George Michael in the Summer of 1987
In the summer of 1987, George Michael’s solo career went into full gear with controversy as the video for his song “I Want Your Sex” found its way into high rotation on MTV, and the song itself received enough sales and airplay (though in edited fashion on some radio stations) to make it a top ten hit around the world. In the United States, the song hit number two on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart exactly 25 years ago today.
The song, which appeared on the soundtrack to the film Beverly Hills Cop II, didn’t begin Michael’s career after Wham! He hit the top ten in 1986 with his first solo hit, “A Different Corner.” Meanwhile, he hit number one with the duet “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” with Aretha Franklin earlier in 1987, and outside the United States “Careless Whisper” was credited as just Michael in 1984, though within the U.S. it was marketed as Wham! featuring George Michael.
Still, “I Want Your Sex” helped set the table for the tremendous success that Michael’s career would witness beginning later that year with the release of his Faith album, which, among other things, featured the song in three different versions.
