"A Different Corner" is a song written and performed by

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, MTV generation and is one of the List ...

that was released on Epic Records (

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

in the US) in 1986 .

Background & Writing

"A Different Corner" was written by Michael while

Wham! Wham! (briefly known in the US as Wham! U.K.) were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They became one of the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling more ...

were at their peak as a duo, and during a low point in his life: Michael admitted that "A Different Corner" was the "most honest" and personal song he had ever done. He elaborated further on the song's meaning: According to Michael, the song took roughly 14 hours to write and record from beginning to end. The synthesizer textures were created with a

Roland Juno-60 The Roland Juno-60 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1982 and 1984. It followed the Juno-6, an almost identical synthesizer released months earlier. The Juno synthesizers introduced Roland's digitally contro ...

synthesizer.

History

At the time of its release in March 1986, Michael was still a member of pop duo

(the song is included on Wham!'s album ''

Music from the Edge of Heaven ''Music from the Edge of Heaven'' is the final studio album from British pop duo Wham!. It was released on July 1, 1986 by Columbia Records. ''Music from the Edge of Heaven'' was only released in North America and Japan. In other territories, ...

'' only released in Japan and North America, as well as their compilation album '' The Final'', released worldwide), though he and partner

Andrew Ridgeley Andrew John Ridgeley (born 26 January 1963) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer, best known for his work in the 1980s in the musical duo Wham!. Early life Ridgeley was born in Windlesham, Surrey, England, to pare ...

had announced that they would split in the summer after a farewell single, album and concert. Michael had already enjoyed a solo number one 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 ...

in 1984 with "

Careless Whisper "Careless Whisper" is a song written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. Released on the 1984 Wham! album ''Make It Big'', the single release was credited either to ''Wham! featuring George Michael'' (in North America and several other count ...

", which was credited as Wham! featuring George Michael in the US. After radio DJ

Simon Bates Simon Philip Bates (born 17 December 1946) is an English disc jockey and radio presenter. Between 1976 and 1993 he worked at BBC Radio 1, presenting the station's weekday mid-morning show for most of this period. He later became a regular pres ...

first aired "A Different Corner" on

Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to: *BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC **BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music *CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ...

, he rated the song so highly that he immediately played it again from the beginning. Michael went back to the top of the UK chart with "A Different Corner", becoming the first solo act in the history of the UK chart to reach number one with his first two releases, although he was hardly an unknown or new act on either occasion due to his previous hits with Wham!. The song reached number 7 on the

US Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streamin ...

, thus becoming the first single credited solely to Michael to become an American top-ten hit which was enough to make American executives at Epic Records confident that Michael would be viable as a solo artist and helped get the gears in motion for his solo album debut ''

Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

''. It was the first song to reach number one in the UK charts to be written, performed and produced by the same person. The song was also remixed for his compilation '' Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael''. This version omitted the guitar and Michael's background vocals during the instrumental break. The song was featured in a 1986 episode of the US daytime soap opera ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. The soap, which aired on ...

''. The song was performed by

Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, pianist, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Devon, he went to Uni ...

as part of a tribute to Michael during the

2017 BRIT Awards Brit Awards 2017 was held on 22 February 2017 and was the 37th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony were held at The O2 Arena in London. Emma Willis hosted ''The Brits Are Coming'', the laun ...

. A note on the back of the sleeve proclaims, "This record is dedicated to a memory."

Cover versions

* 1992:

Pepsi & Shirlie Pepsi & Shirlie are an English pop duo group formed in London in 1985, which released two albums, ''All Right Now'' in 1987 and ''Change'' in 1991. Their debut single "Heartache" reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart. Career The act comprised ...

* 2017:

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey (manager), Phil H ...

Music video

The music video is set in a sparse white room with a window. George Michael is also dressed in white, and is shown sitting and walking around the room whilst singing the song.

Track listing

7": Epic / A 7033 (UK)

# "A Different Corner" – 3:57 # "A Different Corner" (instrumental) – 4:13

12": Epic / GTA 7033 (UK)

# "A Different Corner" – 3:57 # "A Different Corner" (instrumental) – 4:13 * released in gatefold sleeve

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Different Corner, A 1986 singles 1986 songs George Michael songs European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Number-one singles in Norway Number-one singles in Zimbabwe RPM Top Singles number-one singles UK Singles Chart number-one singles Songs written by George Michael Song recordings produced by George Michael 1980s ballads Pop ballads Contemporary R&B ballads Soul ballads Columbia Records singles Epic Records singles