Too Funky

Album: Red Hot + Dance (1992)
Charted: 4 10
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song finds George Michael propositioning someone he would like to have sex with. It's a pretty obvious proposition, but this is the same guy who sang "I Want Your Sex" in 1987, which advocates monogamy and intimacy. In this song, "funky" seems to mean "adventurous," which is a quality the singer looks for in a mate: "Everybody wants a lover like that."
  • This was one of the songs George Michael made with a video featuring several supermodels, including Linda Evangelista, Estelle Lefébure, Nadia Auermann, and Tyra Banks, as well as an amusing appearance by actress Julie Newmar, who played the original Catwoman in the TV series Batman.
  • The opening lines that are spoken before the song begins: "Would you like me to seduce you? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" is Anne Bancroft's dialogue in the movie The Graduate, where she plays an older woman who does indeed seduce the young Dustin Hoffman. The dialogue plays intermittently through the song. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Mike - Santa Barbara, CA, for above 2
  • The line at the end of the song, "Will you stop playing with that radio of yours? I'm trying to get to sleep," comes from the BBC sitcom Hancock's Half Hour.
  • Fashion designer Thierry Mugler not only designed the costumes for the fictitious runaway show, he also co-directed the video, which was shot in Paris with George Michael. It's reported that things became heated on set between Michael and Mugler, resulting in the video's end credit, "Directed by?"
  • The song's proceeds went to AIDS charities, so the models appeared in the glossy video, shot over four long days, for free, a testament to their respect for George Michael.

Comments: 3

  • Ray Parker from BristolI actually thought the comment ‘will you stop playing with that radio, etc was by his mum or nan, well that’s me told
  • Hanny from Roden, NetherlandsIn my opinion the video of this song is one of the most beautiful ones of the nineties.
  • Dana from Greenwood, ScI always wondered about "Would you like me to seduce you?" and "I'm trying to get some sleep!"
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Prince

PrinceFact or Fiction

Prince is shrouded in mystery, making him an excellent candidate for Fact or Fiction. Is he really a Scientologist? Does he own an exotic animal?

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.