George Michael was a massive pop star with a social conscience. Aside from his awesome music, he is known for speaking up about political issues close to his heart.
He was very vocal about the Iraq War, appearing in several television interviews talking about his opposition of the war, such as his appearance in the CNN Talkback Live and BBC Hardtalk interview with Tim Sebastian. In 2002, he released “Shoot the Dog”, a savage satire on George Bush and Tony Blair on the Iraq War. The following year, he covered the anti-war song “The Grave” by Don McLean.
In 2003, he joined several artists who brought their anti-war message to the Brit Awards.
George Michael performed with Ms. Dynamite a reworked version of his hit “Faith” at the Brit Awards to protest about war with Iraq, where both George and Ms. Dynamite altered their own parts of the lyrics. Both stars have made their feelings known about future military action as part of a campaign to make Iraq get rid of weapons of mass destruction.
Below is the modified lyric to “Faith”
We’ve been here before
Talk of violence and talk of war
I don’t want to see the children die no more
So I gotta make a stand
Can you hear my voice
Taking of life is only god choice
I don’t want blood on my hands
I am a wise man
A wise man warns me was my daddy’s say
A wise man lives to fight another day
And he don’t wanna
See no more mothers cry
I don’t wanna see no fathers die
So I gotta have faith
I gotta have faith
Lady, I guess you heard the news today
There’s got to be a better way
You know it’s given me the blues
Maybe we’ve got time to make a baby boy
They gotta get a few years
And say we really don’t want it
I don’t want it (I don’t want it) I don’t want it
Before this river becomes and ocean
Of tears and fears
They think they know what you’re doing
Pursuing
Me, you gonna take that far
Well it takes a strong man baby
But I got to hope for more
Cause I gotta have faith
I gotta have faith
D to the Y to the Allah be praised
D to the Y to the Jesus will save
D to the Y to the it’s all the same
D to the Y to the if you want love
D to the Y to the Allah be praised (Gotta get it together)
D to the Y to the Jesus will save (Gotta get it together)
D to the Y to the it’s all the same (Gotta get it together)
D to the Y to the if you want love
Before this river becomes and ocean
Of tears and fears
They think they know what you’re doing
Pursuing
Me, you gonna take that far
Well it takes a strong man baby
But I gotta hope for more
Cause I gotta have faith
I gotta have faith
Interestingly, the pair did not appear together on stage as George was in America. Instead, they linked up using a live video feed.
In an interview with BBC, George then said that he did not want to appear in person at the ceremony because he did not want to overshadow Ms Dynamite. “I love Ms Dynamite and am so happy she is performing Faith, which is such a hopeful song,” he said. “But this is her night, not mine. Ms Dynamite deserves all the limelight she is going to get from her Brits’ performance.” Ms. Dynamite won two awards for Best Female Solo Artist and Best British Urban Act at the 2003 Brit Awards.
Watch the performance of George Michael and Ms. Dynamite of the reworked version of “Faith”
