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10 hidden gems by George Michael

Shocking Christmas death sparks reappraisal of out singer’s lesser-known track

Published

10 years ago

January 4, 2017

Chris Gerard

George Michael, gay news, Washington Blade

George Michael at a concert in Munich, Germany on Oct. 30, 2006. (Photo courtesy Wikimedia)

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.

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Summer in D.C. brings sports, Restaurant Week, festivals, and more

Published

1 day ago

July 23, 2026

Evan Caplan

Washington Spirit CEO Kim Stone hosts Pride Night OUT on Sunday, Aug. 23. (Photo courtesy of Washington Spirit)

Summer in D.C. just hits different. Congress is out, school is out, the sun is out, thighs are out. With the skies clearing from Canadian smoke, here are a few ways to stay entertained.

Dining

Summer restaurant week: The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) is once again hosting Summer Restaurant Week, Aug. 18-24. This weeklong dining experience showcases the dynamic dining scene of the DMV, including 2026 RAMMY Award-winning favorites (the annual D.C. food awards show that took place June 29). Participating restaurants will offer three-course brunch and lunch selections for $25 or $35 per person, and three-course dinners for $40, $55 and $65 per person.

New Restaurants: A handful of new spots have opened, so the summer is a great time to check them out:

Oribu: A new Mediterranean-Japanese restaurant in the Grand Hyatt hotel, which just underwent a remodeling effort. The sleek restaurant brings upscale charm, with dishes like Wagyu beef tartare with potato pavé and caviar.
The Oak Room: A snazzy old-school American grill has just opened in Georgetown, alongside its sister upstairs supper club (Bernadette’s) restaurant, in the old El Centro space.
Uchi: This showy Japanese sushi-forward chain has landed in Dupont with a chef’s tasting menu of favorites like fatty tuna.
Kathmandu: Recalling the capital of Nepal, this warm, buzzy subterranean restaurant right in the heart of U Street brings spice, flair, and rare ingredients to its dishes (see: buffalo burgers) and drinks.

Sports

Washington Spirit Pride Night OUT: On Sunday, Aug. 23, head to Audi Field for a massive, high-energy game following the exciting month of World Cup. The designated Pride Night OUT game promises boisterous crowds plus pre- and post-game community engagements.
Washington Tennis Open – Now called the Mubadala DC Open, this annual tournament is only combined mens’ and womens’ 500-level tennis tournament in the world. The open is one of D.C.’s longest-standing sports traditions, and will take place at the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center July 25-Aug. 2. Naomi Osaka, Venus Williams, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, and others are expected to play.

Festivals

Afro Plus Fest: This huge, three-day Afro-Caribbean Hip-Hop Festival brings together headliners Davido, Alkaline, and Wizkid, plus Tems and Ayra Starr. The event moves from RFK to the Northwest Stadium Complex for three days, Sept. 4-6.
Capital Fringe Festival: Running from July 11-21, this massive celebration features dozens of live theater, comedy, dance, and boundary-pushing nighttime performances across multiple DC neighborhoods.
The National Book Festival returns, with headliners like Cynthia Erivo, and Martin Scorsese. The one-day festival, Saturday, Aug. 22, brings together bookworms and word nerds under the theme “America 250: It’s Your Story.” There are talks, workshops, musical sessions and more.
All Things Go: A three-day festival Sept. 25-27 at Merriweather Post Pavilion featuring Mitski, Hayley Williams, Brandi Carlile, MUNA, Zara Larsson, Ethel Cain, and many, many more artists. There are single-day and three-day tickets. Featuring and highlighting female artists, the festival has turned into a must-see for many LGBTQ audience members.
Fuchsia Fest: The inaugural Fuchsia Fest is a new multi-day celebration created to celebrate LGBTQ community and expression, bringing together a mix of community gatherings, entertainment, and nightlife. The event takes place Sept. 18-20 and is hosted by Capital Pride.

Art and Music

United We Dance: A high-energy rave with house, techno, bass, and festival music, on Aug. 1 at the 9:30 Club.
The Fray. On Aug. 14, this American rock band famous for How To Save A Life is at Merriweather Post Pavilion.
Kesha: Kesha’s high-energy The Freedom Tour comes to the D.C. area on Aug. 14 at Jiffy Lube Live.
ALOK: On Sept. 3 at Lincoln Theater, ALOK (they/them) performs. The poet, comedian, and actor is putting on a new comedy show.
2charm, the emerging Australian electronic club-pop duo popular with the queer community, which blends hyperpop and dance music, comes to the Atlantis.
Sapphic Dance Party: a vibrant, inclusive nightlife and social event designed specifically for queer women, lesbians, bisexuals, trans individuals, and nonbinary folks, at Atlantis on Aug. 21.
Jazz in the Garden: The most quintessential of D.C. activities returns Friday evenings through Aug. 14. This season’s theme, “American Sounds,” is a nod to the nation’s 250th anniversary. Tunes themes range from Appalachian and Americana to Creole jazz, Hill Country blues, contemporary jazz, and more. Tickets are available through a lottery system a week before each event.

a&e features

Tickets on sale for chef Patrick O’Connell’s book launch event

Sept. 18 kickoff to feature José Andrés, Tom Sietsema

Published

3 days ago

July 21, 2026

Kevin Naff

Acclaimed chef Patrick O’Connell is preparing to publish his new memoir, “Main, Middle & Gay” in September and he’s launching the book with an event on Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. at Lisner Auditorium featuring Chef José Andrés and former Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema.

Tickets for the event go on sale Tuesday, July 21 at Ticketmaster; prices start at $55.

O’Connell, who’s gay, is the pioneering Michelin-starred chef and longtime proprietor of the Inn at Little Washington. He spoke with the Blade about the September event and the launch of his first memoir.

“I’ve known [Andrés and Sietsema] for more than 25 years and I have great respect for them,” O’Connell said. “I felt that it would allow us to add a different dimension rather than just have an interviewer. The chemistry will be fun and lively and unpredictable and exciting. I think we’re all different personalities and we’ll compliment each other.”

O’Connell has published cookbooks but this is his first memoir. The event will feature a short film that will highlight his work and the Inn.

“What I hope to do with the event is bring the book to life visually,” he said. “So we’re producing a short film that will be part of it. Most of the audience will not have read the book so it’ll give them a visual flavor of the book. It parallels the evolution of American cuisine over 50 years. It’s a rare perspective to be in the trenches for that long.”

The book’s title refers to the location of the garage on the corner of Main, Middle, and Gay streets in Washington, Va., where he launched his restaurant that became an international culinary destination.

The Blade will publish the rest of its wide-ranging interview with O’Connell in September in conjunction with the book’s release.

a&e features

The queer Asian comics building collective joy in D.C.

Spotlighting chaotic ways family, romance, identity take shape in their lives

Published

1 week ago

July 16, 2026

Christina Lee

Alex Kim performs at the Pride Comedy Special in Washington, D.C., on June 18, 2026. (Photo by Christina Lee/VOICES)

Kevin Chen’s family tombstone has room for four: him, his parents and his boyfriend. The arrangement might prove to be a little awkward.

“My boyfriend is 100% white, and my parents are 100% disappointed,” Chen confessed.

Jokes about family traditions and the untraditional ways they’re practiced earned a burst of laughs at the bar where Chen was opening for the Pride Comedy Special. The D.C. stand-up event, produced by Comedy Bonfyre last month, spotlighted queer Asian comics who shared the chaotic ways family, romance and identity take shape in their lives.

From candid oral sex takes to top surgery hypotheticals like “Where do the boobs go?”, the night highlighted the loud camaraderie of the queer Asian experience — one that sounds like a cacophony of snorts, cackles and belly laughs. While the comics say they are not quite a community, there’s more than enough shared material to bring them together.

“It was such a magical experience. I loved performing in a queer API lineup. It feels so validating,” Chen said after the show. “I’m wondering, ‘Is this how white men feel all the time?’”

Each performance evoked queer Asian joy through a medium that could use more of its presence.

According to Chen, who is based in D.C., it’s hard to say whether there is a true queer Asian comedy presence in his city. There are only a scattered “handful” of Asian comics, and people of color are underrepresented in queer comic circles, he said.

When Tarunika Anand, a nonbinary lesbian comic, first entered the mainstream D.C. comedy scene, they mostly encountered straight white men, describing the experience as “a culture shock.”

“I feel like sometimes a lot of queer spaces are really white, and then a lot of Asian spaces are really straight,” Anand said. “I don’t feel like I fit into either.”

But feeling marginalized didn’t stop these comics from honing their craft and creating spaces for others like them. Alex Kim, who headlined the special and is based in Brooklyn, runs the queer Asian comedy group Boba Gays, which began on WhatsApp and has since made its way to Lincoln Center.

Every Wednesday, Anand co-produces a free comedy show called Funny Side Up. The queer-led group focuses on inclusivity and showcasing new talent.

“It’s really beautiful to speak about your experience and your existence in a way that’s uplifting,” Anand said.

Family is a major throughline of their comedic repertoires.

Chen, for instance, shared that he identifies with jokes about having Asian immigrant parents and the expectations they pass down.

“You see me, you know this part about me, you know this experience intimately, and I can see the truth that you’re trying to wrap a joke around,” he said. “That hits even harder because that’s my truth too. I think that’s what makes good comedy.”

Anand had the audience at the special howling when they explained that their parents’ be-more-like-them comparisons didn’t end when they came out. Instead, the expectations took on a new form.

“Now, my parents want me to be the best gay,” Anand said. “They’re like, ‘Do you know Ellen DeGeneres?’”

Kim said he’s been trying to unlearn things from his Christian Korean mom. Yet he described a moment when he was getting ready for the club and realized he looked just like his mother getting ready for church.

“I’ve been finding it hard to escape her,” Kim said.

Mutual recognition also radiates through the different ways queer love can take shape. From singlehood to death-do-us-part commitments, the comics cover just about every corner.

Anand is holding out hope for settling down with “a nice, pretty, Indian girl.” They recently went through a breakup and said they felt they dodged a bullet.

“As a person of color, I just don’t think I should be with a Swiftie,” they said.

Chen, touching on what it’s like to be in a queer interracial relationship, said that meeting his white boyfriend’s baby nephew for the first time felt like he was forced to participate in a diversity, equity and inclusion training.

“The dad was like, ‘Please welcome Kevin. Be curious about his culture, his history, his foods,’” Chen joked.

Laughter is not the only reward for the comics.

To Anand, comedy is a space where they can say whatever they want. “It gives me a voice,” they said.

Nik Narain, a North Carolina-based trans and nonbinary South Asian comic who performed at the special, said meeting older trans comedians and taking the stage helped him feel reassured in his identity during his transition.

“Stand-up was a really cool way to process that onstage,” he said. “[It] became a way for me to repackage my thoughts.”

Queer Asians are still figuring out their place in the greater D.C. comedy scene. The group is small in numbers and many are still working toward a full-time comedy career. But Narain feels he’s already made it.

Narain is reluctant to pin it all on one moment. He feels that success is already peeking through in milestones — opening for celebrities, traveling to performances and self-producing shows.

“As long as I can keep doing this, I’m super happy,” he said.

This story was produced as part of the AAJA VOICES fellowship program, a student journalism project of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).