"Amazing" is a song co-written, produced, and performed by English singer-songwriter George Michael, released by Aegean and

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...

on 1 March 2004. It was included on Michael's fifth studio album, ''

Patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when face ...

''. The song is about and dedicated to George Michael's then-partner at the time, Kenny Goss. The song reached 1 in Hungary, Italy, Poland and Spain, and it also topped three US '' Billboard'' dance charts.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by

Matthew Rolston Matthew Russell Rolston is an American artist, photographer, director and creative director, known for his lighting techniques and detailed approach to art direction and design. Rolston has been identified throughout his career with the revival a ...

. The video was filmed in London, United Kingdom in late 2003. It shows a modern club-like setting where a holographic performance by George Michael is projected in front of a long lounge. George is also shown amongst the crowd, and in small intervals singing in front of a black background.

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

chose the track as one of the album's track picks.

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's Michael Osborn said the song "sends us hurtling back to the late 80s." Sal Cinquemani called the song "catchy yet un-amazing." On 26 December 2016, a day after Michael's death, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' compiled a list of "20 Essential Songs" by Michael, and described "Amazing" as "a dancey

soft-rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...

number."

Chart performance

On 1 March 2004, "Amazing" was released in the United Kingdom. The song debuted at number four on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, selling 41,000 copies in its first week. 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 ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. Produced ...

'' 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 '' Billboards Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It also performed well on the

Hot Dance Airplay Dance/Mix Show Airplay (formerly Hot Dance Airplay) is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. History The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic d ...

chart, where it reached the top spot and stayed there for four weeks.

Track listings

UK CD1 # "Amazing" – 4:25 # " Freeek! '04" – 4:28 UK CD2 # "Amazing" (album version) – 4:25 # "Amazing" (Jack 'N' Rory 7-inch vocal mix) – 5:56 # "Amazing" (Full Intention club mix) – 8:05

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2004 singles 2004 songs Epic Records singles George Michael songs Music videos directed by Matthew Rolston Number-one singles in Hungary Number-one singles in Italy Number-one singles in Poland Number-one singles in Spain Song recordings produced by George Michael Songs written by George Michael Sony Music UK singles