Welcome to my music blog, sakura galactic mixes! In this blog I will be sharing my mashups and mixes from the past 20 plus years with little stories behind them.
This week I'm sharing a mix that I did back in 2017.
George Michael - Jesus to a Child (Shigeki Tribute Mix)
My introduction to George Michael was listening to Wham's Make It Big (1984) from my brother's stereo and hearing their songs on TV commercials. Unlike most of his fans, his first two solo albums went over my radar as I was listening to Japanese songs around then. (Of course, I went back to them and love them both.) I became a fan later when he released Too Funky (1992) from the iconic compilation album Red Hot + Dance (1992) and loved the music video, but we had to wait 4 years for his next full studio album. It was worth the wait.
Older (1996) was an extraordinary album showcasing his mature sound with bossa nova, jazz, trip-hop, disco and funk influences. The tone of the album was melancholy and often sad and dark, which reflected his age and life journey. The lyrics were personal and confessional. His vocals sounded effortless and confident. To me it was an album for healing and will always be one of my favorite albums of all time.
Jesus to a Child (1996) was the opening song of the album and a haunting ballad. George wrote the song in tribute to his late lover Anselmo. I felt the song's sentiment deeply after my late partner Jock passed away. For my tribute mix, I started with the bassline and laid down the electronic elements while staying true to the original. The strings sound is the sadness that lingers and wouldn't go away. I'm still very happy with the mix and it's the most streamed track on my soundcloud. It has not been taken down yet.
Today would have been George's 60th birthday. He was in my bucket list of artists I wanted to see in concerts and, even though that's never going to happen, I was lucky enough to catch him live once at Sydney Mardi Gras Party in 2010. He was the headliner and performed an extended version of Outside. It really felt like a sad end of an era when I heard the news of his untimely passing during Christmas of 2016. He left way too soon but his music and legacy live on in many of us forever. Thank you for listening. 🌸🚀❤️
My fav GM song: Fastlove
My fav GM album: Older
My fav GM remix: Amazing (Full Intention Mix)
My fav GM live performance: Star People (MTV Unplugged)
My fav GM duet: I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) with Aretha Franklin
My fav Wham song: Everything She Wants
My fav cover song by GM: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Listen on my soundcloud or on the listen page. (Scroll down to reworks.)
Posted on 25 June 2023