In 1985, it took eighteen months of talking to get two British pop stars into China. The country had been closed off from Western music for a very long time. George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley arrived as ambassadors of youth to a place that had never seen anything like them. This historic journey is depicted in their famous music video for ‘Freedom’.
The video feels like a diary of a strange new world. You see the band members walking on the Great Wall in their bright clothes and big hair. This looks very different from the simple clothes the local people wore back then. George Michael said they felt out of place because they were just musicians and not politicians trying to change the world.
Wham! – Freedom (Official Video)
Fans who watch this today feel like they are seeing a time machine. One viewer said that the video shows a beautiful moment before everything in the world changed so much. Another person mentioned that the look on the Chinese audience’s faces was priceless, as they were so surprised. It was a meeting of two different worlds through a catchy beat.
While the first video shows the fun of travel, the next part of the trip was much quieter. Performing in Beijing was a huge challenge for the duo because the rules were very strict. The energy changed from a fast travel movie to a very serious moment on stage. This is where George Michael had to sing a sad song to a silent room.
Wham! – Careless Whisper (Live in China, 1985) *4K
In this performance of Careless Whisper the crowd was told to stay in their seats and not make noise. George Michael wore a white suit and sang his heart out to fifteen thousand people who sat like statues. To help them understand the song, the band gave everyone a cassette tape with Chinese lyrics. It was the hardest show he ever did.
George Michael was a brave artist who always tried to connect with people through his voice. Follow George Michael on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to see more of his amazing life.