4 Forgotten Lyrics by George Michael That Feel Like Poetry

Whether you know him from his Wham! days or songs like “Careless Whisper”, there’s no denying that George Michael has made his mark on pop music. Here are a few forgotten lyrics of his that are a testament to his overall artistry.

“Spinning The Wheel” by George Michael

“You’ve got a thing about danger /Ain’t you getting what you want from me? /You’ve got a thing about strangers / Baby, that’s what we used to be.”

“Spinning The Wheel” sounds like it’s about an unfaithful partner, but according to an interview that Michael did with Attitude, it’s also about people not being sexually safe.

“That lyric was actually about how I can’t believe how many people have unsafe sex,” he shared, referring to the “Strangers” lyric above. “I went to a benefit for Patrick Cowley, who was Sylvester’s producer, in ’82 and people were talking about this new gay cancer and pretty much straight after that I started using condoms. I never stopped. Actually, I stopped when I first met with Kenny [partner] because at that time we wanted to be monogamous and we had both been tested and were fine…”

“The Edge Of Heaven” by Wham!

“I’m like a maniac, at the end of the day / I’m like a dog barking at your door / So come take me back to the place you stay / And maybe we can do it once more.”

This song was Wham!’s final top ten hit in the US. Music From The Edge Of Heaven was Wham!’s final hurrah as a duo before Michael went on to pursue a solo career, and they really went out with a bang with this raunchy hit.

“Faith” by George Michael

“But I gotta think twice before I give my heart away / And I know all the games you play because I played them too.”

Michael’s Faith album was an attempt to change his image whilst also going solo after being a part of Wham! and having success with songs like “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”. This song opens with an organ solo, and then the song transitions into this strong, optimistic beat. This song was one of four No. 1 hits from the Faith album.

“Freedom” by Wham!

‘Cause, baby, you could drag me to hell and back / Just as long as we’re together, and you do.”

This one is not to be confused with “Freedom 90” by George Michael, which was titled with the “90” so as to not confuse Wham! fans. “Freedom” by Wham! is about wanting to make things exclusive with someone, even though you know you’re just one of many for them. This song appears on the Wham! album Make It Big.

Photo by: Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images