A Nice Pair: George Michael

It’s Sunday which means it’s time once again for A Nice Pair – our series where we pair up books and vinyl. Today we’re featuring the biography George Michael: The Life 1963-2016 by Emily Hebert with George Michael’s album Faith.

One half of the duo Wham! and later on, a successful much-desired solo career, George Michael grew up dreaming of stardom. Raised within a conservative religious family, he remained closeted throughout a large part of his career and unfortunately found himself caught up in various scandals that threatened his success in the States. Plagued by heartbreak after losing his first lover to AIDS and his mother to cancer, he fell into depression and drug addiction and tragically lost his life on Christmas Day in 2016. This thoughtful memoir examines his extraordinary life and is full of Michael’s own opinions, thoughts and observations.

Originally released in 1987, Faith is George Michael’s first solo album as well as one of the best-selling albums of all time. Not only did he play various instruments, he also wrote and produced every track on the recording for Look at Your Hands, which he co-wrote with David Austin. A pop record infused with touches of R&B, funk, and soul, the tracks weave in deeply reflective lyrics. It landed four hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and picked up a variety of awards and accolades over the years. Hit songs include the title track as well as Father Figure and I Want Your Sex.