"Outside"
Single by George Michael
from the album Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael
B-side"Fantasy 98"
Released19 October 1998 (1998-10-19)
Genre
Length4:45
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)George Michael
Producer(s)
  • George Michael
  • Jon Douglas
George Michael singles chronology
"You Have Been Loved" / "The Strangest Thing '97"
(1997) 		"Outside"
(1998) 		"As"
(1999)
Music video
"Outside" on YouTube

"Outside" is a song by English singer-songwriter George Michael, released on 19 October 1998 as the lead single from his first greatest hits album, Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael (1998). It was released through Epic Records and reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Michael's most recent UK top-three hit. In Greece, Hungary, and Spain, the song peaked at number one. The song's music video, directed by Vaughan Arnell, shows couples of various sexual orientations engaging in lewd public activities while Michael, dressed as a police officer, dances in a public toilet, referencing his arrest for cottaging in April 1998.

Background

The song was Michael's first single since his arrest for engaging in a lewd act six months earlier by an undercover police officer in the public lavatory of the Will Rogers Memorial Park in Beverly Hills, California – an incident that prompted him to declare his homosexuality, which had been rumoured for some years but never publicly confirmed.[1]

Michael disparaged the incident in the lyrics, claiming he wanted an alfresco sex life because he was bored with lovemaking behind closed doors. Reference to the Beverly Hills affair came with the line: "I'd service the community, but I already have, you see" (he was sentenced to 80 hours of community service for the offense) and direct samples of radio reports of his arrest.

In a 2004 interview with Adam Mattera for UK magazine Attitude, Michael reflected: "I felt that lightening the stigma around cruising was the most immediately beneficial thing I could do. I know for a fact that when I was 16, 17, when I started cruising, that watching the Outside video would have taken some of the weight off my shoulders."[2]

The song was recorded at Sarm West in London with a string section and arrangement by Andrew Skeet.

Critical reception

Barry Walters for The Advocate described the song as "a spirited disco romp complete with veiled allusions to his arrest."[3] Roberto Friedman from Bay Area Reporter declared it "a paean to public sex".[4] Chuck Taylor from Billboard wrote that "set against a jubilant disco beat awash with strings, cascading electronic beeps, and a vocal filled with simple joy, this celebratory track could be the one to return George Michael to the hearts of the masses." He added, "The track begins with a whip of strings, a chorus of voices chanting, "Let's go outside," and a funky little guitar lick, followed by Michael's instantly recognizable vocal, sounding liberated and loose. So much of his recent material has been heavy in lyric and short on hook; as a result, he's had a tough time getting on radio in the U.S. This should begin the next era for this keeper of an artist, who at last seems comfortable just having a little fun."[5]

Sarah Davis from Dotmusic said that "Outside" "is every bit Fast Love's [sic] twin with the singer at his most accessibly funky." She added, "Turning his arrest into musical inspiration, George Michael cheekily uses the sound of a police siren to welcome in his first new single in more than two years."[6] Beth Johnson from Entertainment Weekly described the song as a "retro-disco hoot".[7] Raul Cairo from Music & Media noted that "it's a superb slice of neo-'70s disco/funk, boasting tongue-in-cheek lyrics and a strong hook."[8] Victoria Segal from NME called it a "disco inferno".[9] In 2018, Dave Fawbert from ShortList described it as an "amazing slinky disco track", adding that it is "timeless and would still be a massive hit if was released today."[10]

Chart performance

"Outside" peaked at number one in Greece, Hungary, and Spain. In addition, it reached number two in the United Kingdom, number three in Italy, number four in Denmark, number five in Iceland, number seven in Ireland, and number eight in Finland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Outside" reached number three in November 1998. Outside Europe, the song reached number three on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, number 11 in New Zealand, and number 13 in Australia.

Music video

The song's satirical music video,[11] directed by Vaughan Arnell and filmed on 4 June 1998, features a police helicopter hovering over Los Angeles and shadowing various people, both gay and straight, kissing, having sex or engaging in foreplay, all in public. The scenes of public coupling are styled like real surveillance footage and interspersed with scenes of Michael and his dancers performing in a men's toilet. Michael is dressed as an LAPD police officer and clutching a nightstick, while the toilet is decorated like a disco nightclub, complete with flashing lights and disco balls. Two female dancers dressed in police uniforms are also seen dancing with Michael. At the end of the video, two male officers arrest numerous couples previously shown engaging in lewd conduct. The video concludes with the two police officers, thinking that they are not being watched, sharing a passionate embrace and starting to kiss, the surveillance video focusing in on their public indecency. The video ends with a shot of a rooftop neon sign reading "JESUS SAVES", followed by the on-screen captions "... all of us. all."

Before the song starts properly, the video begins with a parody of a 1970s European pornography film. As a sultry jazz saxophone score plays, the credits show "eine fulm bi Hüu Jarss", "mit Klaus Hoöd", "undë Heidi Kóchenblauer", "ars 'Cindy'", "direktum bi Marchelo Üffenvanken" – possibly a collection of made-up names and words meant to resemble Swedish, but with deliberate English puns. "Cindy" is played by Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Melissa Keller. A short passage of narration in Swedish - "Vem var hon? Var kom hon ifrån? Hade hon ätit? Då plötsligt kom jag ihåg, det var ingen dröm: jag var ... i Hollywood!" - translates as: "Who was she? Where did she come from? Had she eaten? Then suddenly I recalled, it was no dream: I was... in Hollywood!" Apart from Keller, porn stars Rebecca Lord[12] and Brittany Andrews appear, as well as actress Jeanne Carmen.

Marcelo Rodriguez, the undercover officer who'd recently arrested Michael, claimed the video "mocked" him and filed a legal suit for $10 million. While the matter was initially dismissed, the California Courts of Appeal reinstated the case on 3 December 2002.[13] The judgement ruled Rodriguez, as a public official, could not legally recover damages for emotional distress.[14]

Track listings

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[50] Gold 35,000^
Belgium (BEA)[51] Gold 25,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[52] Gold 400,000‡

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

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States 13 October 1998
Epic [53]
United Kingdom 19 October 1998 CD [54]
Japan 6 November 1998 [55]

References

  1. ^ Entertainment: George Michael faces $10m lawsuit, BBC News, 14 September 1999
  2. ^ "George Michael's candid 2004 interview with Attitude". Attitude. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  3. ^ Walters, Barry (24 November 1998). "Older and Wiser". The Advocate. Issue 773.
  4. ^ Friedman, Roberto (19 November 1998). "OUT THERE". Bay Area Reporter. p. 38. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  5. ^ Taylor, Chuck (7 November 1998). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 25. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  6. ^ Davis, Sarah (5 October 1998). "GEORGE MICHAEL - OUTSIDE (EPIC)". Dotmusic. Archived from the original on 1 September 2000. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  7. ^ Johnson, Beth (11 December 1998). "Ladies and Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  8. ^ Cairo, Raul (10 October 1998). "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 21. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  9. ^ Segal, Victoria. "GEORGE MICHAEL – Ladies And Gentlemen - The Best of George Michael". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  10. ^ Fawbert, Dave (23 October 2018). "30 classic songs that are somehow 20 years old this year". ShortList. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  11. ^ Breihan, Tom (3 January 2022). "The Number Ones: George Michael & Elton John's 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me'". Stereogum. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Rebecca Lord - Adult Film Star" Archived 12 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine interview by JesseCapps, RockConfidential.com, 19 May 2007.
  13. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2005. Retrieved 15 February 2008.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^ "George Michael video case dismissed". BBC News - AMERICAS. BBC. 17 February 2000.
  15. ^ Outside (UK & Australian CD single disc notes). George Michael. Epic Records. 1998. 666249 2.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  19. ^ Outside (European CD single disc notes). George Michael. Epic Records. 1998. 666249 1.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ Outside (Japanese CD single disc notes). George Michael. Epic Records. 1998. ESCA 7391.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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