"You Have Been Loved" is a song by English singer and songwriter

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...

, recorded for his third studio album, ''

Older Older is the comparative form of "old". It may also refer to: Music: * ''Older'' (album), the third studio album from George Michael (released in 1996) ** "Older" (George Michael song) * "Older", a song on the 1999 album '' Long Tall Weekend'' ...

'' (1996). It was written by Michael and David Austin and produced by Michael. On 8 September 1997, "You Have Been Loved" was released as a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

single with "The Strangest Thing '97" and reached number two in the United Kingdom, behind

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

's "

Candle in the Wind 1997 "Candle in the Wind 1997", also known as "Goodbye England's Rose" and "Candle in the Wind '97", is a song by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, a re-written and re-recorded version of their 1973 song "Candle in the Wind" ...

" charity record.

Background

Michael wrote "You Have Been Loved" about his lover, Anselmo Feleppa, who died of an

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

-related illness in 1993. It was released as the sixth single from ''

''. "The Strangest Thing", also from the album, was remixed and re-recorded for this release as a more up-tempo track, the original version became more a dance-pop, middle eastern and bossa-nova song.

Critical reception

Matthew Hocter from Albumism said "You Have Been Loved" is "one of the

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

’s most heartbreaking and painfully personal love songs". A reviewer from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' rated it four out of five, describing it as "a gorgeous but painfully sad

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

about the lost of a loved one. May be too downbeat to get his usual feverish radio support, but should go Top 10." The magazine's Alan Jones felt it is "George at his most laidback." He added, "Beautifully sung mood music, it meanders melliflously for more than five minutes and is like a breath of fresh air, though the fact that ''Older'' has sold so many copies already, and the track's lack of a commercial hook, will limit its chart potential." An editor from ''

Sunday Mirror The ''Sunday Mirror'' is the Sunday sister paper of the ''Daily Mirror''. It began life in 1915 as the ''Sunday Pictorial'' and was renamed the ''Sunday Mirror'' in 1963. In 2016 it had an average weekly circulation of 620,861, dropping marke ...

'' wrote, "A beautiful ballad. Considering recent events, it strikes the perfect chord. Enough said." Alan Jackson from ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' declared it as a "lush, achingly tasteful ballad on bereavement" from "pop's King of Sorrows."Jackson, Alan (6 September 1997). "The week's top pop releases; Records". ''

''.

Track listings

* Asian, Australian, European, and UK CD EP # "You Have Been Loved" – 5:29 # "The Strangest Thing '97" (Radio Mix) – 4:40 # "

Father Figure A father figure is usually an older man, normally one with power, authority, or strength, with whom one can identify on a deeply psychological level and who generates emotions generally felt towards one's father. Despite the literal term "father ...

" (Live from MTV Unplugged) – 6:13 # "

Praying for Time "Praying for Time" is a song written and performed by British singer and songwriter George Michael, released on Epic Records in the United Kingdom and Columbia Records in the United States in 1990. It was the first single from his second studio ...

" (Live from MTV Unplugged) – 5:22 * European and UK CD II # "The Strangest Thing '97" (Loop Ratz Mix) – 8:46 # "The Strangest Thing '97" (Radio Mix) – 4:40 # "You Have Been Loved" – 5:29 * European CD single # "You Have Been Loved" – 5:29 # "The Strangest Thing '97" (Radio Mix) – 4:40

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1996 songs 1997 singles George Michael songs LGBT-related songs Pop ballads Songs about HIV/AIDS Commemoration songs Songs written by David Austin (singer) Songs written by George Michael Song recordings produced by George Michael Soul ballads Virgin Records singles