Do you like this song? #818
Yes I like it, I already know it
Yes I like it, first time listening
No I don't like it, I already know it
No I don't like it, first time listening
George Michael - Outside 1998
"Outside" is a song by the English singer-songwriter George Michael, released on 19 October 1998 as the lead single from his first greatest hits album, Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael (1998). It reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Michael's most recent UK top-three hit. In Greece, Hungary, and Spain, the song peaked at number one, number three in Italy, number four in Denmark, number five in Iceland, number seven in Ireland, and number eight in Finland. It reached number three on the Eurochart Hot 100 and the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, number 11 in New Zealand, and number 13 in Australia.
"Outside" was Michael's first single since his arrest for engaging in a lewd act six months earlier, in April 1998, by an undercover police officer in the public toilet of the Will Rogers Memorial Park in Beverly Hills, California – an incident that prompted him to declare his homosexuality, which had been rumoured for some years but never publicly confirmed. He was sentenced to 80 hours of community service for the offence.
The satirical music video shows couples engaging in lewd public activities while Michael, dressed as a police officer, dances in a public toilet. Before the song starts properly, the video begins with a parody of a 1970s European pornography film with a short passage of narration in Swedish. Marcelo Rodriguez, the undercover officer who had arrested Michael, claimed the video "mocked" him and filed a legal suit for $10 million. While the matter was initially dismissed, the California Courts of Appeal reinstated the case on 3 December 2002. The judgement ruled that Rodriguez, as a public official, could not legally recover damages for emotional distress.
"Outside" received a total of 55,6% yes votes. Previous Wham!/George Michael polls: #62 "As", #108 "Everything She Wants", #219 "Freedom! '90", #444 "Do They Know It's Christmas?", #445 "Last Christmas", #690 "Jesus to a Child", #716 "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go".
