Born in East Finchley, Middlesex, Michael rose to fame after forming the pop duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981. Their first two albums, "Fantastic" (1983) and "Make It Big" (1984), reached number one on the US Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart. They had commercial success with singles "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)", "Young Guns (Go for It)", "Bad Boys", "Club Tropicana", "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Last Christmas", "Everything She Wants", “Freedom”, and “I'm Your Man”. Their 1985 tour in China was the first by a Western popular music act and generated worldwide media coverage. Michael took part in Band Aid's UK number-one single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984 and performed at the following year's Live Aid concert.
Michael's first solo single, "Careless Whisper" (1984), reached number one in over 20 countries, including the UK and US. The second solo single, "A Different Corner", also reached number one in 1986. After Wham! disbanded that year, Michael released the number-one duet with Aretha Franklin, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)". His debut solo album, "Faith" (1987), stayed at number one on the Billboard 200 for 12 weeks and topped the UK Albums Chart. It is one of the best-selling albums of all time, having sold over 25 million copies worldwide. The singles "Faith", "Father Figure", "One More Try", and "Monkey" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Michael became the best-selling music artist of 1988, and "Faith" was awarded Album of the Year at the 1989 Grammy Awards. Michael's second solo album, "Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1" (1990), was also a number one in the UK and yielded the Billboard Hot 100 number one "Praying for Time" and the worldwide hit "Freedom! '90". Michael went on to release a series of multimillion-selling albums, including "Older" (1996), "Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael" (1998), "Songs from the Last Century" (1999), "Patience" (2004), and "Twenty Five" (2006). The albums earned him multiple hits such as "Jesus to a Child", "Fastlove", "Outside", "Amazing", and "An Easier Affair".
Michael came out as gay in 1998 and was an active LGBT rights campaigner and HIV/AIDS charity fundraiser. His personal life, drug use, and legal troubles made headlines following an arrest for public lewdness in 1998 and multiple drug-related offenses. The 2005 documentary "A Different Story" covered his career and personal life. Michael's "25 Live" tour spanned three tours from 2006 to 2008. Michael fell into a coma in 2011 during a bout with pneumonia but later recovered. He performed his final concert at London's Earls Court in 2012. Michael died of heart disease on Christmas Day in 2016 at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Michael
Solo discography
Faith (1987)
Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1990)
Older (1996)
Songs from the Last Century (1999)
Patience (2004)
Wham! discography
Fantastic (1983)
Make It Big (1984)
Music from the Edge of Heaven (1986)
Shoot The Dog
George Michael Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
....(come on laidies)
CHORUS:
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,
They're gonna soot the dog,
They're gonna shoot the dog.
CHORUS:
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 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 want to kick back mama
And watch the world cup with ya baby
Yeah, that's right!
We're getting freeky 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 want to know why?
Shoot the Dog by George Michael is a song that uses sarcastic and ironic lyrics to criticize George Bush and Tony Blair's coalition of the willing in the Iraq war. The song criticizes the invasion of Iraq and the war on terror, as well as the behavior of the media and the public.
The song begins by describing a hot shot who parks his car to piss George Michael off. The car represents the power and arrogance of the bullyboy, who thinks he is tough. The singer then declares that he will shoot the dog, which is a metaphor for the powerful and oppressive politicians.
The lyrics mention Novocain, which is a painkiller and symbolizes how people are numbed to the violence around them. The singer calls the police to report something but they don't come, representing the lack of response by the authorities to the problems in society.
The chorus mentions 999, which is the UK emergency number. It implies that the society is in an emergency crisis and people need to wake up and take action. The semi-automatic is a symbol of the violence and the need for people to stand up and protect themselves.
The song mentions religion and politics, representing how religion is often used to justify violence and war. Mustapha, Mazeltov, and Gaza boys represent different religions, and the singer predicts that they will shoot the dog, meaning they will pay for the violence that their leaders have caused.
The song ends with the singer expressing his belief in love and truth, despite everything that he has been through. In the last verse, he calls out to his lover to chill out and watch the world cup with him.
Line by Line Meaning
GTI, hot shot
This person is feeling irked by the hotshot driver who loves revving his engine; possibly this person's neighbor or rival.
He parks it there, just to piss me off,
The hotshot driver knows that this person gets annoyed by him parking in this person's spot but does it anyway.
Bullyboy, gonna show ya who's tough,
The broad and loud driver is trying to show that he is tough and dominant.
I'm gonna shoot the dog, I'm gonna shoot the dog
The person is feeling so frustrated and overwhelmed that he talks about shooting a dog, as a metaphorical means of taking out his anger on something/someone.
It's party time, everyday
This person is addicted to partying and drugs, leading to a state of constant stimulation
I spent Saturday night on novocaine
This person spent Saturday night on a drug called Novocain which has some numbing effects.
Called the pigs, but nobody came
This person may have called the police for some emergency or help, but they didn't respond, likely leading to more frustration for this person.
CHORUS: Nine nine nine gettin' jiggy
The song is about how the people are in a celebratory mood
People did you see that fire in the city?
The people are probably rejoicing and cheering, for reasons unknown
It's like we're fresh out of democratic,
There's a sense of political frustration in the country or place they occupy, maybe due to lack of choice or representation.
Gotta get yourself a little something Semi-automatic yeah...
The person is likely talking about guns or weapons that the people want to be armed with.
That's why I'm always gettin' stoned yeah
The person is likely intoxicated and/or drugged on most occasions
That's why I'm out there havin' fun again
The drugs and party scene give him/her a sense of liberty and fun that they find helpful even in tough times.
Good puppy, good puppy Rolling on over....
Honestly, it sounds like an extended metaphor either for sycophancy, submission, or resignation to their own fate.
Mustapha Mazeltov The gaza boys, All that holy stuff,
These lines suggest a religious reference that could be associated with the Middle East or Islamic countries.
I got the feelin' when it all goes off,
The artist is probably anticipating some kind of explosion, violence or a potential war
They're gonna shoot the dog They're gonna shoot the dog.
This shooting is a metaphor-driven-talking about political or possibly sub-state violence.
CHORUS:
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 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
The song goes into a more personal and philosophical direction as the song goes on.
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
The singer calls out for someone known as Cherie and asks them to get them high.
I want to kick back mama And watch the world cup with ya baby
This person wants to sit back, relax and enjoy the things they enjoy/find pleasurable.
We're getting freeky tonight Let's have some fun while tony's stateside
This person wants to get wild and have fun, but not when Tony or any other important figure is in town, possibly for privacy.
It's gonna be alright It's gonna be alright
Everything's going to be alright, at least in their mind.
See tony dancing with dubya Don't you want to know why?
This person wants to raise a question or an observation in relation to the two figures, Tony & Dubya, that they have alluded to.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN BURDEN, GEORGE MICHAEL, PHIL OAKEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind