The one song George Michael called “an albatross around my neck”
The word enigma gets bandied around a lot these days, but it may well be the one word that perfectly describes the late Wham! frontman George Michael.
One of the greatest popstars the world has ever seen, as well as one of the most complex and authentic figures in modern music, the Londoner lived a fascinating life until the very end, leaving a tremendous legacy behind.
Whether it be his undoubted musical genius, dedication to charitable causes, or the fact he lived a highly comedic life, since Michael passed away on Christmas Day 2016, the world has been a much bleaker place. With the often rousing spirit of his music, his candid approach to life, and his consistently good spirit, Michael provided a light in the dark for many, transcending the traditional parameters of a pop star.
In truth, it was a position Michael strived for for a long time. The young boy spent hours in front of the mirror, hoping to be a famous singer. But his greatest asset was his ability to develop from those moments of candied pop into an accomplished singer and songwriter. What’s most endearing is that he rarely looked back at his days in the 1980s, the days of heavy doses of purified sugary pop, and winced. On the whole, he relished the nostalgia.
From ‘Club Tropicana’ to ‘Freedom‘, Michael holds a host of classic tracks to his name, with one of the earliest numbers that helped him on his way to being an icon being ‘Bad Boys’. Written and co-produced by Michael himself, the song tells the relatable tale of a rebellious teenage boy’s struggles against his parents, who are concerned about his late-night activities. Adding extra authenticity to the track, Michael was 19 when he penned it.
Notably, ‘Bad Boys’ also represented something in a change of artistic stance for Wham!. Prior to the song’s release, Michael and bandmate Andrew Ridgeley had projected a politically motivated image, with this hit marking a change of pace into a more youthful and positive area, often described as a “soul boy – dole boy” theme.
Despite being widely successful and hitting number two on the UK charts, George Michael came to explicitly “hate it”. When speaking to Smash Hits in 1986, only a few months after Wham! bid farewell to fans with their Wembley Stadium concert, Michael was asked to name the worst song he’d ever written. In response, he made it clear that he believed it to be ‘Bad Boys’, describing it as “an albatross around my neck”.
Michael explained: “Bad Boys.’ I hate it. It’s like an albatross around my neck. It’s too formularised. Those couple of months – that record and the Fantastic album – were the worst point in my career. I couldn’t see the wood for the trees. I didn’t know what I was doing. Still I think Fantastic was a reasonably good first album made under a lot of pressure”.
Michael wasn’t an artist who took himself too seriously. He saw the vanity and ego at the heart of most pop stars and attempted to steer clear of such pitfalls whenever he could. But clearly, ‘Bad Boys’, a song so deeply entrenched in marketing, was a sore subject for him. It speaks highly of the artist he was that he felt so disappointed to be associated with the track.
