Monkey (song)

"Monkey" is a US number-one hit song by English singer and songwriter George Michael. It was released as a single in 1988 and reached number-one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. "Monkey" debuted at number 42 on 9 July 1988, reaching number-one for two weeks, beginning on 27 August 1988.

"Monkey"
Single by George Michael
from the album Faith
Released4 July 1988
Recorded1987
Genre
Length
  • 5:02 (album version)
  • 4:47 (single version)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)George Michael
Producer(s)
George Michael singles chronology
"One More Try"
(1988)		 "Monkey"
(1988)		 "Kissing a Fool"
(1988)
Music video
"Monkey" on YouTube

"Monkey" became Michael's sixth solo single reaching number-one in the US, and the fourth single to do so from the Faith album. George Michael joined Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston as three artists who all had four or more consecutive number one singles during the 1987–88 era, from one album (Michael Jackson scored five number-one hits from a single album (Bad) while Whitney Houston scored seven consecutive number-one hits from two albums).

"Monkey" also reached number-one in the US Hot Dance Club Play chart for two weeks and became his first dance number-one. When the song was released as a single, the single version was remixed by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

Background

In an introspective interview about the album in 2010, Michael noted that the song was inspired by a friend of his dealing with drug and alcohol addiction but didn't know how to help her. He used the term monkey to refer to her addiction. He asked his friend: Do you love the monkey or do you love me?[2]

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "One of the most overtly funky, disco-oriented tracks on the LP Faith. A hard hitting dance number."[3]

Music video

The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan[4] and choreographed by Paula Abdul. It comprises footage from the Faith Tour (including scenes of him performing intense choreography with a female dancer) and him performing the song in a simple white t-shirt and black hat against a white background. Some of the scenes are shown in grey scale, with the tour footage being shown with tinted blue lights all over.

Track listing
  • 7"
  1. "Monkey (7-Inch Edit)" – 4:47
  2. "Monkey (A'Cappella)" – 3:40
  • US 12" – Columbia Records 44 07849
  1. "Monkey (Extended Version)" – 8:06
  2. "Monkey (A'Cappella)" – 3:40
  3. "Monkey (Extra Beats)" – 3:30
  • CD
  1. "Monkey (Extended Version)" – 8:06
  2. "Monkey (A'Cappella)" – 3:40
  3. "Monkey (Extra Beats)" – 3:30
  4. "Monkey (7-Inch Edit)" – 4:47

Charts

See also

References
  1. Greene, Jayson (17 July 2007). "George Michael – Faith – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 September 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  2. "George Michael Interview by Mark Goodier (2010) | Part 4".
  3. "Previews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 16 July 1988. p. 22. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  4. Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - George Michael - "Monkey"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  5. "George Michael – Monkey". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  6. "George Michael – Monkey" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  7. "George Michael – Monkey" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  8. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 8543." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  9. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 8558." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  10. "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 1 October 1988. p. 68. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  11. "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 20 August 1988. p. 61. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  12. "Singlet 1988-07 heinäkuu" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  13. "George Michael – Monkey" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  14. "George Michael Chart History". RÚV. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Monkey". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  16. ジョージ・マイケルのランキング (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  17. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 33, 1988" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  18. "George Michael – Monkey" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  19. "George Michael – Monkey". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  20. Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  21. "George Michael – Monkey". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  22. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  23. "George Michael Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  24. "George Michael Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  25. "George Michael Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  26. "Offiziellecharts.de – George Michael – Monkey" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  27. "Jaaroverzichten 1988". Ultratop. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  28. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1988". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  29. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1988". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  30. "1988 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 100, no. 52. 24 December 1988. p. Y-20.
  31. "Billboard Top 100 – 1988". Retrieved 3 October 2016.
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