Freedom 90

Song Meaning of Freedom 90 by George Michael, and what it is about

Michael wrote "Freedom 90," which bowed to hip-hop with its sample of James Brown's 1970 classic "Funky Drummer," out of his discontent with life as a pinup idol.

He sung, "Went back home, got a new face for the boys on MTV."

But today I need to adjust how I play the game, therefore I'm going to make myself happy. To emphasise his message, he practically set fire to the iconic leather jacket, jukebox, and guitar from his Faith era in addition to declining to perform in the video (instead having supermodels Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington, and Cindy Crawford lip-synch his part).

Although it was released as the second single from the album in the US and Australia, it was the third single taken from Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 released in 1990.

On this album, "Freedom! '90" was one of the few uptempo songs. Majorly popular, it reached its highest position of No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The song alludes to Michael's prior success with Wham! but also revealing a new side of himself as a new guy who is more sceptical than previously about the music industry.

Freedom 90 lyrics by George Michael

I won't let you down

I will not give you up

Gotta have some faith in the sound

It's the one good thing that I've got

I won't let you down

So please don't give me up

Because I would really, really love to stick around

Oh yeah

Heaven knows I was just a young boy

Didn't know what I wanted to be

I was every little hungry schoolgirl's pride and joy

And I guess it was enough for me

To win the race, a prettier face

Brand new clothes and a big fat place

On your rock and roll TV

But today the way I play the game is not the same, no way

Think I'm gonna get me some happy

I think there's something you should know

I think it's time I told you so

There's something deep inside of me

There's someone else I've got to be

Take back your picture in a frame

Take back your singing in the rain

I just hope you understand

Sometimes the clothes do not make the man

All we have to do now

Is take these lies and make them true somehow

All we have to see

Is that I don't belong to you

And you don't belong to me (yeah, yeah!)

Freedom!

I won't let you down (Freedom!)

I will not give you up (Freedom!)

Gotta have some faith in the sound

(You got to give what you take)

It's the one good thing that I've got, (Freedom!)

I won't let you down (Freedom!)

So please don't give me up (Freedom!)

'Cause I would really, really love to stick around (You got to give what you take)

Heaven knows we sure had some fun, boy

What a kick, just a buddy and me

(What a kick, just a buddy and me)

We had every big-shot good-time band on the run, boy

We were living in a fantasy

We won the race, got out of the place

Went back home, got a brand new face for the boys on MTV

But today the way I play the game has got to change oh yeah

Now I'm gonna get myself happy

I think there's something you should know

I think it's time I stopped the show

There's something deep inside of me

There's someone I forgot to be

Take back your picture in a frame

Don't think that I'll be back again

I just hope you understand

Sometimes the clothes do not make the man

All we have to do now

Is take these lies and make them true somehow

All we have to see

Is that I don't belong to you

And you don't belong to me (yeah, yeah!)

Freedom

I won't let you down (Freedom!)

I will not give you up, (Freedom!)

Gotta have some faith in the sound

(You got to give what you take)

It's the one good thing that I've got (Freedom!)

I won't let you down (Freedom!)

So please don't give me up (Freedom!)

'Cause I would really, really love to stick around (You got to give what you take)

Well it looks like the road to heaven

But it feels like the road to hell

When I knew which side my bread was buttered

I took the knife as well

Posing for another picture

Everybody's got to sell

But when you shake your ass

They notice fast

And some mistakes were built to last

That's what you get

I say that's what you get

That's what you get for changing your mind

And after all this time

I just hope you understand

Sometimes the clothes do not make the man

All we have to do now

Is take these lies and make them true somehow

All we have to see

Is that I don't belong to you

And you don't belong to me (yeah, yeah!)

Freedom! (Oh!)

Freedom!

(My) Freedom!

You got to give what you take!

Freedom!

I'll hold on to my (Freedom!)

My (Freedom!)

You got to give what you take! (You got to give what, to give what, to give what you take!)

Yeah!

You got to give what, to give what, to give

May not be what you want from me

Just the way it's got to be

Lose the face now

I've got to live