美国国家公共电台 NPR George Michael, Singer Of 'Freedom '90,' 'Faith,' 'Last Christmas,' Dies At 53

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DAVID GREENE, HOST: 

OK, one thing 2016 will be remembered for is being a year that took away too many stars from the world of pop music. And now we have news that George Michael is dead at age 53. His manager is quoted saying the British pop singer died of heart failure at his home outside London. Now, let's remember, George Michael rocketed to stardom in the early to mid-1980s with the duo Wham!

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO")

WHAM!: (Singing) Jitterbug, jitterbug.

GREENE: And then with monster hits like "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," he went on to a successful solo career, selling more than 100 million records.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO")

WHAM!: (Singing) Wake me up before you go-go 'cause I'm not plannin' on going solo. Wake me up...

GREENE: He had some monster hits with Wham! like "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go." He then went on to a successful solo career, selling more than 100 million records.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FREEDOM")

WHAM!: (Singing) I don't want your freedom. I don't want to play around. I don't want nobody, baby. Part-time love just brings me down.

FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE¹: George Michael rose to fame as the better half of Wham!, which he formed with guitarist and schoolmate Andrew Ridgeley. The pair had huge success with songs like "Freedom" and "Careless Whisper."

(SOUNDBITE OF GEORGE MICHAEL "CARELESS WHISPER" SONG)

LANGFITT: Critics questioned the quality of some of his early lyrics².

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CARELESS WHISPER")

GEORGE MICHAEL: (Singing) I'm never going to dance again. Guilty feet have got no rhythm.

LANGFITT: But Michael was extremely good at writing pop hooks. He was recently nominated for The Songwriters Hall of Fame. Live audiences were drawn³ to the handsome pop duo's dynamic dance-heavy stage shows.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "EVERYTHING SHE WANTS")

WHAM!: (Singing) Everything she wants.

LANGFITT: This performance of the hit "Everything She Wants" came during an improbable visit to China in 1985 when. Wham! emphasized it's relatively⁴ clean, teen idol⁵ image, which helped the duo win approval from the communist party at a time when performances by Western pop stars in China were practically unheard of.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "EVERYTHING SHE WANTS")

WHAM!: (Singing) Somebody tell me, won't you tell me, why I work so hard for you, give you money, all to give you money.

LANGFITT: Michael was born in 1963 in north London, the son of a Greek Cypriot restaurant owner. Michael was clearly the creative force behind Wham!. And after a few years, he went off on his own. In 1987, he released the album "Faith," which eventually sold more than 25 million copies. Michael also took on a steamier persona.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I WANT YOUR SEX")

MICHAEL: (Singing) I want your sex. I want you.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FATHER FIGURE")

MICHAEL: (Singing) I will be your father, baby. Put your tiny hand in mine. I will be your preacher teacher, anything you have in mind.

LANGFITT: Michael's follow up, "Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1," didn't fare as well, and he got into a costly⁶ and exhausting legal battle with his label, Sony. Michael told interviewer David Frost the label had essentially⁷ enslaved him with a lengthy⁸ multi-album contract.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MICHAEL: It's such a ridiculous - such a ridiculous situation. Firstly, you are almost always signing people in a very vulnerable position. I mean, I definitely was in a very vulnerable position.

LANGFITT: Michael lost the case. In 1998, he became tabloid⁹ fodder¹⁰ after he was charged with committing a lewd¹¹ act in a public toilet in Beverly Hills. The arrest led him to go public about being gay. Michael apologized for embarrassing his fans and went on to perform and record more albums, but he never matched his earlier success. In 2011, Michael was struck with pneumonia¹², which he described to reporters as a near-death experience.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MICHAEL: I got streptococcus something (laughter). It's a a form of pneumonia. And they spent three weeks keeping me alive basically.

LANGFITT: An ambulance was sent to Michael's house in Oxfordshire yesterday afternoon, Christmas Day according to local police.

(SOUNDBITE OF WHAM! "LAST CHRISTMAS" SONG)

LANGFITT: On many playlists this time of year is Wham!'s holiday hit "Last Christmas," which was released in 1984.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LAST CHRISTMAS")

WHAM!: (Singing) Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away.

LANGFITT: Like many of George Michael's songs, it continues to bring joy to his millions of fans. Frank Langfitt, NPR News, London.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LAST CHRISTMAS")

WHAM!: (Singing) Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away. This year, to save me from tears...