Patience (George Michael album)

Infobox Album | Name = Patience
Type = Album
Artist = George Michael

| Released = March 18, 2004
Recorded = 2002-2004
Genre = Pop rock
Dance-pop
Length = 71:16
Label = Epic Records/Sony Music
Producer = George Michael
Reviews =
*Allmusic rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jh1gtq8zzu4a link]
Last album = "Songs from the Last Century"
(1999)

This album = Patience
(2004)
Next album = "Twenty-five"
(2006) |

"Patience" is a 2004 commercially successful album by George Michael. It debuted at Number One on the UK Album Charts, and at Number 2 in Australia on March 22, 2004. The work become one of the fastest selling albums in the UK, selling over 200,000 copies in the first week alone. The record reached the Top 5 on most European charts, and peaked at Number 12 in the United States. It is considered as the album of George Michael's comeback to the spotlight in the New Millennium, receiving a great critical acclaim. It sold around 7 million copies worldwide, spanning 6 hit singles (the first two of which, "Freeek!" and "Shoot the Dog", were released as early as 2002 already, when the album was originally due, whereas the last, "John and Elvis Are Dead", was only sold through the Internet).

1998–2002

"Patience" was George Michael's first album composed of original material since 1996.

His single "Freeek!" was successful in Europe going to number one in Italy, Portugal, Spain and Denmark in 2002 and reaching top 10 in the UK and top 5 in Australia. It made 22 charts around the world. However, his next single "Shoot the Dog" proved to be highly controversial when released in July 2002. It was highly critical of George W. Bush and Tony Blair in the leadup to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The video showed a cartoon version of Michael astride a nuclear missile in the Middle East and Tony and Cherie Blair in bed with President Bush. The latter image was apparently intended as a homage to the 1986 video for "Land of Confusion" by Genesis. The cartoon was produced by the makers of 2DTV, a satirical animated television show broadcast weekly on ITV (independent television) in the UK. The song itself was a partial cover of The Human League's 1981 hit, Love Action, building on instrumental samples from the song and featuring the same rap interlude.

In an interview with MTV, George Michael said the song was primarily intended to highlight what he saw as a lack of consultation by Tony Blair about the decision. "People are looking at the song in context of an attack on America, as opposed to an attack on Tony Blair. And really, my attack is that Tony Blair is not involving the British in this issue. He's perfectly happy staying up to watch the World Cup and enjoying the Jubilee (of Queen Elizabeth II), all things I'm perfectly guilty of, but there's a serious discussion about Iraq, which hasn't taken place. We don't know what Saddam Hussein is capable of, the British public has no idea."

"Shoot the Dog" was not released as a single in the US over sensitivity to the September 11, 2001 attacks. While it reached the top 5 in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Denmark, it failed to reach the top ten in the UK and its chart performance was disappointing by George Michael's career standards.

He has also recorded a version of "The Grave" (written by Don McLean as a protest against the Vietnam war) to emphasise his opposition to the invasion of Iraq. It was released as part of the War Child charity album "Hope". Michael performed the song on long-running British chart show Top of the Pops on BBC Television on March 7th, 2003, introduced by the writer and stand-up comedian (and fan of George Michael) Ben Elton. It was Michael's first appearance on the show since 1986, when he performed The Edge of Heaven as one half of Wham!. He ran into conflict with the show's producers for an anti-war, anti Blair t-shirt worn by some members of his band. The album also makes great use of samples, for example; "Freeek!" samples of Aaliyah's song "Try Again" (see this link for proof; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx8stq3xMSk] ) "Breath & Stop" by Q-Tip and also "NT" by Kool and the Gang (as stated on the liner notes of "Patience"), "Shoot The Dog" samples the Human League song "Love Action (I Believe In Love)" (it also features the "Gotta get up!" line taken from George's 1996 hit; "Fastlove" but is not credited for the writing credit goes to George already), "Please Send Me Someone (Anselmo's Song)" samples "Moonraker" by John Barry and Hal David (see the liner notes for the "Flawless (Go to The City)" single CD #1 and Patience for proof) and "Flawless (Go to the City)" samples a dance track, originally recorded by The Ones, called "Flawless".

Return to Sony Music and final album

On November 17, 2003, George Michael re-signed with Sony Music after a legal battle with the company led to his contract being sold to rival record companies Virgin Records and DreamWorks on July 14, 1995. Michael claimed that his contract with Sony was stifling him and was keeping him in "professional slavery".

George Michael announced that "Patience" will be the last record on sale to the public. He told BBC Radio 1 on March 10, 2004 that future music that he puts out will be available for download with fans encouraged to make a donation to charity. He said: "I've been very well remunerated for my talents over the years so I really don't need the public's money. I'd like to have something on the Internet which is a charitable download site where anyone can download my music for free. I'll have my favourite charities up there and people will hopefully donate to that." He stated that the decision will put less pressure to produce a new album every so often and allow him to have more of a private life.

Chart success

The first single off "Patience" released in 2004, "Amazing", went to number 1 in Italy, Spain and Portugal and topped the world airplay chart for 20 March 2004. The song reached number 4 in the UK and number 6 in Australia and the song made 22 different charts.

"Patience" went on sale in most of the world in late March and debuted at number one in the UK and number two in Australia and has sold well in Europe. The album went on sale in the US on May 18 2004, however it did not contain "Patience Pt. 2" or George's scathing anti-Tony Blair song "Shoot The Dog". It debuted in the US at a rather disappointing 29 but after many TV specials such as on Oprah the following week it reached its chart peak of number 12.

The fourth single, "Flawless (Go To The City)" performed well in the charts reaching top 10 on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at #8. It became a huge dance hit, especially in the United States reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and became Michael's last number one single on the United States Hot Dance Club Play chart.

In November, Sony released a fifth single from "Patience" - "Round Here". Featuring the album version as the lead track and the album version of "Patience" as the b-side, the only real lure for fans was the video for "Round Here". The single stalled in the UK charts at #32.

Album Charts

Track listing

# "Patience"
# "Amazing"
# "John and Elvis Are Dead"
# "Cars and Trains"
# "Round Here"
# "Shoot the Dog" _{[non-US track]}
# "My Mother Had a Brother"
# "Flawless (Go To The City)"
# "American Angel"
# "Precious Box"
# "Please Send Me Someone (Anselmo's Song)"
# "Freeek! '04"
# "Through"
# "Patience Pt. 2" _{[non-US track]}
# "Please Send Me Someone (Alternate Version)" _{["Flawless (Go to the City)" single B-side and Japan only track]}

ingles

# "Freeek!" (18 March, 2002)
# "Shoot The Dog" (26 August, 2002)
# "Amazing" (1 March, 2004)
# "Flawless (Go To The City)" (28 June, 2004)
# "Round Here" (1 November, 2004)
# "John and Elvis Are Dead" (2005, online release)

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/artist_area/michaelgeorge/ BBC George Michael area]
* [http://top40-charts.com/song.php?sid=9508&sort=chartid&string=George/ Top 40 Charts George Michael page]

References

succession box
before = "Call Off the Search" by Katie Melua
title = UK number one album
years = March 27 2004 – April 2 2004
after = "Confessions" by Usher