He was terrified. Seriously. George Michael wasn't some confident pop god when he walked into Puk Studios in Denmark to record Faith. He was a guy trying to outrun the "bubblegum" shadow of Wham! and prove he wasn't just a poster on a teenager's wall. Honestly, the pressure was immense. If this album failed, he was just another boy band casualty. Instead, he changed the trajectory of 1980s pop culture with a jukebox, a pair of Ray-Bans, and a rhythmic acoustic guitar riff that almost everyone recognizes within two seconds.
The gamble that redefined a career
Faith by George Michael wasn't just an album. It was a calculated, brilliant act of self-reinvention. Most people forget that before 1987, the industry didn't really take him seriously as a "serious" artist. He had the voice, sure, but he was seen as a manufactured product. When he sat down to produce this record—and he did produce it, almost entirely by himself—he was aiming for something that sounded like a mix of Bo Diddley and Prince.
It’s kind of wild when you think about the sonic landscape of 1987. You had hair metal on one side and polished synth-pop on the other. Then comes George with a minimalist, dry sound. The title track "Faith" has no drums for the first two minutes. Just that insistent, scratching guitar and his voice. It was a massive risk. Radio stations didn't know what to do with it at first because it felt so... empty. But that emptiness was the point. It forced you to listen to the soul in his delivery.
He spent months obsessing over every snare hit. Engineers who worked with him, like Chris Porter, often talked about how George would spend hours just getting the right "swing" on a track. He wasn't looking for perfection in a digital sense; he wanted a groove that felt human. That’s why "Father Figure" sounds so intimate even today. It’s got this weird, mid-tempo gospel-pop hybrid vibe that shouldn't work, yet it became one of the most played songs of the decade.
👉 See also: The Transporter 2 Cast: Why the 2005 Sequel’s Ensemble Actually Worked
Breaking the "Wham!" mold
Leaving Andrew Ridgeley behind wasn't personal; it was professional survival. George knew that the "Choose Life" t-shirts had an expiration date. To make Faith by George Michael work, he had to destroy his old image. This is where the iconic "Faith" look comes in. The leather jacket with the BSA logo, the Levi’s 501s, and those cowboy boots. It was a uniform.
It was also a bit of a mask.
While the world saw a confident sex symbol, George was struggling with his identity and the massive weight of fame. You can hear it if you listen closely to the lyrics of songs like "Hand to Mouth" or "Monkey." He wasn't just writing about love and sex; he was writing about the hollowness of the 80s, the struggle of the working class, and his own addiction to the spotlight.
The video for "I Want Your Sex" caused an absolute firestorm. The BBC banned it. US radio stations censored the title. But George was adamant that it was about "monogamy" rather than just casual encounters. Looking back, it’s funny how tame it seems now, but in 1987, it was a cultural lightning bolt. It pushed the conversation about sexuality into the mainstream in a way that few male artists had dared to do since Elvis.
Why the production still holds up
If you put on "Hard Day" or "Look at Your Hands" today, they don't sound like dated relics of the 80s. Well, okay, maybe some of the synth patches are a bit "DX7," but the soul is there. George Michael was one of the first white artists to truly dominate the Billboard R&B charts. He didn't just imitate Black music; he understood it.
He was obsessed with the way Stevie Wonder used space.
In Faith by George Michael, the basslines are the stars. Look at "Star People" or the later remixes of the Faith-era tracks. He understood that pop music is built from the floor up. If the bass and the drums aren't right, the melody doesn't matter. He was a perfectionist to a fault. Sometimes he would record a vocal take dozens of times just to get the right "breathiness" on a single syllable.
📖 Related: New Shows for NBC: Why Your Watchlist Is About to Look Very Different
- The title track "Faith" actually samples a Wham! song. If you listen to the church organ at the beginning, it's playing a slowed-down version of "Freedom." It was his way of saying goodbye to the past.
- The guitar solo in "Faith" was played by Hugh Burns, but George directed every single note.
- "Father Figure" was originally intended to be an upbeat dance track, but George accidentally slowed it down and realized it sounded way more haunting as a ballad.
The heavy price of "Faith"
Winning the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1989 was the peak, but it was also the beginning of the end for George’s relationship with mega-fame. He had become so big that he couldn't go anywhere. The "Faith" tour was grueling. He was performing for millions of people while feeling increasingly isolated.
He eventually famously sued Sony because he felt they were treating him like software rather than an artist. This all stemmed from the aftermath of this album. He refused to appear in the videos for his next record, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, because he was so exhausted by the image he created during the Faith era.
He told Rolling Stone years later that the "Faith" period was essentially a blur of work and anxiety. He had achieved everything he wanted—the hits, the money, the critical respect—and he realized it didn't fix the internal stuff. That’s the nuance of this record. It’s a celebratory, funky, pop masterpiece, but it’s also the sound of a man realizing that being a superstar is a gilded cage.
The legacy of the jukebox and the boots
So, why are we still talking about Faith by George Michael nearly four decades later?
Because it’s one of the few albums that perfectly bridges the gap between "Top 40 Pop" and "Art." It’s an album where every single song feels like a hit. In fact, six of the songs were top five hits. That's a "Thriller" level of success.
But beyond the numbers, it’s about the songwriting. "One More Try" is arguably one of the best soul ballads ever written by a British artist. The way he modulates his voice, shifting from a whisper to a soulful growl, is masterclass stuff. Artists from Adele to Sam Smith have cited this specific era as a blueprint for how to handle a solo career.
👉 See also: H. Jon Benjamin: Why the Voice Actor of Archer is Actually a Genius
It also challenged the racial barriers of the time. George was the first white male to hit number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. He earned that respect by being authentic, not by "touristing" in a genre. He loved the music, and the music loved him back.
Actionable insights for the modern listener
If you’re revisiting this record or discovering it for the first time, don't just stick to the hits. To really understand the genius of George Michael, you have to look at the craft behind the scenes.
Listen to the "Faith" (Remastered) versions.
The original 1987 CDs were a bit "thin" because of early digital mastering. The 2011 remaster brings out the warmth in the basslines that George worked so hard on. It changes the whole experience of "Father Figure."
Watch the "Faith" tour rehearsal footage.
You can find clips of George directing his band. It’s eye-opening to see how much of a "musical director" he actually was. He wasn't just the singer; he was the boss of every frequency coming off that stage.
Pay attention to the lyrics of "Hand to Mouth."
In the middle of a "sexy" pop album, he tucked in a scathing critique of Thatcher-era Britain and Reagan-era America. It shows he had a conscience even when he was wearing those tight jeans.
Compare the album to "Listen Without Prejudice."
If Faith by George Michael is the "superstar" album, the follow-up is the "deconstruction" of that superstar. Listening to them back-to-back tells a fascinating story of an artist fighting for his soul.
Ultimately, George Michael proved that you could be a heartthrob and a genius at the same time. He didn't have to choose. He just had to have a little bit of faith in his own instincts.
Key takeaways for your playlist
- Best deep cut: "Hard Day" (Shep Pettibone Remix).
- Best vocal performance: "One More Try."
- Most underrated lyric: "Hand to Mouth."
- The track that defined the era: "Faith."
To truly appreciate the impact, find a high-quality vinyl pressing or a lossless stream. Turn it up loud. Ignore the 80s tropes and focus on the syncopation. You'll realize that George wasn't just making pop; he was making history.