis Are Dead” (2004)
George Michael’s final studio album, “Patience,” was a substantial hit internationally with several chart singles, but in the U.S. it sank without a trace rather quickly. “Amazing” and “Flawless (Go to the City)” were hits in American clubs, but Top 40 radio unfortunately no longer had interest in Michael.
One of the album’s high points is the emotional ballad “John and Elvis Are Dead,” a moving reflection on the senseless loss of some of the world’s greatest sources of light and talent. With a sweet vocal by Michael and a video that features video clips of Presley, Lennon and others gone too soon, the song’s emotional impact is only heightened by the realization that we can now include Michael himself in the recitation of shining stars so important to so many people that the universe allowed to slip away far too young.
“An Easier Affair” (2006)
A quarter century after forming Wham! with his former school-mate Andrew Ridgeley, Michael released his elaborate multi-disc career retrospective “Twenty-Five.” The collection gathered most of his big hits, a few new recordings and a disc of rarities and B-sides.
“An Easier Affair” is a song newly recorded for the project, a slick upbeat dance-pop number that was a substantial hit internationally but was completely passed by in the U.S. It had been a decade since George Michael had scored a hit in America (“Fastlove” in 1996) so perhaps it’s not surprising the song, despite its commercial sheen and catchy upbeat melody, was neglected by American radio and MTV. The uplifting, gay-positive lyrics probably didn’t help: “I told myself I was straight/But I shouldn’t have worried/Cause my maker had a better plan for me.”

A photo used to promote George Michael’s 2008 concert at the Verizon Center for his ’25 Live Tour’ in 2008. (Photo courtesy Live Nation)
“White Light” (2012)
After focusing mostly on downbeat material and covers in recent years, after a 2011 health scare left him in the hospital for a month with a dangerous bout of pneumonia, Michael returned the following year with the kinetic electro-pop “White Light.”
The harrowing song seems to take on his lifestyle of recent years, which had been marked by drug arrests and health problems. It was a declaration that he was still here and ready to take on the world set to a sleek and modern electronic beat. It’s one of his most cunningly constructed singles and should have marked his triumphant return to the mainstream.
Alas, the single was all but ignored in America and the album that was planned in its wake never appeared. “White Light” was Michael’s final original studio single, ironic given its determination that “tomorrow is mine.” He was trying, which makes his shocking loss only a few years later all the more heartbreaking.
“Let Her Down Easy” (2014)
George Michael’s final album was 2014’s “Symphonica,” a collection of some of his original material and an excellent selection of covers performed live at the Royal Albert Hall with orchestral arrangements on his Symphonica Tour of 2011-2012. “Let Her Down Easy” was the album’s single and, although it was obviously impossible to imagine at the time, it would end up being his last.
The original recording, a delicate ballad by Terence Trent D’arby from his superb 1993 album “Symphony or Damn,” is hard to top, but Michael comes close with his gorgeous and empathetic vocal over a piano accompaniment with subtle strings. Michael’s supple vocal performance is front and center, as strong and beautiful as ever. His talent was still blazing and undiminished even to the very end of his recording career.
a&e features
Yes, chef!
From military service in Syria to cooking in coastal Delaware, Justin Fritz delivers comfort and connection
Driving down the long stretch of road that connects Rehoboth to Bethany Beach, I’m thinking about the morning ahead of me. I’ve done tough jobs before on subjects I knew nothing about. But when it comes to this assignment – profiling a local chef – I can’t help but worry that I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.
I eat food. I love food. Ironically, I can’t cook.
Sure, I can make a passable meal in a pinch, but when it comes to innate culinary skills, I don’t have the gene. That means I eat out often. Even when the food is good, the experience is rarely inspiring. I have no doubt that the guy I’m about to profile can cook, but for me, food is fuel, not fun. Writing about eating feels like reading about dancing. You can understand the mechanics, but the magic is harder to capture.
Sooner than I expected, I reach my destination. Rising quietly from the dunes, the weathered cedar shingles and wraparound porch of The Addy Sea Inn gives off the kind of understated confidence money can’t buy. Built in 1904, it doesn’t try to impress you. It just does. I pull into a gravel parking space, step out of the car, and take a breath. Already, I sense that I’ve misjudged what this morning will be.
Inside, breakfast service has just wrapped, but the dining room is still humming with energy. Plates clink. Fresh coffee is brewing. After a quick round of introductions with the staff, I’m ushered back to the kitchen, where Executive Chef Justin Fritz is waiting.
The room is modest, only slightly larger than my kitchen at home, anchored by a narrow stainless-steel island that serves as the operational center. Whatever the kitchen lacks in space it makes up for in technology. The appliances are state-of-the-art and the multi-tiered glass oven on the wall looks smarter than I am.
There’s no brigade of line cooks. No shouted orders. No “Hands” or “Yes, chef!” echoing off the walls. There’s just me and him. It’s a one-man show.
His first wedding tasting is less than an hour away, but instead of rushing, Justin offers me the grand tour. Pride radiates from him — not ego, but something quieter. We move through the inn, past guests and staff he greets by name, out onto a porch overlooking the beach and Atlantic, where meticulously planned weddings unfold like carefully choreographed dreams.
“This whole place transforms,” he says, gesturing toward the lawn. “We pitch a 90-foot tent in a yard that can accommodate 150 guests. We set the DJ and the bar up in the back on a floating deck that becomes a dance floor.”
On our way back inside, we stop to see herbs growing in a double row of hanging planters — mint, basil, strawberries trailing down the wall like decorations you can eat. It’s not performative. It’s practical. Everything here has a purpose.
Back in the kitchen, the tempo shifts. There are no printed-out recipes or neatly arranged mise en place. Justin stops talking just long enough to consult the whiteboard hanging on his refrigerator. There are notes – words, not sentences – cueing him on all the things he needs to remember.
When he finally goes into action, it’s intense, but controlled. Justin knows every inch of his kitchen and moves efficiently to gather what he needs to get five different entrees into the oven. I try to be a fly on the wall, but I’m the elephant in the room. I try, and fail, to move out of his way.
After our fifth near-collision, he laughs. “You just stay there,” he says. “I’ll move around you.” And he does.
Justin’s path to The Addy Sea Inn wasn’t linear, and in many ways, that’s what defines him. After culinary school and early professional success, he made a decision that shifted everything: He enlisted in the Army Reserves alongside his younger brother. In an unexpected twist, Justin completed the enlistment process first, while his brother’s path was delayed pending a medical waiver.
Initially, Justin’s role had nothing to do with food. He worked as a computer technician, repairing advanced equipment — a technical, methodical position that stood in stark contrast to the creative environment of a kitchen. Then, as often happens in Justin’s stories, his circumstances changed. A casual conversation with a commanding officer one afternoon led to a sudden reassignment.
“He said, ‘You’re supposed to be at the range. Get in the car — I’ll explain on the way.’” Justin recalls. “Next thing I know, I’m deploying.”
The destination was Syria. And instead of working with electronics, he found himself back in a kitchen — only this time, under conditions that redefined what cooking meant.
“They didn’t want military cooking,” he says. “They wanted home cooking.”
That expectation, simple on the surface, became extraordinarily complex in practice. Ingredients had to be sourced from local markets where quality and safety were inconsistent. Refrigeration was limited. Water couldn’t be trusted. Meat arrived butchered in ways that required improvisation rather than precision.

“One time I ordered lamb,” he says. “It came back as bones. Just bones. I scraped the meat off and turned it into sausage because I couldn’t waste it.”
So, Justin adapted. He baked bread from scratch, created meals that could be eaten days later, and found ways to bring a sense of normalcy into an environment defined by uncertainty. French toast, burritos, pretzels, tiramisu — dishes that, under different circumstances, might have felt routine became something else entirely.
“I think people underestimate what food means,” he says. “It’s not just eating. It’s memory. It’s comfort. It’s safety.”
That last word lingers.
By the time Justin arrived at The Addy Sea Inn, he carried more than just professional experience. He brought discipline, resilience, and a perspective shaped by environments far removed from coastal Delaware. But he also brought uncertainty.
The new role required something different from what he’d done before. Here, he wasn’t executing someone else’s vision — he was responsible for creating one.
“I realized I get to do this,” he says. “I get to build this.”
What he has built is both ambitious and carefully controlled. Under new ownership and with a growing team, The Addy Sea Inn has evolved into a sought-after destination for weddings and events. The scale has increased, but the operation remains intentionally lean, which puts more pressure on Justin to deliver.
A single day might include breakfast service, take-away lunch preparation, afternoon tea, wedding tastings, and a full-scale event execution. Layered on top of that are cooking classes, early-stage digital content, and a catering business Justin has deliberately paused so he can focus on something more cohesive.
“I want to grow the culinary side of this place,” he says. “Not just more events, but better experiences. Classes, tastings — things that bring people into it. I love teaching. I love sharing it.”
It’s a vision rooted less in expansion and more in depth. Not more for the sake of more, but more meaningfully.
When I return a few days later for breakfast service, the experience feels both familiar and entirely new.
The day begins with sunrise. Before anything else, Justin pauses and brings his team outside. It isn’t a long break, and it isn’t framed as anything formal. It’s simply a moment — watching the light shift over the water, occasionally catching sight of dolphins moving just beyond the shoreline.
Then, without ceremony, the work begins.
Eggs crack. Bacon sizzles, potato pancakes bake on the grill. Orders move in and out with steady consistency. There’s no frantic energy, no sense of scrambling to keep up. Instead, there’s a flow — continuous, measured, almost meditative.
“It doesn’t always feel like work,” he says.
Watching him move through the morning, it’s easy to understand why.
Hours later, after the hustle and bustle of the first meal has ended, Justin turns his attention to a larger, albeit more creative task — cupcakes for two themed parties. Already inspired, he lifts a heavy electric mixer onto the counter and pushes a flour-dusted binder in front of me.
“I’ll bake the cupcakes. You make the butter-cream frosting,” he says, flipping to the page with the recipe. “Double it.”
The request sends me into a mild panic, especially since it requires math. But Justin believes I can do it. To my surprise, so do I. The first batch of chocolate cupcakes are already out of the oven before I finish the first bowl of frosting. Since all I have to do is repeat the process, I’m starting to feel relieved and maybe even a little cocky. That’s when it hits me.
“Chef, I made a mistake…I forgot to double the amount of vanilla. I need to do it over.”
“It’s fine,” Justin says casually, swiping a small disposable plastic spoon across the silky surface. “It tastes great. Focus on the next batch.”
The result, two exquisitely decorated cupcakes, are almost too pretty to eat.
“These are yours to take home,” he says as he carefully packs them away in a to-go box.
I start to protest, to tell him he should save the best for himself or the other guests. But I stop myself and pause and savor the moment. This one, I keep.
Chef Justin Fritz resists easy categorization, and that may be part of what makes him so compelling. He is classically trained, but without pretense. His military background suggests rigidity, yet his approach is flexible and intuitive. He carries himself with a quiet confidence, never needing to announce it. Part Jason Bourne, part Willy Wonka. Justin isn’t just cooking food, he’s making magic.
By the time I leave, my understanding of the assignment has shifted. What I expected to be a story about food has become something broader, more nuanced. It’s about care. About connection.
That sense of purpose extends beyond the kitchen. When I ask Justin what’s next, he speaks not just about growth and ambition, but about balance — about building a life that allows space for both. There’s a quiet acknowledgment of Cheyenne, his partner of five years, woven into that answer. Not as a headline, but as something steady and grounding, part of how he measures what comes next.
I arrived thinking I would write about a chef. What I found instead was someone who uses food as a language — a way to communicate, to connect, and to create something that stays with you.
The only way to experience Chef Justin’s cooking is to step inside his world — by checking into The Addy Sea Inn (www.addysea.com) or securing a ticket to one of the inn’s limited public events, including the Spring Soirée and the Toys for Tots Holiday Fundraiser. There’s no standalone restaurant, no reservation to book online. His food exists within the rhythm of the inn itself.
In louder, larger kitchens, “Yes, chef!” is a command — sharp, immediate, unquestioned.
But here, at the edge of the ocean, it lands differently.
Not as an order.
As trust.
And maybe that’s the real story — not the food, not the title, but the quiet, deliberate way Chef Justin Fritz makes people feel something they don’t forget.

a&e features
Memorial for groundbreaking bisexual activist set for May 2
Loraine Hutchins remembered as a ‘force of nature’
The Montgomery County Pride Center will host a celebration honoring the life and legacy of Loraine Hutchins, Ph.D., on May 2. People are invited to attend the onsite memorial or a livestream event. The on-site event will begin at 10 a.m. with a meet-and-greet mixer before moving into a memorial service around the theme “Loraine a Force of Nature!” at 11 a.m., a panel talk at 12 p.m., break out sessions for artists, academics, and activists to build on her legacy at 1 p.m. and a closing reception at 2 p.m.
Attendees are encouraged to register for the on-site memorial gathering or the livestreamed memorial. The goal of this event is also to collect stories and memories of Loraine. Attendees and others can share their stories at padlet.com.
An obituary for Hutchins was published in the Bladelast Nov. 24, where people can learn more about her activism in the bisexual community. A private service for friends and family was held in December but this memorial service is open to all.
Alongside her groundbreaking work organizing for U.S. bisexual rights and liberation including co-editing “Bi Any Other Name: BIsexual People Speak Out” (1991), she also integrated faith into her sexual education and advocacy work. Her 2001 doctoral dissertation, “Erotic Rites: A Cultural Analysis of Contemporary U.S. Sacred Sexuality Traditions and Trends,” offered a pointed queer and feminist analysis to sex-neutral and sex-positive spiritual traditions in the United States. Her thesis was also groundbreaking in exploring the intersections between sex workers and those in caregiving professionals, including spiritual ones.
In an oral history interview conducted by Michelle Mueller back in August 2023, Hutchins described herself as a “priestess without a congregation.” While she has occasionally had a sense of community and feels part of a group of loving people, she admitted that “I don’t feel like we have the shape or the purpose that we need.”
“I’ve often experienced being the Cassandra in the room, the Cassandra in the community. Somebody who’s kind of way out there ahead, thinking through the strategic action points that my community hasn’t gotten to yet, and getting a lot of resistance and hostile responses from people who are frightened by dissent and conflict and not ready for the changes we have to make to survive,” she said.
“For somebody who’s bisexual in an out political way and who’s been a spokesperson for the polyamory movement in an out political way, it’s very exposing. And it’s very important to me to be able to try to explain and help other people understand the connection between spirituality and sexuality,” she explained citing how even as a graduate student she was “exploring how to feel erotic and spiritual, and not feel them in conflict with each other in my own spiritual contemplative life and my own sensual body awareness of being alive in the world.”
“Every religion has a sense of sacred sexuality. It’s just they put a lot of boundaries and regulations on it, and if we have a spiritual practice that is totally affirming of women’s priesthood and of gay people, queer people’s ability to minister to everyone and to be ministered to be everyone, what does that do to the gender of God, or our understanding of how we practice our spirituality and our sexuality in community and privately?”
“There’s no easy answer,” she concludes, and she continued to grapple with these questions throughout her life, co-editing another seminal text, “Sexuality, Religion and the Sacred: Bisexual, Pansexual, and Polysexual Perspectives,” published in 2012. Her work blending spiritual and queer liberation remains groundbreaking to this day.
Rev. Eric Eldritch, a local community organizer and ordained Pagan minister with Circle Sanctuary who has worked for decades with the DC Center’s Center Faith to organize the Pride Interfaith Service, is eager to highlight this element of her legacy at the memorial service next month.
a&e features
Queery: Meet artist, performer John Levengood
Modern creative talks nightlife, coming out, and his personal queer heroes
John Levengood (he/him) describes himself as a modern creative with a wide‑ranging toolkit. He blends music, technology, civic duty, and a sharp sense of wit into a cohesive artistic identity. Known primarily as a recording artist and performer, he’s also a self‑taught music producer and software engineer who embodies a generation of creators who build their own lanes rather than wait for one to appear.
Levengood, 32, who is single and identifies as gay and queer, is best known as a recording artist who has performed at Pride festivals across the country, including the main stages of World Pride DC, Central Arkansas Pride, and Charlotte Pride.
“Locally in the DMV, I’m known for turning heads at nightlife venues with my eye-catching sense of style. When I go out, I don’t try to blend in. I hope I inspire people to be themselves and have the courage to stand out,” he says.
He’s also known for hosting karaoke at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va., on Thursday nights. “I like to create a space where people feel comfortable expressing themselves, building community, and showcasing their talents.”
He also creates social media content from my performances and do interviews at LGBTQ+ bars and theatres in the DMV. Follow the Arlington resident @johnlevengood.
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I have been fully out of the closet since 2019. My parents were the hardest people to tell because my family has always been my rock and at the time I couldn’t imagine a world without them. Their reactions were extremely positive and supportive so I had nothing to fear all along.
I remember sitting on the couch with my mom, dad, and sister in our hotel room in New Orleans during our winter vacation and being so nervous to tell them. After I finally mustered up the nerve and made the proclamation, I realized my dad had already fallen asleep on the couch. My mom promised to tell him when he woke up.
Who’s your LGBTQ hero?
My LGBTQ heroes are Harvey Milk for paving the way for gays in politics and Elton John for being a pioneer for the fabulous and authentic. My local heroes in the DMV are Howard Hicks, manager of Green Lantern, and Tony Rivenbark, manager of Freddie’s Beach Bar. Both of them are essential to creating spaces where I’ve felt welcome and safe since moving to the DMV.
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
Trade tops the list for me because of the dance floor and outdoor space. It’s so nice to get a break from the music every once and a while to be able to have a conversation.
We live in challenging times. How do you cope?
I’m still figuring this out. What is working right now is writing music and spending time with family and friends. I’ve also been spending less time on social media going to the gym at least three times a week.
What streaming show are you binging?
After “Traitors” Season 4 ended, I was in a bit of a show hole, but “Stumble” has me in a laughing loop right now. The writing is so witty.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
At 18, I wish I would have known how liberating it is to come out of the closet. It would have been nice to know some winning lottery numbers as well.
What are your friends messaging about in your most recent group chat?
We are planning our next trip to New York City. If you can believe it, I visited NYC for the first time in 2025 for Pride and I’ve been back every quarter since. Growing up in the country, I was subconsciously primed to be scared of the city. But my mind has been blown. I can’t wait to go back.
Why Washington?
It’s the closest metropolitan area to my family, but not too close. I love the museums, the diversity, the history, and the proximity to the beach and mountains. It’s also nice to live in a city with public transportation.

