"Outside" is a song by George Michael,[Coming out|] released on 19 October 1998 as the lead single from his greatest hits album, . The song was released on Epic Records and peaked at number-one in Greece, Hungary and Spain. In addition, it peaked at number 2 in the UK, number 3 in Italy and Scotland, number 4 in Denmark, number 5 in Iceland, number 7 in Ireland and number 8 in Finland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Outside" reached number 3 in November 1998. Outside Europe, the song reached number 3 on the BillboardHot Dance Club Play in the US, number 11 in New Zealand and number 13 in Australia.
History
The song was Michael's first single since he was arrested for engaging in a lewd act six months earlier by an undercover police officer in the public lavatory 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. Michael took a swipe at the incident in the lyrics, claiming he wanted an alfresco sex life because he was bored with lovemaking behind closed doors. Reference to the Beverly Hills affair came with the line "I'd service the community, but I already have, you see" and direct samples of radio reports of his arrest. In a 2004 interview with Adam Mattera for UK magazine Attitude, Michael reflected: "I felt that lightening the stigma around cruising was the most immediately beneficial thing I could do. I know for a fact that when I was 16, 17, when I started cruising, that watching the Outside video would have taken some of the weight off my shoulders.." The song was recorded at Sarm West in London with a string section and arrangement by Andrew Skeet.
Critical reception
Roberto Friedman from Bay Area Reporter described the song as "a paean to public sex". Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that "set against a jubilant disco beat awash with strings, cascading electronic beeps, and a vocal filled with simple joy, this celebratory track could be the one to return George Michael to the hearts of the masses. The track begins with a whip of strings, a chorus of voices chanting, "Let's go outside," and a funky little guitar lick, followed by Michael's instantly recognizable vocal, sounding liberated and loose. So much of his recent material has been heavy in lyric and short on hook; as a result, he's had a tough time getting on radio in the U.S. This should begin the next era for this keeper of an artist, who at last seems comfortable just having a little fun." Sarah Davis from Dotmusic said that "Outside" "is every bit Fast Love’s twin with the singer at his most accessibly funky." She added, "Turning his arrest into musical inspiration, George Michael cheekily uses the sound of a police siren to welcome in his first new single in more than two years." Beth Johnson from Entertainment Weekly described the song as a "retro-disco hoot" in her review of Ladies & Gentlemen.... Music & Media noted that "it's a superb slice of neo-'70s disco/funk, boasting tonguein-cheek lyrics and a strong hook." Dave Fawbert from ShortList described it as "an amazing slinky disco track", adding that the song "is timeless and would still be a massive hit if was released today."
Music video
The video, directed by Vaughan Arnell and filmed on 4 June 1998, was especially satirical. It features a police helicopter hovering over Los Angeles and shadowing a variety of people, gay and straight, kissing, having sex or engaging in foreplay, all in public. The scenes of public coupling are styled like real surveillance footage and interspersed with scenes of Michael and his dancers performing in a men's toilet. Michael is dressed as an LAPD police officer and clutching a nightstick, while the toilet is decorated like a disco nightclub, complete with flashing lights and disco balls. Two female dancers dressed in police uniforms are also seen dancing with Michael. Before the song starts properly, the video begins with a parody of a 1970s European pornography film. As a sultry jazz saxophone score plays, the credits show "eine fulm bi Hüu Jarss", "mit Klaus Hoöd", "undë Heidi Kóchenblauer", "ars 'Cindy'", "direktum bi Marchelo Üffenvanken" – a collection of made-up names and words, most likely meant to resemble Swedish, Danish or Dutch, but with deliberate English puns, such as "Hüu Jarss" for Who Cares. "Cindy" is played by SI swimsuit model Melissa Keller. A short passage of narration in Swedish: "Vem var hon? Var kom hon ifrån? Hade hon ätit? Då plötsligt kom jag ihåg, det var ingen dröm: jag var... i Hollywood!", translates as: "Who was she? Where did she come from? Had she eaten? Then suddenly I recalled, it was no dream: I was... in Hollywood!." In the video, apart from Keller, porn starsRebecca Lord and Brittany Andrews make their appearances, including actress Jeanne Carmen. At the end of the video, two male officers arrest numerous couples previously shown engaging in lewd conduct. The video concludes with the two police officers, thinking that they aren't being watched, sharing a passionate embrace and starting to kiss, the surveillance video focusing in on their public indecency. The video ends with a shot of a rooftop neon sign reading "JESUS SAVES", followed by the on-screen captions "... all of us. all." In 1998, Marcelo Rodriguez, the undercover officer who arrested Michael, brought a $10 million court case in California against the singer who had amassed an estimated personal fortune of £70 million in his lifetime. The court dismissed the case, but an appeals court reinstated the case on 3 December 2002. The court then ruled Rodriguez, as a public official, could not legally recover damages for emotional distress.
Track listing
"Outside"
"Fantasy '98"
"Outside"
Commercial performance
"Outside" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart; one of many songs to be held off by a seven-week run at the top by Cher with "Believe". It was not featured on a studio album, but was included on his solo hits collection – the title of which was also a pun of his activity in the lavatory at the centre of the controversy, Ladies & Gentlemen being a British colloquial term for a gender specific public toilet.
