George Michael is topping the Amazon UK Bestsellers list today for the new “Careless Whisper” vinyl and CD to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this classic, #1 song from the 80s.
George Michael is topping the Amazon UK Bestsellers list with:
George Michael released his first solo single, “Careless Whisper,” on July 23, 1984, in the UK. Today is the 40th anniversary of the release date for “Careless Whisper.”
Amazon UK is listing a CD of “Careless Whisper” as well as a Vinyl for preorder. According to the description:
George Michael’s ‘Careless Whisper’ is one of the most iconic songs of all time and 2024 celebrates its 40th anniversary. Hailed as a pop masterpiece, it topped the charts in 25 countries when it was released in 1984. The track has since been certified multiple times Platinum around the world. To mark this incredible milestone, the limited edition ‘Careless Whisper’ EP brings together all of the versions in one special release. It features instrumental and extended mixes and a previously unreleased live version recorded at Madison Square Garden, New York.
The official site is listing new “Careless Whisper” products that are available for preorder and available on October 18, 2024.
This opportunity looks like a treat for any George Michael fan. You can stay at the pool house of Mill Cottage where George Michael lived. The house is located in Goring, England.
George Michael’s pool house at Mill Cottage is described as:
The Pool House on the grounds of Mill Cottage is very unique. Guests will have exclusive use of the pool. Sitting directly on the Thames there are plenty of riverside restaurants and cafes to explore by foot or boat.
The Pool House has one bedroom with black out blinds and one sofa bed in the main room where there are no blinds.
Goring on Thames village is a couple of minutes walk away as is the train station.
There is a BBQ and outdoor seating area.
Airbnb Listing for George Michael’s Pool House at Mill Cottage
George Michael’s pool house is available for 4 guests, has 1 bedroom, 2 beds, and 1 bath.
The location is listed as a “rare find” and is “usually fully booked.” It gets a 4.87 rating. It is in the top 10% of eligible listings based on ratings, reviews, and reliability.
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It looks like we are going to be getting a Christmas gift from Wham!
Wham! will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the song “Last Christmas” and wants to hear “Last Christmas” stories from fans.
Calling All WHAM! Fans
We invite you to help us celebrate the 40th anniversary of Last Christmas! As part of an exciting new project, we want to hear your Last Christmas stories.
Do you have a personal connection to the song? Do you have any videos, photos or stories? Have you ever performed your own version?
Today is George Michael’s birthday. It would have been his 61st birthday if he had been alive.
As most of you know, I recently posted my happiest and saddest moments for the 27 years that Yours Only George has been online. Obviously, the saddest moment was learning that George Michael would no longer be with us to share his smart and humorous personality, nor his gift for writing and singing songs that defined a generation.
I still believe that there is a need for this site, and I have been trying to keep everyone updated on what I find online about George Michael. Until 2024, it had been quite some time since I posted news on the site, and for that I apologize. I have always continued to post on Facebook and X. Fortunately, I now can update the site daily.
Many things have changed over 27 years, and I am trying to go page by page to determine what is broken and needs to be fixed on the site. Some of the Amazon sponsorship links weren’t working, but I think those are fixed. I have at least 15 things that need to be fixed or added. Even some of the things that should be easy to fix have not been easy to fix! I am trying, and I ask you to have faith in me that I can get the site back up and running.
At this point, I have updated the following pages or sections:
Links – I have checked every link on the the links page. If you have a site that you would like added, please let me know.
Posters – I have also updated the posters page with new posters.
FAQ – Sadly, this part talked about e-mailing George, and that had to be removed.
I have also started a feature called “On this day” on Facebook and X, pointing to things that have happened to George Michael through the years. I have forgotten about so many of these things, and it’s so fun to read about them again. Usually, these pages are also updated, which helps me keep things more up to date.
For those of you who were on the mailing list through Feedburner/Google, I have moved the mailing list to Follow.it. You should have received a message asking you to confirm that would you like to continue receiving e-mails. If you’re new to the site, you can subscribe here.
When I first started coming up with my Top 5 favorite things that have happened over the last 27 years at the Yours Only George site, I kept coming up with some truly sad things that have happened. I decided to have a happy list of George Michael things that have happened and a list of sad things that have happened.
I am posting my Top 5 Saddest George Michael things about the site from the last 27 years:
5
When Princess Diana died, we decided to start a Princess Diana tribute page, which ended up being far larger than ever anticipated with contributions from the Yours Only George site, Yogmael, and Gnotes. As I wrote at the time: “And so, in my grief, my best friend and I decided to create a small tribute page for you, which turned out to be much larger than I ever expected it to be. In a world that is often cynical and cruel, it is so beautiful and fitting that people united to make this page for a woman who had so much love in her heart. You taught us how to love, and I can only hope that we will share your gift with one another. Thank you for giving us the greatest gift of all.” (This is one of the many pages that needs to be updated with new graphics.)
4
I remember searching for George Michael news one night in 1997. If I looked late at night, I would get all the tabloid news that was published in the U.K. while most people were asleep. I remember not wanting this information to be true: George’s beloved mother, Lesley Angold Harrison Panayiotou, died on February 26, 1997, of cancer. I created a small page with quotes of all the lovely things George Michael said about his mother over the years. There is also a second tribute page to Lesley Panayiotou written from a fan’s perspective.
3
George Michael was known for various accidents involving cars. The accident on the M1 was another scary moment in the life of George Michael. It was such a crazy moment where we once again didn’t know if George was going to make it.
2
When George Michael had pneumonia, I remember not much was being said. The only information that was coming was through the tabloids, and it sounded bad.
When George first spoke to the press after nearly dying in the hospital, it was heartbreaking. Whenever I see this clip, I start crying.
1
I still have not totally dealt with the death of George Michael. I like to think there is an alternate universe where he is still alive, happy, and making music. I will never forget the moment that Shannon, cofounder of this site, called me on Christmas day and told me that George Michael had died. I had previously been worried about him because his voice did not sound strong during the Red Line interview. George Michael had cheated death so many times before that it was shocking that he would die on Christmas day.
Thanks to all the Lovelies for all the support through the years, in the good times and the bad!
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On June 1, 2024, Yours Only George is celebrating its 27th anniversary. Shannon and I started this site in 1997 back when AOL gave free space for web sites. We later moved it to a webhost and bought the domain www.yogworld.com.
We had our first fan club in 1986 and came up with the name “Yours Only George” in the early 1990s. The name not only represented fans dedicated to George Michael, but also spelled out “YOG,” George Michael’s nickname. The name “Yog” was originally given to George Michael by Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley.
I am forever thankful to Shannon for her friendship and support. There is no better friend in this world than Shannon. This site would not be here without her.
Over the past five months, I have been going page by page to update the site. Considering that it is two sites in one and it has about 500 pages, there is a lot to work on!
I am posting my Top 5 Favorite things about the site from the last 27 years:
5
The George Michael Links section is really the beginning of the entire Yours Only George web site. Back in the mid 1990s, I had gone to a seminar, and the gist was that links were a key to success. It was only later that we became known for the George Michael news. At one point, I think there were at least 400 links. I recently deleted any that were no longer available.
4
Amazon Ad
I remember being shocked when I saw the Yours Only George website listed as a source for a few George Michael biographies. The first one is George Michael: The Biography (Amazon Ad) by Rob Jovanovic. The second one is George Michael: A Life (Amazon Ad) by James Gavin. I was also recently approached to write a George Michael book. Maybe some day I will!
3
When George Michael died, one tabloid picked up on the fact that Andrew Ridgeley called George Michael “Yog” in his Twitter post about George Michael dying. The writer wrongly said Andrew’s nickname of Yog stood for “Yours Only George.” The nickname “Yog” derives from the Greek pronunciation of George’s given name: Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou. The “G” on “Georgios” is pronounced with a “y” sound like “yogurt.” Unfortunately, this inaccurate information has propagated to other sites.
2
Amazon Ad
It was an absolute thrill when we interviewed Shirlie Kemp. I wish I had dated the article. I think it was in February 1998. We interviewed Shirlie when she was running the George Michael fan club during the Aegean record label era. Some day I hope to interview Shirlie again.
1
My absolute favorite memory was finding out that George Michael not only knew about the Yours Only George web site, but George Michael also had the Yours Only George web site bookmarked on his computer! This was in 2004. Jill Taylor, a DJ, did an Internet search before her interview with George Michael, and she found the Yours Only George web site. She mentioned the site during the interview. George was very nice, said he knew about the site, and even had it bookmarked on his computer.
I never had the chance to meet George Michael, but knowing George visited the site is the next best thing.
George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” has reached 1 billion streams on Spotify and 1.2 billion streams on YouTube.
We’re absolutely thrilled to share that ‘Careless Whisper’ has just joined the #BillionsClub on @Spotify. 1 BILLION STREAMS! This is incredible, thank you for all the love and support you continue to show the song every single day 🎷 @SpotifyUKpic.twitter.com/AYAjzZILaO
— George Michael Official (@GeorgeMOfficial) May 8, 2024
“Careless Whisper” joins Spotify’s Billion’s Club. There are more than 600 songs on Spotify’s Billion’s Club.
Currently, 631 songs have surpassed one billion streams on Spotify, 79 have surpassed two billion, and nine have surpassed three billion. “Blinding Lights” by the Weeknd is the only song that has surpassed the four billion mark.
List of Spotify streaming records
🎷 1 BILLION streams on Spotify + 1.2 BILLION views on YouTube 📽️ Still as popular as it was in 1984! Join us in celebrating 40 years of ‘Careless Whisper’ this summer 🎶 pic.twitter.com/0qfrJWNv9j
— George Michael Official (@GeorgeMOfficial) May 9, 2024
Earlier in the year, “Careless Whisper” reached 1 billion YouTube views. According to Variety, the “Careless Whisper” music video is the eighth from the 1980s to reach the 1 billion milestone on YouTube.
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Simon Napier-Bell’s George Michael documentary, “George Michael: Portrait of an Artist,” (Amazon Ad) will be on Kaleidoscope Film Distribution’s Cannes slate, according to Variety.
The documentary was directed by Simon Napier-Bell, the manager of Wham! in the mid 1980s who masterminded the historic Wham! trip to China. “George Michael: Portrait of an Artist” includes interviews with Stevie Wonder, Sanandra Maitreya, Stephen Fry, Kenny Goss, Chris Cameron, Rufus Wainwright, Piers Morgan, and Jo Whiley.
The 2023 documentary is described as:
Packed with rare archive footage and candid interviews from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Stephen Fry, and many more of his close friends and colleagues, witness George Michael’s meteoric rise to superstardom like never before. This fascinating documentary exposes, honestly and respectfully, the man who he was, with unprecedent insights into both his professional persona as a world-renowned celebrity, and his tumultuous personal life that nearly brought his career to an early end.
George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” is #1 on 2024’s All Time Top 500 for Smooth Radio. It is the sixth year in a row that “Careless Whisper” has topped the chart, and the seventh year at #1.
George Michael Entertainment released the following statement about this achievement:
On behalf of George Michael Entertainment, we are delighted that Smooth Radio listeners and George’s loyal fans have once again, for the 6th consecutive year, voted for George Michael’s Careless Whisper as their number one song in Smooth’s “All Time Top 500” for 2024.
In this year, the 40th anniversary of its release, this is an incredible achievement as Careless Whisper has now topped Smooth’s chart for a total of 7 years.
We know that George would be proud and truly grateful just as we are, for the continued support of Smooth Radio, its listeners and his loyal fans around the world.
George Michael had a total of 20 songs in Smooth’s Top 500. Here is the ranking:
#1 “Careless Whisper” #3 “A Different Corner” #11 “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” (duet with Elton John) #31 “Jesus to a Child” #48 “Father Figure” #80 “Somebody to Love” (with Queen) #104 “FastLove” #105 “Club Tropicana” #109 “One More Try” #114 “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” (duet with Aretha Franklin) #116 “Faith” #138 “Praying for Time” #140 “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” #163 “I’m Your Man” #169 “Freedom 90” #178 “Everything She Wants” #284 “The Edge of Heaven” #313 “As” (duet with Mary J. Blige) #320 “Freedom” #453 “Heal the Pain”
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George Michael’s sister, Yioda Panayiotou, has submitted plans to update her brother’s Hampstead home, according to the Mirror.
The Mirror reports:
George bought the property in 1987, around the time his solo career took off after Wham! disbanded. The property is located in a conservation area, and will be restored to what Yioda’s architects, BB Partnership, describe as a “habitable” condition.
George Michael’s abandoned home set for £10m Grand Designs-style mansion makeover
The plans include:
removing a water tank
installing a new roof with solar panels
replacing the exterior cladding with white laminate.
When George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley as Wham! went to China in 1985, director Lindsay Anderson was charged with the documentary for this historic event.
For the first time, Anderson’s documentary of Wham! in China, If You Were There, will be screened for the public on May 25 and May 31, 2024. Unfortunately, tickets have already sold out.
The 79-minute documentary is described as the following:
In 1985, at the height of their success, WHAM! were invited to be the first western pop group to tour Communist China since the Cultural Revolution. Accepting the offer, the duo made an unlikely approach to Anderson, asking him to direct a documentary record of the tour. However, the collaboration ended awkwardly when his cut of the film was rejected by the band. The film was subsequently re-edited to incorporate more concert footage and released as WHAM! In China: Foreign Skies. Anderson’s cut, titled If You Were There… has never before been screened publicly, making this a not-to-be-missed, potentially once-only opportunity to see it.
Thanks to Andrew Ridgeley, and to Chris Organ and David Austin of George Michael Entertainment for their co-operation in connection with this screening.
According to The Guardian:
The exact sequence of events leading to Anderson’s dismissal are not easy to discern from his papers. Napier-Bell wrote that the first cut of the film was “achingly boring” and that Michael thought a second version appeared to be “scornful” of Wham!.
“It should have been possible for Lindsay – or any director with an ounce of compromise in him – to have adjusted it to what Wham! needed as a promo tool,” says Napier-Bell today. “But he obviously felt it beneath him to compromise with two upstart kids. He was always a difficult old bugger, full of guilt at his own public school education, but suffering from the superiority it had given him.”
George Michael Experience: Fundraiser for Suicide Prevention is a 3-day event taking place at Newtopia Cyder Tasting Room in San Diego, California, on April 26, 27, and 28, 2024.
Day 1 of the event is today, April 26, 2024, from 3-9 p.m. This part of the event is free. According to the site:
3-6 PM: Free/casual private tours of a million-dollar George Michael memorabilia collection by Chris Brown. Uncover the stories behind the star and enjoy food all afternoon and night! 5:30 PM: Hear from Newtopia’s founder, Rick Moreno, collector, Chris Brown, and director of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Jordan Miles, about the impact of your participation this weekend. 6 PM: Kick off the evening with George Michael & Wham! Music Bingo and continue the festivities with a dance party.
Day 2 of the event is tomorrow, April 27, 2024, from 12-10 p.m. This part of the event is free. According to the site:
12-4 PM: Explore George Michael’s iconic career with free hourly tours of our exclusive memorabilia collection guided by Chris Brown. 4 PM: Test your pop knowledge with our George Michael Trivia—win big with the correct answers! Grab your GM Trivia Sheet, enjoy classic tunes, and try your luck. 5 PM: Flashback to the ’80s with our COSTUME CONTEST! Dress to impress and win prizes for the Best Couple and two standout individuals. Prizes announced at 8:30 PM. Don’t forget to tag @newtopiacyder on Instagram to win the social media star prize!
Day 3 includes a George Michael themed brunch. According to the site:
Brunch Package: $25 Choose 1 Plate & 1 Drink Chilaquiles (Birria, Chicken, Mole, or Carnitas), Tacos (Birria, Chicken, Mole, or Carnitas), and Ceviche (Red Snapper, Wild Shrimp, or Vegan Ceviche) Drink includes your choice of one of our 3 specialty George Michael cyders, any craft cyder on tap, house-made sangria, craft cocktails on tap, or a Sky High n’ Dry mimosa! Proceeds go towards the San Diego Prosperity Foundation benefiting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
The San Diego Union-Tribune also has an article about the event with more details about the items on display, such as:
the leather jacket that George Michael wore during the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics in London.
the American Music Award from 1989 for best male pop artist.
a program from the recital that he did at the school where he met Andrew Ridgeley.
an original letter from George Michael in his own handwriting on the breakup of Wham!
George Michael’s Ivor Novello Award from 1984 for “Careless Whisper.”
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If we want George Michael to have more songs in the Top 10 of Smooth’s All Time Top 500, then we should focus on voting for the songs that did well in 2023.
It’s probably best to focus on the ten songs that did the best if we want George to have 3 or more songs in the Top 10. “Jesus to a Child” was close to being in the Top 10 last year. Possibly we should team up with the Elton John and Aretha Franklin fans to get more votes for the duets.
You can pick up to 10 George Michael songs in order of preference, choosing your number 1 song first. You can vote here.
Smooth’s All Time Top 500 will be counted down from Friday, May 3rd, at 10 a.m. to Monday, May 6th, at 7p.m.
Make sure to follow Yours Only George on Facebook and X, and join our mailing list for the latest news on George Michael.
Voting for George Michael songs in Smooth’s All Time Top 500 is open for 2024.
George Michael has topped the Top 500 for six consecutive years with “Careless Whisper.” Last year, he even came in third place with “A Different Corner.” George Michael also had “Jesus to a Child” at number 11 and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” at number 17. He had 20 songs in the chart overall.
You can pick up to 10 George Michael songs in order of preference, choosing your number 1 song first. You can vote here.
Smooth’s All Time Top 500 will be counted down from Friday, May 3rd, at 10 a.m. to Monday, May 6th, at 7p.m.
Smooth's All Time Top 500 is back for 2024! Will George Michael top the chart once more, or could your votes put Ed Sheeran, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston or Queen at the top? 🏆
George Michael has been nominated for the Global Awards 2024 in the Global Legend category.
Winners will be announced on-air on Global’s radio stations and on Global Player on Friday, March 22, 2024.
The Global Awards include all of Global’s radio stations: Capital, Heart, Smooth Radio, Classic FM, Radio X, Capital XTRA, Capital Dance, and Gold, as well as Global Player.
Previously, subscribers received e-mail alerts to news from Feedburner/Google.
Feedburner closed, and we have moved all active subscribers over to Follow.it. If you no longer want to receive George Michael news in your mailbox, please unsubscribe.
If you ever wanted to know how the Royal Mint is making the George Michael coins, you can take a look here. In the video, the Royal Mint creates the George Michael color printed UK £5 coin.
The George Michael collectable coins are available from the Royal Mint, as part of the Music Legends series. The coins feature the Faith era look with George Michael’s trademark sunglasses and an engraving of the refrain of Faith.
