George Michael: ‘Freedom! 90’ Celebrates 30th Anniversary
George Michael’s “Freedom! 90” was released 30 years ago! For 30 years we’ve all been singing “Freeeeee-dommmm” when we get out of a sticky situation (lame job or bad relationship)…or is that just me?
Watch the newly remastered video of “Freedom! 90” and then scroll down for more!
What Does “Freedom! 90” Mean?
Ya got to love that George keeps with the exclamation points after his Wham! days and includes it in “Freedom!” “90” was added to the song title to differentiate from another “Freedom” he sang with Wham! (Relive that song here) George really wanted/needed/had to get his freedom!
What most people probably remember about the song is the video. Artsy, black and white, models…and no George.
Tired of photoshoots and videos, George asked five female supermodels, and two guys, to appear instead of him. David Fincher, king of ‘90s music videos, directed.
Which Models are in the “Freedom! 90” Video?
According to Wikipedia, George was inspired by a Peter Lindbergh photo of Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Tatjana Patitz and asked them to be in the video.
Linda Evangelista had to be talked into making the video as George thought the video would make them stars and she said they already were. Later, citing that people she meets for the first time often mention the “Freedom! 90” video admitted George was right. (Source: Wikipedia)
Who Were the Men in the “Freedom! 90” Video?
While women rule the video, two men make appearances: models John Pearson and Mario Sorrenti.
Here’s one of them trying to convince us hanging upside down is the secret to his good looks.
What About That Mechanical Bull Under a Sheet Thing?
Yeah, no idea what’s going on there.
George Michael the Songwriter
George Michael not only performs “Freedom! 90” but he wrote and produced it as well.
In my opinion, George doesn’t get enough recognition for his songwriting. In a recent article Billboard includes George in a list of songwriters who wrote more number one songs by themselves than anyone else (he wrote 7 hit songs solo). This puts him in the same category as Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder and 1 hit song above Prince.
The 7 songs that George wrote by himself that went to number 1, according to Billboard:
“Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
“Everything She Wants”
“Faith”
“Father Figure”
“One More Try”
“Monkey”
“Praying For Time”
George is not in the Songwriting Hall of Fame.
Let’s end this tribute to George Michael with “FastLove.”