6. George Michael

I’ve got a very complicated relationship with George Michael. I’ve written a lot about him. I feel slightly embarrassed for being so into him. But equally, I think he is a great pop artist, so I had to include him. There’s nothing worse than people using music as a fashion statement. And I felt that at school, you know, because it was so trendy to listen to certain things. But I’ve always felt that if you’re into something, you should explain why and you’re allowed to be into whatever you’re into. I also think George Michael was unique. This song is weirdly radical, because it’s a song about gay cruising. To get the whole of Middle England dancing and singing along to a song about that is quite an achievement. I think there’s something about that happy/sad place that he was really good at; this is a song celebrating getting off with someone but it’s really melancholic, because it’s about the fact that he’s lost someone. He’s grieving for someone,and I think that’s artistically that’s a really hard thing to achieve. I also think he had the best voice in pop. I think he was one of the best producers in the history of pop music. I mean, the way he samples ‘Forget Me Nots’ in this is just genius, you know, and again, it adds that element of melancholy to pop. And even though some people would say this is just throwaway pop music, I think it’s actually a piece of art.

The Quietus Digest