Faith (George Michael album)
Encyclopedia
Faith is George Michael
's first solo album, released in October 1987 via Columbia Records
/Epic Records
. The album has won several awards including the Grammy Award
for Album of the Year in 1989. To date, the album has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, and received diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America
. Faith spawned six top-five singles that substantially helped it dominate the chart of 1988. In 2003, the album was ranked number 480 on Rolling Stones "500 Greatest Albums of All Time"
. The album was also notable for entering the R&B albums chart at number-one making it the first album by a Caucasian
artist to hit the top spot on that chart, mainly due to the R&B/funk
-leaning singles that were released from the album, most notably, "One More Try
", "I Want Your Sex
" and "Father Figure
".
and had grown tired of accusations that the group, which featured best friend Andrew Ridgeley
, was nothing more than a teenybopper
group despite the serious subject matter that was included on albums such as Fantastic and Make It Big. After the success of Make It Big and its subsequent follow-up, Music from the Edge of Heaven
, Michael had grown weary of continuing the group and expressed the desire to split up the group to Ridgeley. A decision was made that the group would split following the end of a tenure at Wembley Stadium
for what was titled Wham: The Final. Following the split, Michael began to work on songs that eventually would make his first solo project, which would be titled Faith.
Throughout the promotion of Music from the Edge of Heaven, Michael had recorded songs without Ridgeley. One song, in particular, "A Different Corner
", was released as a George Michael solo track rather than with Wham!, as had a previous single, "Careless Whisper
", which was Michael's first solo single (it was billed as Wham! featuring George Michael in America), in 1984. Following the group's split, Michael performed "A Different Corner" by his lonesome. Michael also worked as a collaborator on other musicians' projects, including Elton John
, singing background for Elton's 1986 hit, "Nikita
". While recording his first solo album, Michael was asked by producer Narada Michael Walden
to contribute duet vocals for Aretha Franklin
's single, "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me". The song was released as a single on Franklin's Aretha
, and entered number-one on the Billboard Hot 100
in early 1987 giving Michael confidence that he could have a career of his own without Wham!.
9600 Tapeless Studio, Faith was Michael's first digital recording
. A contemporary pop-R&B album, Faith showcases the vocals of Michael in a new-style mode. It features songs littered with introspective lyrics, generating controversies about Michael's personal relationships at that time. Most of the material was recorded at P.U.K. Studios in Denmark
and Sarm West Studios in London.
Some of the material was more graphic than Michael's previous efforts with Wham! Such a song was "I Want Your Sex
", which had three parts, the first part was titled "Rhythm 1: Lust", which was the version that would eventually be released as a single and featured electro funk influences, the second part was titled "Rhythm 2: Brass in Love", which mixed a more instrumentally-based funk
live instrumentation with a smoother R&B arrangement during the verses. A third part, which was edited to be the final song on the album, was titled "Rhythm 3: A Last Request", with lyrics of Michael and his date and Michael drunkenly trying to convince his suitor to his bed. This mix featured a jazz
-influenced, quiet-storm R&B sound. The title track
began with an organic coda that was actually the music to Wham!'s "Freedom
", played as if in a cathedral. Afterwards, the song featured a rockabilly
sound similar to Bo Diddley
while Michael added his own style with his vocals. "Father Figure
" originally was a dance-styled production until Michael removed the snare drums from it and kept it that way because he loved what he heard, making the song a mid-tempo R&B ballad. "One More Try
" was a soul
song in tradition to the songs of Marvin Gaye
and Stevie Wonder
with lyrics of a man who pushes his lover away out of fear of repeating past relationships, only to accept the invitation in the end.
"Hard Day", much like the first two-halves of "I Want Your Sex" was inspired by funk, mainly from Prince
, in "I Want Your Sex" and in "Hard Day", Michael even applied a vocal emulator where his vocals were sped-up much like Prince's records at the time. The social-commentary song "Hand to Mouth" had a slight pop and folk
approach while a similar social commentary song, "Look at Your Hands", co-written by Michael and David Austin, produced a pop song with rock elements with the piano and saxophone. "Monkey" returns to the funk influences of some of the other songs. A remix of the song by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
brings a New Jack Swing
approach from the original. "Kissing a Fool
" is a jazz-influenced ballad with its lyrics solemnly describing a break-up.
" being the best-selling single in 1985, it honoured George Michael for being the first act to achieve two U.S. year-end No.1 singles since 1968, when The Beatles
had "Hey Jude" top the year-end singles chart after "I Want to Hold Your Hand
" in 1964. Michael also surpassed many music artists and critics by having both the year's No.1 album and the No.1 single. That hadn't happened since 1970, when Simon & Garfunkel grabbed both positions with the Bridge over Troubled Water album
and Single
.
Between 1987 and 1988, Faith produced an amazing string of hit singles, including six Top 5 Billboard Hot 100
hits, four of which ("Faith
", "Father Figure", "One More Try
", and "Monkey
") reached #1, making him the only British male singer to have four No.1 singles from one LP on the Billboard Hot 100. The album also had impressive staying power, with 51 non-consecutive weeks inside the Billboard 200 Top 10, including 12 weeks at #1. It was also the first album by a white solo artist to hit No.1 on the US R&B charts. It also reached No.1 in the United Kingdom, where it stayed at the top spot for only one week. In all, it was the best-selling album of 1988 in the United States, and eventually reached Diamond
certification by the RIAA
. According to Nielsen/SoundScan, current sales stand at 11 million copies, making it the 52nd best-selling album in the United States. Overseas, the album has sold around 25 million copies worldwide.
George Michael made an interview with Rolling Stone
magazine saying :I was much happier when Faith being No.1 black album than I was it became No.1 pop album.
The album earned George Michael numerous accolades. At the 31st Grammy Awards, he was nominated for the Album of the Year
and won. George Michael racked up three wins at the 1989 American Music Awards: Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album for Faith.
magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s and No.57 on their list of 100 greatest albums of the year. In 2003, the album was ranked number 480 on Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
. Faith was ranked 79th in a 2005 survey held by British television's Channel 4
to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time. In 2006, Q magazine placed the album at No.24 in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s". Reviewing the reissue of the album in Metro
in 2011, Arwa Haider claimed: "Faith still bursts with self-belief, designer vanity, classic songs and imagery, right from the opening title track which begins with a funereal church organ rendition of Wham!'s hit, Freedom, before clicking into jaunty rock 'n' roll. It's easy to hear why Faith achieved multi-million status, although the masterful ballads (Father Figure, One More Try) have stood the test of time better than Michael's funk-pop."
With sales of more than seven million in 1988, Faith was named in the United States as the most shipped album of the year. Along with the success of the American singer Michael Jackson
's album Bad
, as well as breakthrough albums by many new and old artists, it was seen as a sign that US record sales were slowly recovering. By the end of 1988, the industry had sold millions of albums, an increase of approximately one percent, as recorded by Nielsen SoundScan. Compared with record sales in 1987, this showed two percent of increase.
LP.
The release features: the remastered album, an additional CD of remastered 12" versions/B-sides; a DVD featuring a TV special from 1987, a hard-bound book that includes an exclusive interview with George Michael, sleeve notes, rare photos & memorabilia; a vinyl album replica of the original LP – and a memorabilia envelope that includes five art prints, reproduction poster, tickets & tour pass from the Faith tour sourced from George Michael's personal archive; All housed in a 12x12 numbered, black and gold-foiled slipcase. All housed in a black, gold-foiled slipcase with original artwork overlay.
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
's first solo album, released in October 1987 via Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
/Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. The album has won several awards including the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Album of the Year in 1989. To date, the album has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, and received diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. Faith spawned six top-five singles that substantially helped it dominate the chart of 1988. In 2003, the album was ranked number 480 on Rolling Stones "500 Greatest Albums of All Time"
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
. The album was also notable for entering the R&B albums chart at number-one making it the first album by a Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
artist to hit the top spot on that chart, mainly due to the R&B/funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
-leaning singles that were released from the album, most notably, "One More Try
One More Try (George Michael song)
"One More Try" is a U.S. number-one hit song written and performed by George Michael and released by Epic Records in 1988 as the fourth single from Faith.-History:...
", "I Want Your Sex
I Want Your Sex
"I Want Your Sex" was a single which first charted in June 1987, appearing on George Michael's Faith album, and the soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop II....
" and "Father Figure
Father Figure
"Father Figure" is the U.S. number-one song written and performed by George Michael and released on Columbia Records in 1988 as the third single from the album Faith.-History:...
".
Background
By 1986, George Michael had spent five years as lead singer of the popular duo Wham!WHAM!
Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
and had grown tired of accusations that the group, which featured best friend Andrew Ridgeley
Andrew Ridgeley
Andrew John Ridgeley is an English former pop singer-songwriter, guitarist and environmentalist. Andrew was a member of the 1980s pop music duo Wham!.-Early life:...
, was nothing more than a teenybopper
Teenybopper
The term teenybopper was invented by marketing professionals and psychologists, later becoming a subculture of its own. The term describes a young teenager, particularly a girl, who follows adolescent trends in music, fashion and culture. The term was introduced in the 1950s to refer to teenagers...
group despite the serious subject matter that was included on albums such as Fantastic and Make It Big. After the success of Make It Big and its subsequent follow-up, Music from the Edge of Heaven
Music from the Edge of Heaven
Music from the Edge of Heaven is the third and final studio album from the British pop duo Wham!, in 1986.The album was only released in Japan and the Americas; other territories got The Final instead...
, Michael had grown weary of continuing the group and expressed the desire to split up the group to Ridgeley. A decision was made that the group would split following the end of a tenure at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
for what was titled Wham: The Final. Following the split, Michael began to work on songs that eventually would make his first solo project, which would be titled Faith.
Throughout the promotion of Music from the Edge of Heaven, Michael had recorded songs without Ridgeley. One song, in particular, "A Different Corner
A Different Corner
"A Different Corner" is a song written and performed by George Michael which was released on Epic Records in 1986.- History :...
", was released as a George Michael solo track rather than with Wham!, as had a previous single, "Careless Whisper
Careless Whisper
"Careless Whisper" is a 1984 single by George Michael , released by Epic Records in the UK, Japan, and other countries; and by Columbia Records in North America. The song was George Michael's first solo single although he was still performing in Wham! at the time...
", which was Michael's first solo single (it was billed as Wham! featuring George Michael in America), in 1984. Following the group's split, Michael performed "A Different Corner" by his lonesome. Michael also worked as a collaborator on other musicians' projects, including Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, singing background for Elton's 1986 hit, "Nikita
Nikita (song)
"Nikita" is a song by English singer Elton John about the Cold War from his 1985 album Ice on Fire. Released in late 1985, the song achieved success in many countries, becoming a top ten hit in almost all of them.-Song synopsis:...
". While recording his first solo album, Michael was asked by producer Narada Michael Walden
Narada Michael Walden
Narada Michael Walden is an American producer, drummer, singer, and songwriter. He was given the name Narada by guru Sri Chinmoy in the early 1970s and his musical career spans three decades, in which he was awarded several gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards...
to contribute duet vocals for Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
's single, "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me". The song was released as a single on Franklin's Aretha
Aretha (1986 album)
Aretha is an Aretha Franklin album, originally released in 1986. This is the third album with this title to be released by the artist. Other Franklin albums titled Aretha were also released in 1980 and 1961....
, and entered number-one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in early 1987 giving Michael confidence that he could have a career of his own without Wham!.
Recording
Michael spent the most part of 1987 writing and recording the songs for the Faith album. In addition to playing a large number of instruments on the album, he wrote and produced every track on the recording except for one, "Look at Your Hands", which he co-wrote with David Austin. Using the then-revolutionary SynclavierSynclavier
The Synclavier System was an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation, manufactured by New England Digital Corporation, Norwich, VT. The original design and development of the Synclavier prototype occurred at Dartmouth College with the collaboration of...
9600 Tapeless Studio, Faith was Michael's first digital recording
Digital recording
In digital recording, digital audio and digital video is directly recorded to a storage device as a stream of discrete numbers, representing the changes in air pressure for audio and chroma and luminance values for video through time, thus making an abstract template for the original sound or...
. A contemporary pop-R&B album, Faith showcases the vocals of Michael in a new-style mode. It features songs littered with introspective lyrics, generating controversies about Michael's personal relationships at that time. Most of the material was recorded at P.U.K. Studios in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Sarm West Studios in London.
Some of the material was more graphic than Michael's previous efforts with Wham! Such a song was "I Want Your Sex
I Want Your Sex
"I Want Your Sex" was a single which first charted in June 1987, appearing on George Michael's Faith album, and the soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop II....
", which had three parts, the first part was titled "Rhythm 1: Lust", which was the version that would eventually be released as a single and featured electro funk influences, the second part was titled "Rhythm 2: Brass in Love", which mixed a more instrumentally-based funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
live instrumentation with a smoother R&B arrangement during the verses. A third part, which was edited to be the final song on the album, was titled "Rhythm 3: A Last Request", with lyrics of Michael and his date and Michael drunkenly trying to convince his suitor to his bed. This mix featured a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-influenced, quiet-storm R&B sound. The title track
Faith (George Michael song)
"Faith" is a #1 song, written and performed by George Michael, released as a single on Columbia Records, from his 1987 Faith album. According to Billboard magazine, it was the top-selling single of the year in the United States in 1988....
began with an organic coda that was actually the music to Wham!'s "Freedom
Freedom (Wham! song)
"Freedom" is a song by British pop duo Wham! in 1984, becoming the group's second UK #1 hit. It was written by George Michael, one half of the duo.-History:...
", played as if in a cathedral. Afterwards, the song featured a rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
sound similar to Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
while Michael added his own style with his vocals. "Father Figure
Father Figure
"Father Figure" is the U.S. number-one song written and performed by George Michael and released on Columbia Records in 1988 as the third single from the album Faith.-History:...
" originally was a dance-styled production until Michael removed the snare drums from it and kept it that way because he loved what he heard, making the song a mid-tempo R&B ballad. "One More Try
One More Try (George Michael song)
"One More Try" is a U.S. number-one hit song written and performed by George Michael and released by Epic Records in 1988 as the fourth single from Faith.-History:...
" was a soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
song in tradition to the songs of Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
with lyrics of a man who pushes his lover away out of fear of repeating past relationships, only to accept the invitation in the end.
"Hard Day", much like the first two-halves of "I Want Your Sex" was inspired by funk, mainly from Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, in "I Want Your Sex" and in "Hard Day", Michael even applied a vocal emulator where his vocals were sped-up much like Prince's records at the time. The social-commentary song "Hand to Mouth" had a slight pop and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
approach while a similar social commentary song, "Look at Your Hands", co-written by Michael and David Austin, produced a pop song with rock elements with the piano and saxophone. "Monkey" returns to the funk influences of some of the other songs. A remix of the song by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
brings a New Jack Swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
approach from the original. "Kissing a Fool
Kissing a Fool
Kissing A Fool is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Doug Ellin. It primarily stars David Schwimmer, Jason Lee, and Mili Avital...
" is a jazz-influenced ballad with its lyrics solemnly describing a break-up.
Reaction and reception
The album peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, becoming Michael's first number-one solo album. Its early, and successive, success on the chart was said to be partly sustained—with help from plenty of press appearances and promotions—by its strong single releases. With "I Want Your Sex" propelling the album's debut atop the chart, "Faith", the second single off the album facilitated the album's continuing dominance as well. "Faith" was 1988's best-selling single in the United States; with "Careless WhisperCareless Whisper
"Careless Whisper" is a 1984 single by George Michael , released by Epic Records in the UK, Japan, and other countries; and by Columbia Records in North America. The song was George Michael's first solo single although he was still performing in Wham! at the time...
" being the best-selling single in 1985, it honoured George Michael for being the first act to achieve two U.S. year-end No.1 singles since 1968, when The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
had "Hey Jude" top the year-end singles chart after "I Want to Hold Your Hand
I Want to Hold Your Hand
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded in October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment....
" in 1964. Michael also surpassed many music artists and critics by having both the year's No.1 album and the No.1 single. That hadn't happened since 1970, when Simon & Garfunkel grabbed both positions with the Bridge over Troubled Water album
Bridge over Troubled Water
Bridge Over Troubled Water is the fifth and final studio album by Simon & Garfunkel. Released on January 26, 1970 on both Quadraphonic and Stereo formats, it reached No. 1 on Billboard Music Charts pop albums list...
and Single
Bridge over Troubled Water (song)
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" is the title song of Simon & Garfunkel's album of the same name. The single was released on January 26, 1970, though it also appears on the live album Live 1969, released in 2008. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970, and stayed at...
.
Between 1987 and 1988, Faith produced an amazing string of hit singles, including six Top 5 Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
hits, four of which ("Faith
Faith (George Michael song)
"Faith" is a #1 song, written and performed by George Michael, released as a single on Columbia Records, from his 1987 Faith album. According to Billboard magazine, it was the top-selling single of the year in the United States in 1988....
", "Father Figure", "One More Try
One More Try (George Michael song)
"One More Try" is a U.S. number-one hit song written and performed by George Michael and released by Epic Records in 1988 as the fourth single from Faith.-History:...
", and "Monkey
Monkey (song)
"Monkey" is a US number-one hit song by George Michael. It was released as a single in 1988 and reached #1 on the US Hot 100 and #13 on the UK Singles Chart. "Monkey" debuted at #42 on 9 July 1988, reaching #1 for two weeks, beginning 27 August 1988....
") reached #1, making him the only British male singer to have four No.1 singles from one LP on the Billboard Hot 100. The album also had impressive staying power, with 51 non-consecutive weeks inside the Billboard 200 Top 10, including 12 weeks at #1. It was also the first album by a white solo artist to hit No.1 on the US R&B charts. It also reached No.1 in the United Kingdom, where it stayed at the top spot for only one week. In all, it was the best-selling album of 1988 in the United States, and eventually reached Diamond
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
certification by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. According to Nielsen/SoundScan, current sales stand at 11 million copies, making it the 52nd best-selling album in the United States. Overseas, the album has sold around 25 million copies worldwide.
George Michael made an interview with Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine saying :I was much happier when Faith being No.1 black album than I was it became No.1 pop album.
The album earned George Michael numerous accolades. At the 31st Grammy Awards, he was nominated for the Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
and won. George Michael racked up three wins at the 1989 American Music Awards: Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album for Faith.
Legacy
In 1989, Faith was ranked No.84 on Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s and No.57 on their list of 100 greatest albums of the year. In 2003, the album was ranked number 480 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
. Faith was ranked 79th in a 2005 survey held by British television's Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time. In 2006, Q magazine placed the album at No.24 in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s". Reviewing the reissue of the album in Metro
Metro (Associated Metro Limited)
Metro is a free daily newspaper in the United Kingdom published by Associated Newspapers Ltd . It is available from Monday to Friday each week on many public transport services across the United Kingdom.-History:The paper was launched in London in 1999, and can now be found in 14 UK urban centres...
in 2011, Arwa Haider claimed: "Faith still bursts with self-belief, designer vanity, classic songs and imagery, right from the opening title track which begins with a funereal church organ rendition of Wham!'s hit, Freedom, before clicking into jaunty rock 'n' roll. It's easy to hear why Faith achieved multi-million status, although the masterful ballads (Father Figure, One More Try) have stood the test of time better than Michael's funk-pop."
With sales of more than seven million in 1988, Faith was named in the United States as the most shipped album of the year. Along with the success of the American singer Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's album Bad
Bad (album)
Bad is the seventh studio album by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 31, 1987 by Epic/CBS Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous studio album, Thriller, which went on to become the world's best-selling album...
, as well as breakthrough albums by many new and old artists, it was seen as a sign that US record sales were slowly recovering. By the end of 1988, the industry had sold millions of albums, an increase of approximately one percent, as recorded by Nielsen SoundScan. Compared with record sales in 1987, this showed two percent of increase.
2011 remastered release
A remastered edition of Faith was released on 31 January 2011 in UK and on 1 February 2011 in the US. It is available in several formats: Limited Edition Collectors Box Set:, Two-CD/DVD Special Edition, Two-CD Edition and iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
LP.
The release features: the remastered album, an additional CD of remastered 12" versions/B-sides; a DVD featuring a TV special from 1987, a hard-bound book that includes an exclusive interview with George Michael, sleeve notes, rare photos & memorabilia; a vinyl album replica of the original LP – and a memorabilia envelope that includes five art prints, reproduction poster, tickets & tour pass from the Faith tour sourced from George Michael's personal archive; All housed in a 12x12 numbered, black and gold-foiled slipcase. All housed in a black, gold-foiled slipcase with original artwork overlay.
Track listing
- In the liner notes, "I Want Your Sex" is listed as "I Want Your Sex (Monogamy Mix)", with the parts titled "Rhythm 1 Lust", and "Rhythm 2 Brass In Love", respectively.
2011 remaster release
2011 Remaster DVD
- George Michael & Jonathan RossJonathan RossJonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...
Have Words (1987) - Music Money Love Faith (February 1988)
- "I Want Your Sex – promo videoMusic videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
(re-synched with re-mastered audio) - "I Want Your Sex" (UncensoredCensorship on MTVCensorship on MTV has been the subject of debate for years. MTV, the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., has come under criticism for being too politically correct and sensitive, censoring too much of their programming...
) – promo video - "Faith" – promo video
- "Father Figure" – promo video
- "One More Try" – promo video
- "Monkey" – promo video
- "Kissing a Fool" – promo video
Charts
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
3 |
| Canadian RPM Top Albums RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
1 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
1 |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
5 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
3 |
| Japanese Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
16 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
3 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
3 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
4 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
4 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers The Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers is an Argentine organization member of the IFPI, which represents the music industry in the country. It is a nonprofit organization integrated by multinational and independent record labels.... |
Platinum |
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
5× Platinum |
| Canada Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... |
Diamond |
| France Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
2× Platinum |
| Germany | Gold |
| Netherlands NVPI The NVPI is the Dutch tradeassociation of the entertainment industry... |
Platinum |
| Spain | 2× Platinum |
| Switzerland | 2× Platinum |
| United Kingdom British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
4× Platinum |
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Diamond |
Singles
- "I Want Your SexI Want Your Sex"I Want Your Sex" was a single which first charted in June 1987, appearing on George Michael's Faith album, and the soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop II....
": 1 June 1987 (US #2) - "Hard DayHard Day"Hard Day" is a promotional single from George Michael's Faith album. It was released on 30 October 1987 in the United States."Hard Day" was written and originally produced by George Michael, and only released in America and Australia....
": 1987 (Released only in the U.S.) - "FaithFaith (George Michael song)"Faith" is a #1 song, written and performed by George Michael, released as a single on Columbia Records, from his 1987 Faith album. According to Billboard magazine, it was the top-selling single of the year in the United States in 1988....
": 1987 (US #1) - "Father Figure": 1987 (US #1)
- "One More TryOne More Try (George Michael song)"One More Try" is a U.S. number-one hit song written and performed by George Michael and released by Epic Records in 1988 as the fourth single from Faith.-History:...
": 1988 (US #1) - "MonkeyMonkey (song)"Monkey" is a US number-one hit song by George Michael. It was released as a single in 1988 and reached #1 on the US Hot 100 and #13 on the UK Singles Chart. "Monkey" debuted at #42 on 9 July 1988, reaching #1 for two weeks, beginning 27 August 1988....
": 1988 (US #1) - "Kissing a FoolKissing a Fool (song)"Kissing a Fool" is a song written and performed by George Michael and released by Columbia Records in 1988.A ballad with minimal instrumentation and a jazz feel, the song was written about George's insecurities as a soulmate and partner because of the baggage and reputation with which he came....
": 1988 (US #5)
Awards
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | American Music Awards American Music Awards -Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC... |
Favourite Album (Soul/R&B) |
| 1989 | Grammy Awards | Album of the Year |
| 1989 | Ivor Novello Awards Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place... |
International Hit of the Year "Faith Faith (George Michael song) "Faith" is a #1 song, written and performed by George Michael, released as a single on Columbia Records, from his 1987 Faith album. According to Billboard magazine, it was the top-selling single of the year in the United States in 1988.... " |
| 1988 | MTV Video Music Awards MTV Video Music Awards An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos... |
Best Direction of a Video "Father Figure" |
Personnel
- George Michael – vocals, keyboards, bass, drums, all instruments on "I Want Your Sex Pt 1" & "Hard Day", most instruments on "Monkey"
- Robert Ahwai – guitars
- J.J. Belle – guitars
- Hugh Burns – guitars
- Roddy Matthews – guitar on "Monkey"
- Chris Cameron – piano, cathedral organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, keyboards, backing vocals - Betsy Cook – keyboards
- Danny Schogger – keyboards
- Deon EstusDeon EstusDeon Estus is an American bassist and singer, best known as the bass player of Wham! and as George Michael's bassist on all of the latter's subsequent projects.-Biography:...
– bass - Ian Thomas – drums
- Andy Duncan – percussion
- Steve SidwellSteve Sidwell (musician)Steve Sidwell is a conductor, composer, and instrumentalist specialising in swing music. Renowned as an arranger and composer, Steve, has featured on numerous albums, television shows, advertising campaigns and films with his distinctive and innovative orchestrations and compositions.He is also a...
– horns - Jamie TalbotJamie TalbotJames Robert "Jamie" Talbot is an English jazz alto saxophonist.Talbot played with the London Schools Symphony Orchestra and then with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra while young.He attended the Royal College of Music in 1978-79, then recorded throughout the decades of the 1980s and 1990s with...
– horns - Rick Taylor – hornsHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
- Paul Spong – horns
- Malcolm Griffiths – horns
- Mark Chandler – horns
- Steve Waterman – horns
- Shirley Lewis – backing vocals
Production
- Arranged & Produced By George Michael
- Engineered By Chris Porter; assisted by Paul Gomersall & Paul Wright
- Re-mix & Additional Production By Shep PettiboneShep PettiboneRobert E. Pettibone, Jr. is a record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. His earliest work known to the public was for one of New York City's top disco/dance radio stations, WRKS 98.7 "Kiss" FM, and later as remixer/producer for the disco label Salsoul...
- Re-mix Engineer: Steve Peck
See also
- List of best-selling albums worldwide
- List of best-selling albums in the United States
- The Faith World Tour
- Hot 100 number-one hits of 1988 (United States)
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1988 (U.S.)