Week Twenty-Four: First Concert Ever - George Michael - "Freedom! '90" - Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

Week Twenty-Four marks the 24th anniversary of the first concert that I ever attended on October 14, 1988, at Texas Stadium in Irving, TX - The Bangles & George Michael -

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Although this song was not in existence when I attended my first concert ever, I selected it for a very important reason.  When I finally got around to seeing this video, I was so appalled that three items that held such importance to me, as a George Michael fan, were blatantly destroyed in front of my very eyes.  I couldn't understand why George Michael would take such drastic measures to break my pre-teen heart.  I would have gladly taken that beautiful leather jacket (which was burned in the video) and the lovely jukebox and guitar (which were both blown up in the video) off of Mr. Michael's hands if he no longer wanted any of them.  

It didn't even help that he had incredibly attractive super models (both male and female) all throughout the video because I felt like he was destroying the symbols that had created my very love for him.  I later realized that he felt way too tied to that image that was created for him through the release of the Faith album and that he was very much indeed attempting to destroy it, even going so far as to refuse to be in the video.

Nonetheless, as hard as George Michael worked to rid himself of that leather jacket clad hip shaking persona from the "Faith" video, that is how I will always remember him because that was the image that was burned into my brain at my first concert ever on Friday, October 14, 1988!!

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
cause 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 myself 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,
Freedom,
Freedom
You've gotta give for what you take
Freedom,
Freedom,
Freedom
You've gotta give for what you take

Heaven knows we sure had some fun boy
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
I 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,
Freedom,
Freedom
You've gotta give for what you take
Freedom,
Freedom,
Freedom
You've gotta give for 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,
That's what you get,
That's what you get,
I say that's what you get
That's what you get for changing your mind
That's what you get for changing your mind

That's what you get,
That's what you get,
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,
Freedom,
Freedom
You've got to give for what you take
Freedom,
Freedom,
Freedom
You've got to give for what you take
Yea you've got to give for what you, give for what you 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 I've got to live