12 January 1996
The common denominator in George Michael’s better songs—‘Careless Whisper’, ‘Last Christmas’, ‘A Different Corner’, ‘Praying For Time’, ‘Freedom ’90’—is his ability to express confused, vulnerable hurt, often just in a striking lyric or vocal phrasing. Unfortunately, it’s a strength he gets to flex to its utmost in ‘Jesus To A Child’, which he wrote about the death of his partner.
Yes, there are bland stretches to ‘Jesus To A Child’, mostly with the formulaic bossa nova rhythm, carefully-plucked classical guitar and, title aside, no really memorable lyrics. Overall, though, that unusual title lyric is a neat encapsulation of the song: its jarring oddness offsets its potential gloopiness. This record is not as stark or pained as ‘A Different Corner’, or as angry as ‘Freedom ’90’, but nor does it reach for schmaltz or a contrived resolution. The gentle delivery hints at the solace of remembering love, which is sometimes all the solace we get. Of the better George Michael songs I mentioned above, ‘Jesus To A Child’ does just enough to get in to the lower end of that grouping.
