The moment George Michael realised the hits weren’t really his
The moment George Michael realised the hits weren’t really his
The moment George Michael realised the hits weren’t really his
Gary Oberholzer
The moment George Michael realised the hits weren’t really his
Few artists on Classic Countdown embody both pop brilliance and creative defiance quite like George Michael. But behind the flawless hits and chart dominance of the 1980s was a growing frustration that would ultimately change the course of his career.
In audio sourced from Classic Countdown, George Michael speaks candidly about the moment he realised just how little control he had over his own music. At the height of his success, selling millions of records globally, he was still tied to a contract signed early in his career — one that paid him significantly less per record than most artists of his stature.
As he explains, this imbalance was easy to tolerate while everything was going well. Like many creatives, Michael admits he wasn’t particularly financially minded, and as long as the music was thriving, the fine print felt distant. But that changed when his label, Sony Music, began withholding support for new releases because they didn’t agree with the artistic direction he wanted to pursue.
That was the turning point.
Suddenly, the issue wasn’t money — it was autonomy.
Listen to what George Michael had to say – as featured on the Classic Countdown – below…
Michael realised his contract didn’t just limit his earnings, it stripped him of control over his creative output. The artist who had helped define the sound of the decade had little say over how — or if — his music reached the public.
This realisation led to one of the most famous legal battles in music history, as George Michael challenged Sony in the early 1990s, arguing that his contract was unfair and restrictive. Although he ultimately lost the case, the fight cemented his legacy as an artist willing to stand up for creative freedom — not just for himself, but for those who would follow.
When his songs feature on Classic Countdown, they carry more than nostalgia. They tell the story of an artist who refused to let success silence his voice.
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