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)
The Strangest Thing
George Michael Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time has been twisting the knife
I don't recognize
People I care for
Take my dreams
Childish and weak at the seams
Please don't analyze
The things that I know
Nobody told me
The seeds that are sown
They still control me
There's a liar in my head
There's a thief upon my bed
And the strangest thing
Is I cannot seem to get my eyes open
Take my hand
Lead me to some peaceful land
That I cannot find
Inside my head
Wake me with love
It's all, all I need
But in all this time
Still no one said
If I had not asked you
Would you have told me
If you call this love
Why don't you hold me
There's a liar in my head
There's a thief upon my bed
And the strangest thing
Is I cannot get my eyes open
Make love to me, send love through me
Make love to me please, please
Make love to me, send love through me
Heal me with your crime
The only one who ever knew me
We've wasted so much time
So much time
Of my life
My life
My life
My life
Take my life
Take my life
Take my life
Take my life
Eyes open
The lyrics of George Michael's "The Strangest Thing 97" seem to speak to a feeling of disorientation and confusion regarding relationships and one's own self, but with a clear desire for connection and love. The first verse expresses a sense of loss and confusion around the people in one's life that used to matter -- either because of time passing or perhaps a sense of personal change. The second verse focuses on dreams, those childish fantasies that still linger, and the plea not to analyze them but to care for the dreamer anyway. The chorus speaks to a sense of being lost, both within oneself (the liar and thief in one's head) and in one's relationships ("If you call this love / Why don't you hold me"). The bridge offers a request to be led to a peaceful place free from inner turmoil, and then a plea to be awakened with love.
Overall, the song seems to express the feeling of being lost and struggling with a sense of identity and purpose. The singer is asking for help and connection, but also acknowledging the difficulty of opening up and revealing oneself to others. The theme of time passing suggests a growing awareness of mortality and the preciousness of life, leading to the final plea "Take my life."
Line by Line Meaning
Take My Life
The singer is willing to give up their life.
Time has been twisting the knife
The passage of time has caused emotional pain.
I don't recognize
The singer is having trouble recognizing people they know.
People I care for
The artist deeply cares for some people but has trouble identifying them.
Take my dreams
The artist is willing to let go of their childish dreams.
Childish and weak at the seams
The singer's dreams are not mature and may fail.
Please don't analyze
The singer does not want their dreams criticized or judged.
Please just be there for me
The artist needs emotional support for their dreams.
The things that I know
The artist has knowledge that no one has taught them.
Nobody told me
No one has shared this knowledge with the artist.
The seeds that are sown
The singer is affected by past experiences that have left a lasting impression.
They still control me
The experiences still affect the artist's life.
There's a liar in my head
The singer is aware that they are lying to themselves.
There's a thief upon my bed
The singer is aware of someone taking away from them while they sleep.
And the strangest thing
There's something peculiar going on.
Is I cannot seem to get my eyes open
The artist cannot seem to see things clearly.
Take my hand
The artist is willing to be led by someone they trust.
Lead me to some peaceful land
The singer needs to find peace of mind.
That I cannot find
The singer does not know how to find peace of mind.
Inside my head
The peace of mind that the artist is searching for is inside their own thoughts.
Wake me with love
The artist needs to be reminded that they are loved.
It's all, all I need
Love is enough for the artist to feel better.
But in all this time
Over the course of an unknown amount of time.
Still no one said
No one has told the artist what they needed to hear.
If I had not asked you
The singer thinks they may not have heard what they needed to if they had not asked.
Would you have told me
The singer is curious if they would have been told what they needed to hear without asking.
If you call this love
The singer is questioning whether what they are experiencing is really love.
Why don't you hold me
The artist needs physical affection from their loved ones.
Make love to me, send love through me
The artist needs physical and emotional affection from their loved ones.
Make love to me please, please
The singer is pleading for physical and emotional affection.
Heal me with your crime
The singer needs their emotional scars to be mended with the help of the person they're calling out to.
The only one who ever knew me
The artist has a deep connection with the person they're calling out to.
We've wasted so much time
The artist feels like they and their loved ones have not used their time meaningfully.
Of my life
The artist's whole life has been affected by this feeling.
Take my life
The singer is willing to give up their life.
Eyes open
The artist wants to see things clearly and with an open mind.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE MICHAEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ольга Чалова
Обожаю!Всегда и навсегда!
Ursh Parfett
Forever a masterpiece...RIP George, you are gone but your songs will live forever ❤
Brent Crude
This is one of George's greatest non-single album tracks ever.
Scratch that, this is one of the best songs of all time. An underrated gem that not many people know about. 💖
Mary T
I’ve been a George fan for years after I borrowed an album from a 9 yr old. Ha ha.. What an amazing voice and I was blessed to see him in Toronto in 2008. So many great songs, the strangest thing being one of many. But I always seem to refer to kissing a fool when I’m trying to turn someone on to his music. I miss him terribly.
Lori Turnbull
Do you think he is talking about anyone in particular? I do
Richard Hammonds
Very logical Brent
Vu vu Zela
Totally agree ❤
Vu vu Zela
@Lori TurnbullI heard it was about his ex who died of aids 😢
Anastasiya
Его песни, его голос и осознание того, что такой великий талант от нас ушел - все это каждый раз вызывает у меня слезы, когда я слушаю его музыку
Anita Montani
Su voz es un insrumento manejado increiblemente.....❤❤❤