George Michael's former backing singers have revealed how his 1998 hit Outside was written to "shut people up" after his arrest for a lewd act in a Beverly Hills public bathroom on April 7 that year. The song, they say, brilliantly transformed a potentially embarrassing situation into a defiant anthem.
Turning a scandal into a hit
Jo Garland and Shirley Lewis, who now tour as The George Michael Singers alongside Jay Henry, all worked with George during his career. Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk ahead of their latest tour, Shirley recalled the impact of Outside, especially on the gay scene.
"I think the one [song] that had the biggest impact, especially on the gay scene, was Outside because of the way he turned something that could have been quite - I don't want to say shameful - embarrassing situation. He just brilliantly flipped it. That was him. That was him all over. He's just such a genius, such an incredible lyricist," she said.
Shirley added: "But I think that really was a green flag for the LGBTQ community, I mean, they were behind him anyway, but that was just a real sort of, you know, like don't be ashamed."
Phone call after the arrest
Shirley recalled the moment George called her and Jo after the incident. "I remember when that all happened, and he called me and Jo, and he goes, 'Oh my God, it was ridiculous. But I've written this song, and it's going to just shut everyone up. So let's just get in the studio and do it.'"
"And everyone in the studio was like, 'Okay, this is brilliant... The lyrics are brilliant... And then obviously then he went on to do the video, which was even funnier.' He shines in vulnerability, and I think it's so important for people to be vulnerable. And you can hear all of his vulnerability in his music," she said.
A last outing with the Faith Tour
The trio's show pairs George's songs with their own stories of working with him, from the final Wham! concert at Wembley to the London 2012 closing ceremony. In a twist of fate, they are getting one last outing with their former boss thanks to the release of The Faith Tour in cinemas, accompanied by an album release.
The movie, out on November 6, is compiled from a long-lost, 14-camera 35mm shoot of his show captured over two nights in May 1988 at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. It shows George, who died aged 53 on Christmas Day in 2016, at the height of his fame, performing to thousands of screaming fans who at times drown out his singing.
Shirley was originally supposed to be the backing singer on the tour but couldn't get released from another contract. "I was supposed to go on the tour with George, and then my record company wouldn't let me go because they just spent a bunch of money," she recalled. "And George was like, 'I need to make a decision'. I'm like, 'I can't go. They won't let me go'. And then obviously he had to get this other girl, which is Lyn Mabry, who ended up actually doing the tour."
When the Faith Tour project came around, Shirley was brought in to do additional vocals. "So when this came around, I had to go in and do all the additional vocals, because obviously it needed remastering and, you know, to be up to scratch as George would want it. It was quite insightful of the estate to get us in to do that because they know what George would want, or that sound George would want. So you know they're doing their best to give everybody exactly what, you know, George would want [and we're] very grateful to them."
She added: "But just for me. I was like, that's a gift from George. He's sick of me b***hing that I wasn't on the Faith tour for 35 years, so he's gone, 'let me throw this girl a bone and let her be on it anyway'. So, yeah. We ended up singing part of the crowd as well. So it's just it was so like heart healing to just do it, so very very grateful to be involved in both those projects."
The George Michael Singers You Have Been Loved church and cathedral tour runs across the UK from 13 to 20 December, with tickets available from their website.
