"Amazing"
Single by George Michael
from the album Patience
B-side"Freeek! '04"
Released1 March 2004 (2004-03-01)
Length4:25
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Jon Douglas
  • George Michael
Producer(s)George Michael
George Michael singles chronology
"Shoot the Dog"
(2002) 		"Amazing"
(2004) 		"Flawless (Go to the City)"
(2004)
Music video
"Amazing" on YouTube

"Amazing" is a song co-written, produced, and performed by English singer-songwriter George Michael, released by Aegean and Sony Music on 1 March 2004. It was included on Michael's fifth studio album, Patience. The song is about and dedicated to George Michael's then-partner, Kenny Goss. The song reached No. 1 in Hungary, Italy, Poland and Spain, and it also topped three US Billboard dance charts.

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic chose the track as one of the album's track picks.[1] BBC News Online's Michael Osborn said the song "sends us hurtling back to the late 80s."[2] Sal Cinquemani called the song "catchy yet un-amazing."[3]

On 26 December 2016, a day after Michael's death, Rolling Stone compiled a list of "20 Essential Songs" by Michael, and described "Amazing" as "a dancey soft-rock number."[4]

Chart performance

On 1 March 2004, "Amazing" was released in the United Kingdom. The song debuted at number four on the UK Singles Chart, selling 41,000 copies in its first week.[5] Outside of the UK, the song was also successful. It reached number one in Spain, Italy, Poland, and Hungary.

When George Michael appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on 26 May 2004 to promote the album, he performed the song on the show. "Amazing" was released in the United States. Michael had previously found success in the dance clubs with "Monkey" (1988) and "Star People" (1997), and "Amazing" became his third release to reach the top on the Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It also performed well on the Hot Dance Airplay chart, where it reached the top spot and stayed there for four weeks.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Matthew Rolston. The video was filmed in London, in late 2003. It shows a modern club-like setting where a holographic performance by Michael is projected in front of a long lounge. He is also shown amongst the crowd, and in small intervals singing in front of a black background.

Track listings

UK CD1[6]

  1. "Amazing" – 4:25
  2. "Freeek! '04" – 4:28

UK CD2[7]

  1. "Amazing" (album version) – 4:25
  2. "Amazing" (Jack 'N' Rory 7-inch vocal mix) – 5:56
  3. "Amazing" (Full Intention club mix) – 8:05

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[53] Gold 35,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[54] Silver 200,000‡

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

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Australia 1 March 2004 CD
[55]
Denmark [56]
United Kingdom
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 [57]
United States 5 April 2004 Contemporary hit radio Epic [58]
8 June 2004 Hot adult contemporary radio [59]

See also

References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ "Review: George Michael's Patience". 17 March 2004 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  3. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (15 March 2004). "Review: George Michael, Patience". Slant Magazine.
  4. ^ "George Michael: 20 Essential Songs". Rolling Stone. 26 December 2016.
  5. ^ Sexton, Paul (27 March 2004). "Strong Interest Precedes New Michael Album". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 13. Nielsen Business Media. p. 9. ISSN 0006-2510.
  6. ^ Amazing (UK CD1 disc notes). George Michael. Aegean Records, Sony Music UK. 2004. 674726 2.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Amazing (UK CD2 liner notes). George Michael. Aegean Records, Sony Music UK. 2004. 674726 5.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ "George Michael – Amazing". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
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  12. ^ "George Michael – Amazing" (in Dutch). Ultratop Dance. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  13. ^ "Canadian Singles Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  14. ^ "Top Lista Hrvatskog Radija". Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  15. ^ "Oficiální Česká Hitparáda – Pro týden 14/2004" (in Czech). IFPI ČR. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  16. ^ "George Michael – Amazing". Tracklisten. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  17. ^ "Hits of the World: Eurocharts" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 12. 20 March 2004. p. 71. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  18. ^ "George Michael: Amazing" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  19. ^ "George Michael – Amazing" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
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  21. ^ "IFPI Greece Top 50 Singles archive". Archived from the original on 5 June 2004. Retrieved 5 June 2004.
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  31. ^ "Nielsen Music Control". Archived from the original on 21 October 2007.
  32. ^ "Arhiva romanian top 100 – Editia 14, saptamina 5.04 – 11.04, 2004" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 21 February 2005. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  33. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  34. ^ "George Michael – Amazing" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
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  37. ^ "George Michael: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
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  39. ^ "George Michael Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  40. ^ "George Michael Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
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  52. ^ a b "Year in Music & Touring" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 52. 25 December 2004. pp. 60–61. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
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