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Outside (George Michael song)

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"Outside"
Song
B-side"Fantasy '98"

"Outside" is a song by George Michael, released on Epic Records in 1998. It was released on 19 October 1998 as the lead single from his 1998 greatest hits album Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael.

History

The song was seen as a fine self-deprecating public relations exercise by Michael, as it was the first single since he was arrested for engaging in a lewd act six months earlier by an undercover police officer in the public lavatory of the Will Rogers Memorial Park in Beverly Hills, California - an incident which prompted him to declare his homosexuality, which had been rumoured for some years but never confirmed.[1]

Michael took a swipe at the incident in the lyrics, claiming he wanted an alfresco sex life because he was bored with lovemaking behind closed doors. Reference to the Beverly Hills affair came with the line "I'd service the community, but I already have, you see" (he was sentenced to 80 hours of community service for the offense) and direct samples of radio reports of his arrest.

The song was recorded at Sarm West in London with a string section and arrangement by Andrew Skeet.

Music video

The video, directed by Vaughan Arnell and filmed on 4 June 1998, was especially satirical. It features a police helicopter hovering over Los Angeles and shadowing a variety of people, gay and straight, kissing, having sex or engaging in foreplay, all in public. The scenes of public coupling are styled like real surveillance footage and interspersed with scenes of Michael and his dancers performing in a men's toilet. Michael is dressed as an LAPD police officer and clutching a nightstick, while the toilet is decorated like a disco nightclub, complete with flashing lights and disco balls. Two female dancers dressed in police uniforms are also seen dancing with Michael.

At the climax of the video, two male officers arrest numerous couples previously shown engaging in lewd conduct. At the end of the video, however, the two officers--thinking that they aren't being watched--share a passionate embrace and start kissing; the surveillance video then focuses in on their public indecency.

The beginning of the video, before the song begins, is a parody of 1970s European pornography films, with on-screen test reading: "eine fulm bi Hüu Jarss", "mit Klaus Hoöd", "ünde Heidi Kóchenblauer", "ars 'Cindy'", "direktum bi Marchelo Üffenvanken", which is an introduction to the 'movie' consisting mainly of made-up names and words, most likely meant to resemble Swedish or German, but with deliberate misspellings (i.e. "Hüu Jarss": Huge Arse etc.). "Cindy" is played by SI swimsuit model Melissa Keller.

There is also the following narration, in Swedish: "Vem var hon? Vart kom hon ifrån? Hade hon ätit? Då plötsligt kom jag ihåg, det var ingen dröm: jag var... i Hollywood!", which roughly translates to "Who was she? Where did she come from? Had she eaten? Then suddenly I recalled, it was no dream: I was... in Hollywood!"

In the video, apart from the aforementioned model Melissa Keller, porn stars Rebecca Lord[2] and Brittany Andrews make their appearances, including actress Jeanne Carmen (as the Blonde Dominatrix).

In 1998, Marcelo Rodriguez, the undercover officer who arrested Michael, brought a $10 million court case in California against the singer who has amassed an estimated personal fortune of £70 million ($140 million). The court dismissed the case, but an appeals court reinstated the case on 3 December 2002.[3] The court then ruled Rodriguez, as a public official, could not legally recover damages for emotional distress.[4]

Track listing

  1. "Outside"
  2. "Fantasy '98"
  3. "Outside" (Jon Douglas Remix)

Chart performance

"Outside" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart; one of many songs to be held off by a seven-week run at the top by Cher with "Believe". It was not featured on a studio album, but was included on his solo hits collection Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael - the title of which was also a sly dig at his activity in the lavatory.

Charts and certifications

References

  1. ^ Entertainment: George Michael faces $10m lawsuit, BBC News, September 14, 1999
  2. ^ "Rebecca Lord - Adult Film Star" interview by JesseCapps, RockConfidential.com, May 19, 2007.
  3. ^ http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/6BEA0A1BA36F0D2A88256C84000643EA/$file/0056923.pdf?openelement
  4. ^ "George Bust 'Bad Karma' Says U.S. Cop", Sunday Star, 5 March 2006
  5. ^ "George Michael – Outside". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  6. ^ "George Michael – Outside" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  7. ^ "George Michael – Outside" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  8. ^ "George Michael – Outside" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  9. ^ "George Michael – Outside" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  10. ^ "George Michael: Outside" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  11. ^ "George Michael – Outside" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  12. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Outside". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  13. ^ "George Michael – Outside". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  14. ^ "George Michael – Outside". VG-lista. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  15. ^ Listas de Afyve. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  16. ^ "George Michael – Outside". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  17. ^ "George Michael – Outside". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  19. ^ "George Michael Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  20. ^ ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 1999 Singles. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  21. ^ Certified awards search. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
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