(Credits: Far Out / George Michael)
Fri 16 January 2026 8:00, UK
The art of a great pop song meant so much more than a catchy tune for George Michael.
He may have been looked at as a teenybopper artist when he first came out with his tunes, but by the time that Wham officially disbanded in the 1980s, seeing him come into his own as a songwriter on Faith was like watching someone rebuild themselves back up on the world’s stage. But when looking at the biggest records he ever released, he would have much rather chased after his own muse than worry about building momentum every single time he made a record.
After all, some of the greatest music he ever made came from him getting the perfect take every single time he walked into the studio. He wasn’t going to rest until he knew that ‘Careless Whisper’ sounded absolutely perfect, and while there were a few times where it didn’t work out like it was supposed to, there are hardly too many duds throughout his career if you look at the raw studio albums.
Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1 didn’t have nearly the same kind of knockout singles aside from maybe ‘Freedom’, but it wasn’t supposed to be that way, either. He was creating pop odysseys at this point, and whereas most people would want to compare him to Michael Jackson in the 1980s, his music always felt a little bit different. He wanted to be as respected as the likes of Stevie Wonder, but even with two great records under his belt, nothing could have prepared him for losing the love of his life.
While Michael kept his sexuality a private manner throughout most of his career, losing Anselmo Feleppa was bound to take a drastic toll on his psyche. And while it’s easy to hear a lot of the pain throughout every song on Older, it’s not like Michael was looking to make a dreary album from front to back. ‘Fastlove’ is still one of the best-known dance songs he ever made, but when he was ready for it, some of the tunes could hit about as hard as what turned up on Joni Mitchell’s Blue.
Granted, it’s not nearly as sophisticated as what Mitchell was doing around the time or her heartache, but it suits what Michael was trying to do a lot better. Talking about losing his other half was bound to be difficult at a time when homosexuality wasn’t as well-accepted, but framing it as a part of getting older and wiser to life’s pain is actually a perfect way for him to deal with his trauma while still being comfortable in his own skin.
And according to Michael, it was the music that helped him fully move on from his grief, saying, “I think the whole experience of losing Anselmo; the period of grief, which was roughly two years that I didn’t write a note of music. And then, the absolute knowledge that the next album I was going to write would be about grief and recovery. Older is my greatest moment, in my opinion. I think I wrote the best, most healing piece of music that I’ve ever written in my life with that album.”
Then again, it’s not like the record is the most radio-ready thing that Michael ever made, but it wasn’t supposed to be. Some of the best moments from his favourite bands like Queen weren’t always going to appeal to the masses, but if you look at how they dealt with their emotions on a record like Made in Heaven, Older has its heart on the sleeve in the exact same way whenever the songs start.
So while it’s hard for anyone to truly understand the pain that Michael went through, he always had the music to help bring him out of the darkness. Because for all of the songs that can become shackles around a musician, all it takes is the right one to remind them why they chose the right profession.
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