During the 1980s, George Michael was a powerhouse taking over music charts with his songs. On this day 38 years ago, he nabbed his fourth No. 1 single from the same album, Faith, when “Monkey” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song was from his debut solo album released the year before. Before “Monkey,” the title track “Faith” and two other singles, “Father Figure” and “One More Try,” all topped the charts in the U.S.
Given the extreme success of the previous singles, when “Monkey” was released as an official single, it wasn’t a huge surprise to see it quickly rise on the Billboard Hot 100. But on Aug. 27, 1988, it finally nabbed the top spot.
“Monkey” was Michael’s sixth No. 1 hit in the U.S., both as a soloist and in the 1980s. Before the release of his album “Faith,” Michael achieved the same milestone with two other singles. These were “Careless Whisper” in 1985 and “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me),” a duet with Aretha Franklin released in 1987.
While “Monkey” is a dance-rock hit, it also takes on the serious topic of watching a loved one go through drug addiction with the lyrics. It includes lines like, “Always givin’ in to it/ Do you love your monkey or do you love me?”
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In a retrospective interview about Faith, Michael talked a bit about what inspired him to write the song. He said, “I’d found out that a girl took some drugs that I didn’t know she took; I didn’t know how to help her because I didn’t know anything about it.”
He noted that he hadn’t seen anyone deal with addiction before, before adding, “I think it was around the same time that I met her that, through someone else, I took my first ecstasy tablet.”
While it might not usually be fans’ favorite song from the album, “Monkey” was still a huge hit, and overall, the album is still renowned today. At the time of its release, Faith received great acclaim from critics and fans, and it topped album charts in many countries, including the U.S. and U.K.
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