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Michael's most self indulgent song?

Blues_Away2023

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Been thinking about this a lot recently after listening to George Michael's you have been loved. It's a beautiful track but quite self indulgent in my opinion.

As for Michael, leave me alone? even Childhood?
 
I don’t see the self indulgence in you have been loved or childhood to be fair. The songs are too vulnerable to be self indulgent imo.

I’d look at one of his many anti press songs like tabloid junkie, in the back or money
 
When I've seen magazines saying songs are self indulgent, they're usually talking about jam bands, progressive rock, or some types of jazz. Where there's a 5 minute drum solo or something. Also less commercial avant-garde artists. Not mainstream artist songs, except stuff like Revolution 9 by The Beatles or if the artist releases some kind of concept album.
 
Bad, but again the lyrics are true
 
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In musical context, self-indulgent means music that is made or produced purely for the enjoyment of the artist/band.

So, self-indulgent music refers to the technical prowess of the artist/band, and not to the lyrics of the song.

One would say for example that Prince's 'Cutz' song is a self-indulgent song, where the sound of scissors is used as the only musical instrument of that song.
 
Dangerous

it always sounds to me like it was made out of a vision of a performance, not the usual other way around
 
Honestly, half of the tracks on Dangerous. Great songs but very few of them warrant their runtimes, in my opinion. We don’t need the extended introduction to “Will You Be There,” the two minutes of looped choruses on “Who Is It,” the father/son bit before “Black or White,” etc.

Slice off a minute on each and they’re much more palatable.
 
I don’t see the big deal in songs running over 3 to 4 minutes. Honestly what is the problem? Short attention spans (I don’t buy this, it doesn’t exist imo) ? Too busy with life (I can understand this)?
When I’m really into the vibe of a song I find it terrible that it ends after 3,5 minutes, I think songs are often at their best in their final 2 minutes or so and Who Is It is a prime example for this.

I hear the same discussion going with films. People find 3 hour plus movies too long but again when I get sucked into the world they created I have no problems with long runtimes. I have more problems with 4 or 5 different storylines in films than I have with its running time.
 
filmandmusic said:
I don’t see the big deal in songs running over 3 to 4 minutes. Honestly what is the problem? Short attention spans (I don’t buy this, it doesn’t exist imo) ? Too busy with life (I can understand this)?
When I’m really into the vibe of a song I find it terrible that it ends after 3,5 minutes, I think songs are often at their best in their final 2 minutes or so and Who Is It is a prime example for this.
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People with short attention spans can just enjoy the radio edits. And totally agree on who is it.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
No.

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It is- similar rhythmic patterns, baseline, vocal delivery, themes of love and suspicion. It’s all been done before. As much as I like the song, it often feels like it was envisioned to be another “Billie Jean” rather than something entirely new.
 
Hollywood_Tonight said:
It is- similar rhythmic patterns, baseline, vocal delivery, themes of love and suspicion. It’s all been done before. As much as I like the song, it often feels like it was envisioned to be another “Billie Jean” rather than something entirely new.
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How are any of those musical qualities similar? The lyrical angle I can kind of get, but that’s not a very strong case you’ve got there.
 
Agonum said:
How are any of those musical qualities similar? The lyrical angle I can kind of get, but that’s not a very strong case you’ve got there.
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They’re both driven by a prominent syncopated baseline complemented by his falsetto, and both build tension through multitrack layering.
 
'The Lost Children' would be the most self indulgent: that was really something only Michael himself liked and was waiting for
 
Hollywood_Tonight said:
They’re both driven by a prominent syncopated baseline complemented by his falsetto, and both build tension through multitrack layering.
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The same can be said of a multitude of his songs. I mean, all of his album songs “build tension through multitrack layering.” That’s what you aim for with multitrack recording, after all.

And by the way, there’s not a whole lot of falsetto in Who Is It?
 
Hollywood_Tonight said:
They’re both driven by a prominent syncopated baseline complemented by his falsetto, and both build tension through multitrack layering.
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Neither one of these songs has a falsetto. Billie Jean is up-tempo, Who Is It is midtempo. Billie Jean has the drum beat as the dominant element, the baseline drives the melody, and the synths compliment them. Who Is It has his beatboxing converted to a beat with synths behind it and a chorus that's ultimately a lot more complex than Billie Jean's.
 
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