"Amazing" is a song co-written, produced, and performed by English singer-songwriter
George Michael, released by
Aegean and
Sony Music on 1 March 2004. It was included on Michael's fifth studio album, Patience. The song is about and dedicated to George Michael's then-partner, Kenny Goss. The song reached
No. 1 in Hungary, Italy, Poland and Spain, and it also topped three US Billboard dance charts.
Critical reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine from
AllMusic chose the track as one of the album's track picks.[1]BBC News Online's Michael Osborn said the song "sends us hurtling back to the late 80s."[2] Sal Cinquemani called the song "catchy yet un-amazing."[3]
On 26 December 2016, a day after Michael's death, Rolling Stone compiled a list of "20 Essential Songs" by Michael, and described "Amazing" as "a dancey
soft-rock number."[4]
Chart performance
On 1 March 2004, "Amazing" was released in the United Kingdom. The song debuted at number four on the
UK Singles Chart, selling 41,000 copies in its first week.[5] Outside of the UK, the song was also successful. It reached number one in Spain, Italy, Poland, and Hungary.
When George Michael appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on 26 May 2004 to promote the album, he performed the song on the show. "Amazing" was released in the United States. Michael had previously found success in the dance clubs with "
Monkey" (1988) and "
Star People" (1997), and "Amazing" became his third release to reach the top on the Billboard's
Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It also performed well on the
Hot Dance Airplay chart, where it reached the top spot and stayed there for four weeks.
Music video
The music video for the song was directed by
Matthew Rolston. The video was filmed in London, in late 2003. It shows a modern club-like setting where a
holographic performance by Michael is projected in front of a long lounge. He is also shown amongst the crowd, and in small intervals singing in front of a black background.
^Amazing (UK CD2 liner notes). George Michael. Aegean Records, Sony Music UK. 2004. 674726 5.{{
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