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George Michael was working on a dance track for his solo debut album, "Faith" when he wanted to check the mix on today's Great Song of 1988. He turned off the rhythm track to get a better "listen," and was surprised how "Father Figure" was transformed into an entirely different song!
According to George, it instantly went from a dance number to a "spacy gospel style" tune (with elements of R&B and Middle Eastern music).
At that point, George thought it was going to be the most original song on "Faith." He was right, of course.
When the song was finally released as a single (the 4th single from the album) at the tail end of 1987, it quickly climbed the charts, and by Valentine's Day in 1988, it was a hit in 19 countries--including the US, where it topped Billboard's Hot 100, reached #3 on the Adult Contemporary Chart, and climbed to#6 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Chart.
The "Father Figure" video was an MTV winner as well, as directors Michael and Andy Morahan won "Best Video Direction" at the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards!
"Father Figure" by George Michael--thanks to the volume knob on the original rhythm track--it became a Great Song of 1988!
Tomorrow: Annie & Al channel Jackie D.
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