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)
To Be Forgiven
George Michael Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Won't you help me
Save me from myself
I hear the sound of the memory
Maybe time will tell
Suddenly my life is like a river
Taking me places I don't want to go
It takes all that I have just to cry for help
Then that voice in my head tells me no
I'm going down
Won't you help me
Save me from myself
I hear the sound of the memory
Maybe, who can tell ?
Let me live my life beside the river
Take me to places where a child can grow
And then maybe the boy inside will forsake me
Maybe the child in me will just let me go
I'm going down
The cold, cold water is rushing in
I'm going down
And I would beg to be forgiven
If I knew my sin
is just being alive
The lyrics of George Michael's song "To Be Forgiven" are a raw expression of the singer's inner struggles. The opening lines, "I'm going down, won't you help me, save me from myself" convey a sense of desperation and a plea for help. The following line, "I hear the sound of the memory, maybe time will tell," suggests that the singer is haunted by past mistakes or memories that he cannot escape from. The second verse speaks of the metaphorical river of life that is taking the singer to places he doesn't want to go. The line "But like all good men who swim too well, it takes all that I have just to cry for help" suggests that the singer is adept at coping with difficult situations, but even he has reached his limit. The voice in his head telling him "no" may represent his own inner critic, or a sense of fatalism that is holding him back.
The chorus repeats the opening lines, with the addition of "Maybe, who can tell?" which suggests a sense of uncertainty about whether help will come or if the singer is doomed to continue sinking. The third verse is a plea for the freedom to live a simple life and to let go of the burdens that are weighing the singer down. The line "And then maybe the boy inside will forsake me, maybe the child in me will just let me go" suggests that the singer is burdened by a sense of responsibility or duty, and longs to rediscover the simple joys of childhood.
Overall, "To Be Forgiven" is a deeply personal and introspective song that deals with themes of struggle, redemption, and the search for inner peace.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm going down
I am spiraling downwards, losing control of my life.
Won't you help me
I am pleading with someone to assist me in finding my way back to stability.
Save me from myself
I need someone to rescue me from my own self-destructive tendencies.
I hear the sound of the memory
I can hear the echoes of past events that have contributed to my current situation.
Maybe time will tell
Perhaps only the passage of time will reveal the outcome of my struggles.
Suddenly my life is like a river
My existence now feels like a tumultuous river with a strong current.
Taking me places I don't want to go
I am being carried away to destinations I have no desire to visit.
But like all good men who swim too well
I have become skilled at navigating through tough waters.
It takes all that I have just to cry for help
Requesting assistance requires a great deal of effort on my part.
Then that voice in my head tells me no
My inner voice discourages me from seeking help.
Let me live my life beside the river
I wish to exist next to the water but not be consumed by it.
Take me to places where a child can grow
I desire to be transported to a location where I can mentally and emotionally mature.
And then maybe the boy inside will forsake me
Perhaps I will abandon the childish parts of myself.
Maybe the child in me will just let me go
Or maybe the youthful aspects of myself will release me from the burdens of adulthood.
The cold, cold water is rushing in
The frigid water is quickly enveloping me.
And I would beg to be forgiven
If only I knew what I had done wrong, I would plead for forgiveness.
If I knew my sin
I am uncertain what wrongs I have committed.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE MICHAEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sagekult5044
@@gmmonomotapa2889
You have good taste in music.
If you haven't heard these,
may I suggest Maxwell's:
Urban Hang Suite
Embrya
Maxwell MTV Unplugged
Stuart Matthewman of Sade did production the first 2 albums.
Erykah Badu
Mama's Gun
@romakuzhlev5160
In my opinion, Older is George's best album. And for me, this is one of the best albums in the history of music. Masterpiece!
@gmmonomotapa2889
@Roma Kushlev
I absolutely agree. For me it's a toss up between GEORGE MICHAEL - OLDER (1996) and SADE - LOVE DELUXE (1992). For me these are the two best albums ever made. This is 2020 almost 25yrs later and there has been nothing to come close to either of the above.
@oneofall8539
I agree
@sanjanamishu964
@@gmmonomotapa2889 L
@sagekult5044
@@gmmonomotapa2889
You have good taste in music.
If you haven't heard these,
may I suggest Maxwell's:
Urban Hang Suite
Embrya
Maxwell MTV Unplugged
Stuart Matthewman of Sade did production the first 2 albums.
Erykah Badu
Mama's Gun
@halfbreed4life62
Me too...except it breaks my heart. To be forgiven is so sad cause of what he was going through
@ramonchoism
This song changed my life.
I had a serious drug problem when
i heard it for the first time. No friends, homeless and with my spirit completly broken. I can't thank you enough Sir George Michael. You saved me, RIP❤
@tedaman8652
Great to hear! Keep it up!
@inglesparaavanzar7409
I don't t why I went down to see comments. I have always felt this song is magic. Now I read yours, I'm totally convinced
@RMFeminine4TheWin
you are beautiful. beauty finds beauty. i love you.💖👶💖