The long-awaited re-release of George Michael's Listen Without Prejudice has reached #1 in the UK. To celebrate, we put arguably the most remembered and loved song from the album against a similar Madonna classic.

 

George Michael and Madonna are two of the most influential artists in the music industry. Both are treasured for their catchy, joyous pop anthems, for recognising and appreciating the importance of escapism in music and for using their work as a means to present important messages. 'Freedom '90' is possibly the most well-known from Listen Without Prejudice. It refers to relieving himself of the superficial elements of his 80s success, stating his intention to no longer play by the rules and just make music that makes him and his fans happy. 'Express Yourself' is similarly a call for freedom. It urges women to reject stereotypical roles and not to be caught up in materialism; instead they should embrace who they are, following their dreams and ambitions and making themselves feel good.

 

Both are joyful, empowering songs that represent the best of George and Madonna's music, but which is your pride and joy and which is second best? ;o

 

 

Express Yourself for me but I am a fan of Freedom too obviously!

This is actually quite hard. Maybe it's because I've been listening to Listen Without Prejudice a lot this past couple of weeks (WHAT an album! :wub:) but I'm leaning towards 'Freedom'. I love the way it progresses and gets more joyful; it stops the 6 minute time length dragging and makes every moment worth it. I think I'll hold off voting for now because 'Express Yourself' is such a belter too.

Went for 'Freedom' in the end!