As the newest comer to the unyielding greatness of Γιώργος-Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου aka Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou aka George Michael, I've found it incumbent upon myself to do enough research that I might speak as eloquently and intelligently as the other YDG contributors when I confront whichever small piece of the George Michael Universe is assigned to me. Today, that small piece is called "Father Figure"; the third single off the Faith album and GEO's sixth #1 single.
To fully appreciate the magnitude of this video's black & white shoulder-padded brilliance, I began my due diligence by typing "father figure" into Wikipedia. Surprisingly, what came up first was the definition of a father figure in the context of interpersonal relationships. A father figure, the screen flashed back at me,
How apt. This describes George Michael to a T.
To fully appreciate the magnitude of this video's black & white shoulder-padded brilliance, I began my due diligence by typing "father figure" into Wikipedia. Surprisingly, what came up first was the definition of a father figure in the context of interpersonal relationships. A father figure, the screen flashed back at me,
is usually considered to be an older man, often one in a position of power or influence, who arouses emotions usually felt for a person's father and with whom a person identifies psychologically.
How apt. This describes George Michael to a T.
- Older man? check.
- In a position of power or influence? Please. His perfectly manicured beard cast such a large 5 o'clock shadow that multiple aspects of his personal style influenced an entire generation's conception of masculinity. From the jeans to the jacket, from the beard to the aviators, from the hair to the stare; no popular figure represented what men wanted to be and women wanted to be with the way George Michael did.
- Arouses emotion? Seriously. This blog of daily reverence was conceived from the volcano of emotion that sprung to life with the announcement of GEO's 2008 20-city North American summer tour. And if that's not convincing enough, watch (and listen to the reaction to) this live performance from The Concert of Hope at Wembley in 1993. In an understated and impeccably tailored suit, alone in the middle of the stage atop a 6' wide riser he never leaves, GEO--restrained in both appearance and demeanor--delivers such a powerful and resonant performance of "Father Figure" that afterward, organizers of the AIDS charity benefit sought to retroactively re-title the show "The Concert of Hope You Can Handle This Shit Because George Michael is About to Buy and Sell Your Emotional Core in Five Minutes and Thirty-Six Seconds".
4 comments:
Good job EnPee...for a rookie. I was hoping for more analysis of the video, given your Hollywood/filmmaker cred, but I see you really approached this from your History background. Ok, I can see that. Father Figure is seriously the Geo gateway drug. You might think it's Careless Whisper, but I'm asserting FF. Little did we know of the homosexual subtext when this song first came out (no pun intended). All makes sense now. Whatever, it's still hot when he's nailing her against the wall. I'd also like to point out it is yet another in a series of stalker songs (in the vein of Every Breath You Take) when stalking didn't have the bad connotation it does today. ~Fin~
Thank you, EnPee, for taking YDG in yet another direction. The intellectual research you conducted has certainly made me think harder than I usually do at work.
NOW LETS GET DOWN TO FUNDAMENTALS: this is George at his most egregious, blantant 80's: His hair is higher than usual, the sunglasses at night while driving though the tunnel, the cut leather gloves, it is 80's cheese all the way, and is an acute reminder of how far George has come (pun intended).
Wow...YDG is usually uplifing, but today's post makes me feel like I actually bettered myself. I really learned something. I mean, I thought I knew all about FF, but there was so much more to know. Turns out, I was really just afraid. But EnPee made us all see that knowledge truly is power. EnPee, you dropped a knowledge bomb on YGD that exploded like a 4-pack of George tickets on my credit card -- it made quite a statement. Seriously, this is one of the top 5 GEO songs of all time. It's a song of many layers -- both lyrically and musically. And I think it includes one of the greatest bridges in pop music -- "greet me with the eyes of a child.." Pure heaven. Thanks for the fantastic post. We knew you were the only one who was up to the task!
Thank you all for the kind words. I promise my next post will be a blow-by-blow commentary of whichever song I'm given.
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