I Want Your Sex

"I Want Your Sex"
Single by George Michael
from the album Faith and Beverly Hills Cop II Soundtrack
B-side "I Want Your Sex"
(Rhythm 2: Brass In Love)
Released June 1, 1987 (1987-06-01)
Format 7", 12", CD
Recorded 1987
Genre Dance-pop, funk
Length 4:44 (Part 1)
4:38 (Part 2)
3:48 (Part 3)
13:10 (Monogamy Mix)
Label Epic - LUST 1
Writer(s) George Michael
Producer(s) George Michael
George Michael singles chronology
"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"
(1987)		 "I Want Your Sex"
(1987)		 "Hard Day"
(1987)
Alternative covers
Dutch 7-Inch single cover

"I Want Your Sex" is a song by English singer-songwriter George Michael. Released as a single in June 1987, it was the third hit from the soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop II and the first single from Michael's then-upcoming debut solo album Faith.

The song has three separate parts dubbed "Rhythms." The first one, titled "Rhythm One: Lust", is the version released as a single and banned by the BBC. It appears by itself on the Beverly Hills Cop II soundtrack, and mixed with the second version, titled "Rhythm Two: Brass in Love", on Faith. The second version also appears by itself as the B-side of the single. A third part, "Rhythm Three: A Last Request", appears as a b-side to the "Hard Day" 7" and "Kissing A Fool" 12" singles, and on the CD version of Faith as a bonus track. All three versions were mixed continuously as one 13 minute song for the 12" single release.

Although it is one of Michael's biggest hits, the song has since been largely ignored by him; he has not performed it since the Faith World Tour and it does not appear on the 2006 retrospective TwentyFive (although the Rhythm Two version appears on Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael).

Music video

The music video, directed by Andy Morahan,[1] featured Michael's then-girlfriend Kathy Jeung to emphasize that he was in a monogamous relationship; at one point, he is shown using lipstick to write the words "explore" and "monogamy" on her back. A Spanish model was also used for naked scenes in a way that allowed the audience to assume they were the same woman; these shots are interspersed with intentionally blurred footage of George Michael dancing and singing the song.

The video generated controversy over its sexual themes. In 2002, MTV2's countdown of MTV's Most Controversial Videos Ever to Air on MTV included the video for "I Want Your Sex" at #3. The originally video cut appears on the TwentyFive compilation 2-DVD set.

Chart performance

"I Want Your Sex" became George Michael's second post-Wham! hit single around the world after the song "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)", his duet with Aretha Franklin from earlier that same year.

Despite censorship and airplay issues, an edited version of the song's music video received ample airplay on North American music channels, fueling its popularity there. The single eventually reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, the week of August 8, 1987, behind "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2. Moreover, the single remained in the Top 10 for six weeks and the Top 40 for a total of 14 weeks, becoming one of the most popular dance-pop singles of the summer of 1987. It also climbed to #2 in Canada, where it ended up becoming the 13th most popular single of the year.[2]

The song reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart, where the song's reprise maintained an audience for many years thanks to BBC Radio 1 breakfast show host Simon Mayo using a looped version as backing music for his daily feature On This Day in History.

Charts and certifications

Charts

Chart (1987) Peak
position
Austrian Singles Chart[3] 2
Canadian RPM Top Singles[4] 2
Dutch Singles Chart[5] 1
French Singles Chart[3] 11
German Singles Chart[6] 3
Irish Singles Chart[7] 1
Italian Singles Chart[8] 2
New Zealand Singles Chart[3] 2
Norwegian Singles Chart[3] 3
Spanish Singles Chart[9] 4
Swedish Singles Chart[3] 8
Swiss Singles Chart[3] 4
UK Singles Chart[10] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 2
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs[12] 2
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[12] 43

Certifications

Country Certification
Canada Gold[13]
Netherlands Gold[14]
United States Platinum[15]

Track listing

7"
12" / CD
    • "Rhythm 1 Lust"
    • "Rhythm 2 Brass in Love"
    • "Rhythm 3 A Last Request"
CD - 654 601-3 (UK) [1989]
  1. "I Want Your Sex" (Parts 1 & 2) – 9:13
  2. "A Different Corner" – 3:59
  3. "Careless Whisper" (Extended mix) – 6:30\

Official versions

References

  1. ↑ Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - George Michael - "I want your sex"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  2. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles of 1987".
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 George Michael - I Want Your Sex (song). Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  4. ↑ Top Singles - Volume 46, No. 24, September 19 1987. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  5. ↑ Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  6. ↑ Single-Chartverfolgung. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  7. ↑ The Irish Charts. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  8. ↑ Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  9. ↑ Listas de Afyve. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  10. ↑ Top 75 Releases. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  11. ↑ Billboard singles. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  12. 1 2 I Want Your Sex - George Michael. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  13. ↑ Canadian Certifications. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  14. ↑ Goud/Platina Muziek. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  15. ↑ Gold & Platinum: Searchable Database. Retrieved May 6, 2011.

External links

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