Had it been completed, George Michael’s Listen Without Prejudice 2 would have been a banger. Four songs from the album wound up being commercially released. Three of them get a five-star rating from me. Too bad George’s issues with Sony Music prevented us from getting another banger. The 1993 passing of George’s partner Anselmo Feleppa wound up being a heavy influence on what ended up being George’s follow up to Listen Without Prejudice 1, the understandably downbeat Older. LWP2 would’ve represented our last opportunity to hear a relatively baggage-free GM.

Not to say that “Crazyman Dance” is a happy happy joy joy song. It’s written from the perspective of a guy who moved to New York City to find himself and become successful and ended up homeless. It’s an airy-sounding ballad, but the lyrics are thick with tension. As a 16 year old, I wondered how anyone could write a song with lyrics that are so derisive toward the city I called home. Now? Let’s just say I definitely have days when my feelings towards the Big Apple match up well with those of the character George voices.

George’s B-side game was strong (although not quite as strong as Prince’s), and most artists would be hard-pressed to relegate this song to a throwaway-it ended up being the flip to 1992’s “Too Funky”, no slouch in its own right.