| Faith | |||||
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| Studio album by George Michael | |||||
| Released | October 30, 1987 | ||||
| Recorded | 1987 | ||||
| Genre | Pop/R&B/Pop rock | ||||
| Length | 53:16 | ||||
| Label | Columbia Records | ||||
| Producer | George Michael | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| George Michael chronology | |||||
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Faith is George Michael's first solo album, released in October 1987. After the split of Wham!, Michael spent the most part of 1987 writing and recording the songs for his breakthrough project. In addition to playing a large number of instruments on the album, he wrote and produced every track on the recording, except for one, which he co-wrote. The album won several awards including the Grammy Award album of the year.
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Massive Success
The album became a massive success. 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 #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. The album had also an 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 number 1 on the US R&B charts. It also reached #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. In 1989, Faith was ranked #84 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s. 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.
Track listing
- "Faith" – 3:16
- "Father Figure" – 5:36
- "I Want Your Sex (Parts I & II)"† – 9:17
- "One More Try" – 5:50
- "Hard Day" – 4:48
- "Hand to Mouth" – 4:36
- "Look At Your Hands" – 4:37
- "Monkey" – 5:06
- "Kissing A Fool" – 4:35
- "Hard Day (Shep Pettibone Remix)" – 6:29 (Bonus Track on CD Format)
- "A Last Request (I Want Your Sex III)" – 3:48
† 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.
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | UK | 1 |
| 1987 | Billboard 200 | 1 |
| 1987 | Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 1 |
Certifications & Sales
| Country | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Gold | 30,000+ |
| Australia | 5x Platinum | 350,000+ |
| Austria | Gold | 15,000+ |
| Canada | Diamond | 1,000,000+ |
| Finland | Gold | 20,000+ |
| Germany | Platinum | 500,000+ |
| Oman | 3x platinum | 75,000+ |
| Netherlands | Platinum | 80,000+ |
| New Zealand | 5x Platinum | 75,000+ |
| Norway | Gold | 20,000+ |
| Sweden | Gold | 30,000+ |
| Switzerland | Gold | 25,000+ |
| United Kingdom | 5x Platinum | 1,500,000+ |
| United States | Diamond | 10,000,000+ |
Singles
- I Want Your Sex (June 1987) UWC #1 (1 week) (platinum), US #2, UK #3
- Faith (October 1987) US #1 (4 weeks) (Gold) , UK #2
- Father Figure (January 1 1988) US #1 (2 weeks), UK #11
- One More Try (April 1988) US #1 (3 weeks) (Gold), US R&B #1 (1 week) ,UK #8
- Monkey (July 1988) US #1 (2 weeks), US DANCE #1 (2 weeks), UK #13
- Kissing a Fool (September 1988) US #5, US(AC) #1(1 week), UK #18
Awards
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | American Music Awards | Favourite Album (Soul/R&B) |
| 1989 | Grammy Awards | Album of the Year |
| 1989 | Ivor Novello Awards | International Hit of the Year "Faith" |
| 1988 | MTV Video Music Awards | Best Direction of a Video "Father Figure" |
Personnel
- George Michael - vocals, various instruments,guitar, keyboards
- Steve Sidwell
- Jamie Talbot
- Ian Thomas - drums
- Andy Duncan - percussion
- Shirley Lewis - background vocals
- Chris Cameron - organ, piano, keyboards
- Robert Ahwai - guitar
- Deon Estus - bass
- J.J. Belle
- Rick Taylor - horns
- Hugh Burns
- Paul Spong
- Malcolm Griffiths
- Betsy Cook
- Mark Chandler
- Danny Schogger - keyboards
- Steve Waterman
References
See also
- Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1988
- Grammy Award for Album of the Year
- List of Diamonds Albums
- Year-End Top album
External links
| Preceded by Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi |
Billboard 200 Year-End Top album 1988 |
Succeeded by Don't Be Cruel by Bobby Brown |
Albums
Studio: Faith • Listen without Prejudice, Vol. 1 • Older • Songs from the Last Century • Patience Compilation: Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael • Twenty Five EPs: Five Live EP
Singles
Solo: "Careless Whisper" • "A Different Corner" • "I Want Your Sex" • "Hard Day" • "Faith" • "Father Figure" • "One More Try" • "Monkey" • "Kissing a Fool" • "Praying for Time" • "Waiting for That Day" • "Mother's Pride" • "Freedom! '90" • "Heal the Pain" • "Cowboys and Angels" • "Too Funky" • "Jesus to a Child" • "Killer" / "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" • "Fastlove" • "Spinning the Wheel" • "Older / I Can't Make You Love Me" • "Star People '97" • "You Have Been Loved / The Strangest Thing '97" • "Outside" • "Freeek!" • "Shoot the Dog" • "Amazing" • "Flawless (Go to the City)" • "Round Here" • "John and Elvis Are Dead" • "An Easier Affair" Duets: "I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me)" • "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" • "As" • "If I Told You That" • "This Is Not Real Love"
Tours
The Faith World Tour • 25 Live
Related articles
Discography • George Michael awards and nominations • Wham! • Eli Stone • Anselmo Feleppa
