Fastlove

Album: Older (1996)
Charted: 1 8
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Michael often sang about commitment in love, but in this song, he takes a different tack, making it clear that this encounter is not one that's meant to last. "Baby, I ain't Mr. Right," he warns.
  • This upbeat tune was the second single from Michael's third album, Older, following the melancholy "Jesus To A Child."
  • This song is built on a funky saxophone riff and a sample from the 1982 Patrice Rushen hit "Forget Me Nots."
  • Michael made a slick video for this song (directed by the British team of Anthea Benton and Vaughan Arnell) which kept the gender of his partner in this affair ambiguous - lots of saucy men and women appear.

    At one point, a shot of headphones labelled "FONY" is seen - a dig on Michael's former label, Sony. Michael and the label went through a protracted legal battle a few years earlier.
  • Adele performed this song in tribute to George Michael at the Grammy Awards in 2017, where she opened the telecast with a rousing rendition of her song "Hello." About a minute into the Michael tribute, Adele bobbled and stopped the song, saying, "I f--ked up, I can't do it again like last year," a reference to her glitchy performance a year earlier. She had the orchestra start over, saying, "I cant mess this up for him," and took it from the top, this time getting through without a hitch in a stirring performance.

    Later in the show, she won Song of the Year for "Hello." In her acceptance speech, she apologized for swearing.

    Adele met Michael in 2011 - they were introduced by Elton John. A planned collaboration never panned out, but Michael made a special appearance at the Brit Awards in 2012 to give Adele the trophy for Best Album, and in 2015, Adele dressed as Michael in tribute for her 27th birthday.

    So why did she choose this song? "My earliest memory of me being a fan was 'Fastlove,'" she told the press after the ceremony. "When the video came out, I was blown away by how hot he was. I was young. I was about 10 and I heard the vulnerability in that song."

Comments: 2

  • Lisbeth from StockholmFull of symbolism. Describe it as his coming out. It's about cruising (to search for an occasional sexual partner), covering the pain of the loss of Anselmo & lancing it with fast love.
  • Victoria Semenenko George Michael's Baby from UkraineFeaturing models Rachel William (crying blonde girl), Tony Ward "muscles man" as "Jesus", Ling Tan
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Album Cover Inspirations

Album Cover InspirationsSong Writing

Some album art was at least "inspired" by others. A look at some very similar covers.

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Art Alexakis of Everclear

Art Alexakis of EverclearSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer of Everclear, Art is also their primary songwriter.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Joe Ely

Joe ElySongwriter Interviews

The renown Texas songwriter has been at it for 40 years, with tales to tell about The Flatlanders and The Clash - that's Joe's Tex-Mex on "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"