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Faith (George Michael album)

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Faith
Studio album by
George Michael
Released2 November 1987
RecordedAugust 1986 – September 1987
Studio
Genre
Length
  • 58:04 (CD version)
  • 49:37 (LP version)
Label
ProducerGeorge Michael
George Michael chronology
Faith
(1987) 		Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1
(1990)
Singles from Faith
  1. "I Want Your Sex"
    Released: 1 June 1987
  2. "Faith"
    Released: 12 October 1987
  3. "Hard Day"
    Released: 30 October 1987 (US)
  4. "Father Figure"
    Released: 28 December 1987
  5. "One More Try"
    Released: 11 April 1988
  6. "Monkey"
    Released: 4 July 1988
  7. "Kissing a Fool"
    Released: 21 November 1988

Faith is the debut solo studio album by the English singer George Michael, released on 2 November 1987 by Columbia Records and Epic Records.[3] In addition to playing various instruments on the album, Michael wrote and produced every track on the recording except for one, "Look at Your Hands", which he co-wrote with David Austin. A pop album with influences of R&B, funk and soul music, Faith's songs include introspective lyrics, which generated controversies about Michael's personal relationships at that time.[4]

Faith peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart and US Billboard 200. It stayed for 51 non-consecutive weeks inside the Billboard 200 top 10, including 12 weeks at number one. It was also the first album by a white solo artist to hit number one on the Billboard Top Black Albums chart. Faith spawned four number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100: "Faith", "Father Figure", "One More Try", and "Monkey", making Michael the only British male solo artist to have four number one hits from one album on the Billboard Hot 100. Michael embarked on the Faith Tour to promote Faith in February 1988, opening at Tokyo's Budokan arena, before going on to dates in Australia, Europe and North America.[5]

Faith is one of the best-selling albums of all time, having sold over 25 million copies worldwide, and was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1996.[6] The album won several awards, including Album of the Year at the 31st Grammy Awards. Michael won three awards at the 1989 American Music Awards: Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album. He was also honoured with the MTV Video Vanguard Award. Often ranked as one of the best albums of the 1980s, Faith was ranked number 151 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2020.

Background

[edit]

By 1986, Michael had spent five years as the lead singer of the popular duo Wham! and had grown tired of accusations that the group, which featured his best friend Andrew Ridgeley, was nothing more than a teenybopper group despite the serious subject matter that was included on albums such as Fantastic and Make It Big. After the success of Make It Big, Michael had grown weary of continuing the group, and expressed to Ridgeley the desire that they should split up. A decision was made that the group would dissolve following the end of a tenure at Wembley Stadium for what was titled the Final. Following the split, Michael began to work on songs that would eventually make his first solo album, which would be titled Faith.[7] Michael was inspired by his contemporaries Michael Jackson and Prince: "I absolutely wanted to be in the same stratosphere as [Jackson and Prince], definitely. I'd gone from, a couple of years before, being perfectly happy with being on Top of the Pops, to thinking, 'I can do what Michael Jackson can do.' I mean, he'd just done Thriller for fucks sake! I wouldn't have the guts now. I wanted to be in that vein but, mostly, I wanted to make music as good as theirs."[8]

Recording

[edit]

The album took over a year to make.[9] The first songs to be put together for the album were "I Want Your Sex (Part 1)" and "Look at Your Hands" (working title "Betcha Don't Like It"), recorded in August and September 1986 respectively, at Sarm West Studios in London.[1][10] However, it wasn't until February 1987—after six months of little activity—that recording had properly started,[11] this time at the Puk Studios facility, located near Aarhus, Denmark. The lack of press activity there proved it to be a comfortable environment for Michael to work in without harassment. Songs were usually written by Michael bit by bit in the studio, often with the aid of technology such as drum machines to help create basic rhythms; he would then develop ideas further from there. Rather than using a live rhythm section (as was the case on Wham!'s Make It Big), each instrument was overdubbed in the main studio. Michael would use session musicians to help realise his musical ideas, otherwise he'd try playing a lot (if not, all) of the parts himself, as was the case on "I Want Your Sex (Part 1)", "Hard Day" and "Monkey". The recording sessions at Puk, however, ended in late May shortly after the recording of the title track, "Faith", owing to Michael beginning to suffer from a bout of cabin fever, according to engineer Chris Porter.[1] Sessions later resumed at Sarm West, where the latter stages of production would take place.

In addition to playing various instruments on the album, he wrote and produced every track on the recording except for one, "Look at Your Hands", which he co-wrote with David Austin. A contemporary "black" pop-R&B album, Faith showcases Michael's vocals in a new style mode. Its songs are littered with introspective lyrics, which generated controversies about Michael's personal relationships at that time. The album comprises many musical styles including soul ("Father Figure", "One More Try"), rock ("Look at Your Hands", "Faith", "Hand to Mouth"), funk ("Monkey", "Hard Day") and jazz ("Kissing a Fool").

Some of the material was more graphic than Michael's previous efforts with Wham! One such song was "I Want Your Sex", which had three parts: the first part was titled "Rhythm 1: Lust", which was the version that would eventually be released as a single and featured electro funk influences; the second part was titled "Rhythm 2: Brass in Love", which mixed a more instrumentally-based funk live instrumentation with a smoother R&B arrangement during the verses; the third part, which was edited to be the final song on the album, was titled "Rhythm 3: A Last Request", featuring a jazz-influenced quiet storm and R&B sound combined with lyrics telling of Michael drunkenly trying to bring his lover to his bed.

Michael's liner notes in the booklet:

"These songs are the result of the last two years of my life. They are dedicated to my family and friends, whose loyalty and time are more important to me than ever before.

Love as always,

George"[12]

The title track began with an organ fanfare that was actually the music to Wham!'s "Freedom" played as if in a cathedral. After this, the song featured a rockabilly sound similar to Bo Diddley while Michael added his own style with his vocals.[13] "Father Figure" originally was a dance-styled production until Michael removed the snare drums from it and kept it that way because he loved what he heard, making the song a mid-tempo R&B ballad. "One More Try" was a soul song in the tradition of songs by Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder; its lyrics tell of a man who pushes his lover away out of fear of repeating past relationships, only to accept the invitation in the end.

"Hard Day", much like the first two parts of "I Want Your Sex", was inspired by funk. The social commentary song "Hand to Mouth" had a slight pop and folk approach while a similar social commentary song, "Look at Your Hands", co-written by Michael and David Austin, produced a pop song with rock elements featuring a piano and saxophone. "Monkey" returns to the funk influences of some of the other songs. A remix of the song by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis brings a new jack swing approach to the original. "Kissing a Fool" is a jazz-influenced ballad with lyrics solemnly describing a breakup.

The synthesizers used by Michael on the album include the Yamaha DX7, Roland S-50, Roland D-50 and Roland Juno-106 (used for most synthesized bass parts and strings). Drum machines were a LinnDrum (Michael's main drum machine on the album—not the Linn 9000), Roland TR-808 and a Yamaha RX-5, while drum parts were played on a Pearl drum kit ("Look at Your Hands") and Roland Octapad. Engineer Chris Porter's Greengate DS3 sampler was sometimes used in conjunction the Linn for certain drum sounds, although the Linn's sounds were what Michael preferred. Non-synthesized parts were played by Michael on a Fender Precision Bass.[14][15]

Release

[edit]
Michael during a Faith Tour concert in 1988. The album propelled him to solo stardom and one of the most successful English acts of the 1980s.

10 weeks after its release, Faith reached number one on the US Billboard 200.[16] Its early, and successive, success on the chart was said to be partly sustained—with help from plenty of press appearances and promotions—by its strong single releases. After "I Want Your Sex" helped propel Faith to its debut atop the chart, the second single "Faith" aided the album's continuing sales dominance. It also reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, although it stayed at the top spot for only one week. Faith stayed for 51 non-consecutive weeks inside the Billboard 200 top 10, including 12 weeks at number one.[17] It was also the first album by a white solo artist to hit number one on the Billboard Top Black Albums chart.[16]

In a 1988 interview with Jet magazine, Michael was quoted as saying: "I was much happier with [Faith] being the No. 1 Black [chart] album than I was when it became the No. 1 Pop album. There was much more of a sense of achievement. I knew this album would be a shock or a surprise to people in this country. The uptempo side of the new music is more overtly sexual, more black."[4]

During 1987 and 1988, Faith produced a string of hit singles for Michael, including six top-five Billboard Hot 100 hits, four of which ("Faith", "Father Figure", "One More Try", and "Monkey") reached number one, making him the only British male solo artist to have four number one hits from one album on the Billboard Hot 100. "Faith" was 1988's best-selling single in the United States; with "Careless Whisper" having been the best-selling single in 1985, Michael became the first musician to achieve two Billboard Year-End number one singles chart since the Beatles' "Hey Jude" topped the Year-End singles chart in 1968 after "I Want to Hold Your Hand" had done so in 1964. Michael also had both the year's number one album and the number one single, which hadn't happened since 1970, when Simon & Garfunkel grabbed both positions with Bridge over Troubled Water and its title track.

A video compilation of the same name was released by CMV Enterprises on August 9, 1988, to promote the album.[18] The singer's first solo video compilation, it contained six music videos from the album—"I Want Your Sex", "Faith", "Father Figure", "One More Try", "Monkey", and "Kissing a Fool". These videos were later released on the 1999 video compilation Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael.[18]

The Faith Tour

[edit]
Main article: The Faith Tour

Michael embarked on a world tour to promote the album in February 1988, opening at Tokyo's Budokan arena, before going on to dates in Australia, Europe and North America. In Los Angeles, Michael was joined on stage by Aretha Franklin for a duet on "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)". While on tour, new singles from the album continued to be released. In June, Michael interrupted the tour to sing three songs at Wembley Stadium's Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute.[19]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[20]
The Boston Phoenix[21]
Los Angeles Times[22]
New Musical Express8/10[23]
Pitchfork8.7/10[13]
Record Collector[24]
Rolling Stone[25]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[26]
The Village VoiceB+[27]

Faith was met with widespread acclaim from music critics. Mark Coleman of Rolling Stone praised Michael for emerging as "one of pop music’s leading artisans, a painstaking craftsman who combines a graceful knack for vocal hooks with an uncanny ability to ransack the past for musical ideas and still sound fresh" and dubbed Michael the "Elton John of the 1980s". Coleman also claimed that Faith is "a concept album of sorts" incorporating "disco groove [varying] from urban thump to slow tropical heat wave", praising it for being "grounded in a passion and personal commitment".[25]

Faith earned Michael numerous accolades, including Album of the Year at the 31st Grammy Awards. Michael was awarded three awards at the 1989 American Music Awards: Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album for Faith. He was also honoured with the MTV Video Vanguard Award. Faith was the best-selling album of 1988 in the United States, and eventually reached Diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America. According to Nielsen SoundScan, current sales of the album stand at 11 million copies, making it the 52nd bestselling album in the United States. Faith has sold around over 20 million copies worldwide.[6]

Reappraisal

[edit]

In a Billboard review, Faith was considered to have "cemented [Michael] as an MTV icon and a global superstar" and shaping the sound of "late-'80s pop as much as any LP of its time."[28] Writing for BBC Music, Ian Wade praised Faith for being a "classic of its era" and "one of the more listenable major releases of the 80s." He also regarded the album being responsible for turning Michael into a "proper international superstar, confirming his rightful place at pop's top table."[29]

Reviewing the reissue of Faith for the Metro in 2011, Arwa Haider claimed: "Faith still bursts with self-belief, designer vanity, classic songs and imagery, right from the opening title track which begins with a funeral church organ rendition of Wham!'s hit, "Freedom", before clicking into jaunty rock 'n' roll. It's easy to hear why Faith achieved multi-million status, although the masterful ballads ("Father Figure", "One More Try") have stood the test of time better than Michael's funk-pop."[30] Following the 30th anniversary of the release of the single "Faith", Nate Hertweck wrote in a Grammy Awards review that the song "change[d] everything".[31]

In 1989, Faith was ranked at number 84 on Rolling Stone's list of the Greatest Albums of the 80s.[32] In 2003, the album was ranked at number 480 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, while in 2012, the album ranked eight places higher at number 472 on an updated list by the magazine.[33] In a 2020 revised list, it moved up to 151.[34] Faith was ranked 79th in a 2005 survey held by British television's Channel 4 to determine the 100 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2006, Q magazine placed the album at number 24 in its list of 40 Best Albums of the '80s.[35] Slant Magazine listed the album at number 62 on its list of Best Albums of the 1980s.[36]

2011 remastered release

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic90/100[37]
Review scores
SourceRating
BBC Music10/10[38]
Entertainment WeeklyA[39]
Filter85%[40]
Islington Gazette[41]
Q[42]
Rolling Stone[43]
Slant Magazine[44]

The 2011 re-release received universal acclaim from music critics according to Metacritic. A remastered edition of Faith was released on 31 January 2011 in the UK and on 1 February 2011 in the US. It is available in several formats: Limited Edition Collectors Box Set, Two-CD and DVD Special Edition, Two-CD Edition and iTunes LP. The box set release features: the remastered album on CD, an additional CD of remastered 12" versions and B-sides; a DVD featuring a TV special from 1987, a hardbound book that includes an exclusive interview with George Michael, sleeve notes, rare photos and memorabilia; a vinyl album replica of the original LP; and a memorabilia envelope that includes five art prints, reproduction poster, tickets and tour pass from the Faith tour sourced from Michael's personal archive. All this is housed in a 12 x 12 numbered, black and gold-foiled slipcase with original artwork overlay. The first 2,000 copies were also provided with a hand-numbered lithograph attached (taped) outside the box set.

Accolades

[edit]

Billboard Year-End Number One Awards

[edit]
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1988 Faith Top Pop Albums Won

Grammy Awards

[edit]
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1989 Faith
(performed and produced by George Michael)		 Album of the Year[45] Won
"Father Figure"
(performed by George Michael)		 Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male[46] Nominated

American Music Awards

[edit]
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1989
[47]		 Faith Favorite Soul/R&B Album Won
Favorite Pop/Rock Album Nominated
George Michael Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist Won
Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist Won

MTV Video Music Awards

[edit]
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1988
[48]		 "Father Figure"
(Directors: Andy Morahan and George Michael)		 Best Direction in a Video Won
"Father Figure"
(Director of Photography: Peter Mackay)		 Best Cinematography in a Video Nominated
"Faith"
(Art Director: Bryan Jones)		 Best Art Direction in a Video Nominated
1989
[49]		 George Michael Video Vanguard Award Won

Brit Awards

[edit]
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1988
[50]		 Faith Best British Album Nominated
George Michael Best British Male Artist Won

Ivor Novello Awards

[edit]
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1989 Faith International Hit of the Year Won

Japan Gold Disc Awards

[edit]
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1988 Faith The Best International Pop Solo Album of the Year[51] Won

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written and produced by George Michael; "Look at Your Hands" co-written with David Austin.

Standard edition
Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Faith"3:16
2."Father Figure"5:36
3."I Want Your Sex" (Parts 1 & 2)9:17
4."One More Try"5:50
Side two
No.TitleLength
5."Hard Day"4:48
6."Hand to Mouth"4:36
7."Look at Your Hands"4:37
8."Monkey"5:06
9."Kissing a Fool"4:35
CD and cassette bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
10."Hard Day" (Shep Pettibone remix)6:29
11."A Last Request (I Want Your Sex Part 3)"3:48

Note:

  • In the liner notes, "I Want Your Sex" is listed as "I Want Your Sex (Monogamy Mix)", with the parts titled "Rhythm One: Lust" and "Rhythm Two: Brass in Love", respectively. However, on the album, the start of "Rhythm One" is slightly different from how the corresponding section starts on the actual "Monogamy Mix" as featured on the previous single release: on the album, the song starts with a synthesized bass and electronic effects, while the drums and programmed percussion come in some seconds later; on the single, the song starts only with drums and percussion.

VHS video compilation[18]

  1. "I Want Your Sex" (uncensored version) – music video
  2. "Faith" – music video
  3. "Father Figure" – music video
  4. "One More Try" – music video
  5. "Monkey" – music video
  6. "Kissing a Fool" – music video

2011 remaster

[edit]

Disc one

The first disc features the remastered version of the original album.[52]

  2. "A Last Request (I Want Your Sex Part 3)" – 3:48

Disc two

  1. "Faith" (instrumental) – 3:16
  2. "Fantasy" – 5:02
  3. "Hard Day" (Shep Pettibone mix) – 9:04
  4. "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" (Stevie Wonder, Yvonne Wright) (live) – 7:03
  5. "Kissing a Fool" (instrumental) – 4:35
  6. "Love's in Need of Love Today" (live at Wembley Arena, 1 Apr '87) (Wonder) – 4:43
  7. "Monkey" (7" edit version) – 4:48
  8. "Monkey" (a capella & beats) – 7:27
  9. "Monkey" (Jam & Lewis remix) – 8:10

Note:

  • "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" is a live track although it is not mentioned anywhere on the CD.

2011 remaster DVD

  1. George Michael and Jonathan Ross Have Words (1987)
  2. Music Money Love Faith (February 1988)
  3. "I Want Your Sex" – music video (re-synched with re-mastered audio)
  4. "I Want Your Sex" (uncensored version) – music video
  5. "Faith" – music video
  6. "Father Figure" – music video
  7. "One More Try" – music video
  8. "Monkey" – music video
  9. "Kissing a Fool" – music video

Personnel

[edit]
  • George Michael – vocals, keyboards (2, 3, 5, 6, 8), bass guitar (6), keyboard bass (9), drums (7), programming, percussion, arranger, producer
  • Robert Ahwai – guitar
  • J.J. Belle – guitar
  • Hugh Burns – guitar
  • Roddy Matthews – guitar on "Monkey"
  • Chris Cameron – piano, keyboards, organ, backing vocals
  • Betsy Cook – keyboards
  • Danny Schogger – keyboards
  • Deon Estus – bass guitar
  • Ian Thomas – drums
  • Andy Duncan – percussion
  • Rick Taylor – trombone
  • Steve Sidwell – trumpet
  • Malcolm Griffiths – trombone
  • Jamie Talbot – saxophone
  • Paul Spong – trumpet
  • John Altman – saxophone
  • Mark Chandler – trumpet
  • Steve Waterman – trumpet
  • Shirley Lewis – backing vocals
Technical
  • Chris Porter – engineer
  • Paul Gomersall – assistant engineer
  • Paul Wright – assistant engineer
  • Shep Pettibone – remix, additional production
  • Steve Peck – remix engineer

Charts

[edit]

Certifications and sales

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[93] Platinum 60,000^
Australia (ARIA)[94] 5× Platinum 350,000^
Brazil
as of January 1991 		— 280,000[95]
Canada (Music Canada)[96] Diamond 1,000,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[97]
video 		Platinum 10,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[98] Platinum 20,000‡
France (SNEP)[99] 2× Platinum 600,000*
Germany (BVMI)[100] Gold 250,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[101] Gold 10,000*
Italy — 200,000[102]
Japan — 204,000[64]
Netherlands (NVPI)[103] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[104] Platinum 15,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[105] Gold 50,000[105]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[67] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Sweden (GLF)[106] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[107] 2× Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[109] 4× Platinum 1,300,000[108]
United States (RIAA)[110] Diamond 10,000,000^
United States (RIAA)[111]
video 		Platinum 100,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 25,000,000[112]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Buskin, Richard (March 2013). "Classic Tracks: George Michael 'Faith'". Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  2. ^ "You Have Been Loved: Remembering George Michael, the Icon". Albumism.
  3. ^ "BPI".
  4. ^ a b Jet – Google Books. Johnson Publishing Company. 26 September 1988. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  5. ^ Steele, Robert (2017). Careless Whispers: The Life & Career of George Michael: Revised & Updated. Omnibus Press. p. 155. ISBN 978-1-78323-968-9.
  6. ^ a b Tannenbaum, Rob (January 6, 2017). "George Michael: Why He Turned His Back on Fame, and the 'Faith'-like Songs He Recorded Before His Death". billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media, LLC. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  7. ^ GREIN, PAUL (14 January 1988). "George Michael's Got 'Faith' and Lots More". Los Angeles Times.
  8. ^ "Mark Goodier Interview with George Michael (2010) | Part 2".
  9. ^ Bowermaster, Jon (30 May 1988). "George Michael: Act of Faith". US Weekly.
  10. ^ Fricke, David (20 November 1986). "The Second Coming Of George Michael". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  11. ^ Jensen, David (14 February 1987). "Everything He Wants". No.1 Magazine.
  12. ^ "Image of Faith booklet". Discogs. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  13. ^ a b Nelson, Brad (5 August 2018). "George Michael: Faith". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  14. ^ Tannenbaum, Rob (January 1988). "George Michael: Artist or Airhead?". Musician.
  15. ^ Horkins, Tony (December 1987). "George Michael: A Question Of Faith". International Musician. UK.
  16. ^ a b "George Michael's History on Billboard's R&B Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  17. ^ Helmore, Edward (26 December 2016). "Why George Michael turned his back on America". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  18. ^ a b c Faith VHS: George Michael. Legacy. 9 August 1988. ASIN 6301090411.
  19. ^ "George Michael at the Nelson Mandela Tribute Concert (1988)". gmforever.com. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  20. ^ Huey, Steve. "Faith – George Michael". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  21. ^ Christopher, Michael (27 January 2011). "Review: George Michael | Faith: Remastered". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  22. ^ Johnson, Connie (1 November 1987). "Wham! Man Makes His Big Move". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  23. ^ Minkoff, Myrna (7 November 1987). "George, Best". New Musical Express. p. 29.
  24. ^ Staunton, Terry (November 2010). "Faith | George Michael". Record Collector. No. 381. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  25. ^ a b Coleman, Mark (14 January 1988). "Faith". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 August 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  26. ^ Berger, Arion (2004). "George Michael". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 539–40. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  27. ^ Christgau, Robert (29 December 1987). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 10 February 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  28. ^ "Keeping the 'Faith': Six Writers Remember the Six Classic Hit Singles From George Michael's 30-Year-Old Debut". Billboard. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  29. ^ Wade, Ian (27 January 2011). "George Michael Faith Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  30. ^ Haider, Arwa (14 January 2011). "George Michael: Faith". Metro.
  31. ^ "Remember When? George Michael's "Faith"". GRAMMY.com. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  32. ^ "The Top 100 Albums of 1989" by Jancee Dunn, Rolling Stone Magazine, 14–28 December 1989, page 239
  33. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  34. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  35. ^ "40 Best Albums of the '80s". Q. No. 241. August 2006.
  36. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s". Slant Magazine. 5 March 2012. p. 2. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  37. ^ "Critic Reviews for Faith: Special Edition". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  38. ^ "George Michael Faith Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  39. ^ "Faith: Special Edition". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  40. ^ "Faith [reissue] - Epic/Legacy". Filter. Archived from the original on 16 April 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  41. ^ "Album review: Faith [Remastered Special Edition]". Islington Gazette. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  42. ^ "George Michael: Faith". Q. No. 295. February 2011. p. 126.
  43. ^ "Faith: Special Edition". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  44. ^ "Review: George Michael, Faith (Special Edition)". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  45. ^ "GRAMMYs' Best Albums 1980–1989". grammy.org. 4 February 2008. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011.
  46. ^ Hunt, Dennis (13 January 1989). "Chapman, McFerrin Lead Grammy Race : Baker, Sting, Michael, Winwood Also Capture Multiple Nominations". Los Angeles Times.
  47. ^ Marlow, Shirley (31 January 1989). "Randy Travis and George Michael Score Triple Plays". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  48. ^ "MTV Video Music Awards: 1988 VMA Winners". MTV. Archived from the original on 30 August 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  49. ^ "MTV Video Music Awards: 1989 VMA Winners". MTV. Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  50. ^ "The BRITs 1988". brits.co.uk. British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  51. ^ "第2回日本ゴールドディスク大賞" [The 2nd Japan Gold Disc Awards]. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  52. ^ "Faith – Remastered 2CD/DVD Special Edition [CD+DVD, Box Set]". Amazon. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  53. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 26 March 1988. p. 59. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  54. ^ "Austriancharts.at – George Michael – Faith" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  55. ^ "Ultratop.be – George Michael – Faith" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  56. ^ "Ultratop.be – George Michael – Faith" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  57. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0925". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  58. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 9 January 1988. p. 67. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  59. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – George Michael – Faith" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
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