Michael (Franz Ferdinand song)

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"Michael"
Single by Franz Ferdinand
from the album Franz Ferdinand
Released	August 16, 2004
Format	CD, 7", 12"
Recorded	2003-2004
Genre	Indie/Alternative
Length	3 min 21 s (CD)
Label	Domino
Producer(s)	Tore Johansson
Chart positions
#17 (UK)
Franz Ferdinand singles chronology
"The Dark of the Matinée" (2004)	"Michael" (2004)	"This Fire" (2004)

Michael is a song by Franz Ferdinand and was the fourth single released from their debut self-titled album. The song was notable for its homoerotic lyrics such as "stubble on my sticky lips" and "beautiful boys on a beautiful dancefloor".

The singer, Alex Kapranos, stated in an interview that the song was written about two friends of his — "It was one night when me and the band were out with friends from Glasgow, and we went to this warehouse dance party thing called Disco X. It was a very debauched night and these two friends got it together in a very sexy way."[1] The song reportedly contains a subliminal message during the first instrumental refrain telling the listener: "She's worried about you, call your mother".

The song was released as a single in the UK on August 16, 2004. Due to a breach of UK chart rules by generously providing three tracks on the CD1 format instead of two (in what the band described in a press statement as a "silly schoolboy error") sales of the CD1 format were disqualified. Despite this, the single still reached a respectable #17.

The band usually performs a slightly different version of the song at concerts, most notably with the final "Come and dance with me" replaced by the more risqué "Come all over me" (this alternative lyric is in the liner notes, but crossed out and with the recorded lyric written beside it.) Also, "stubble on my sticky lips" is occasionally replaced with "stubble on my sticky hips."

Michael was also included as part of the soundtrack for the Playstation 2 game, Gran Turismo 4.

[edit] UK Track Listings

CD1

1. "Michael" (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
   • Lead vocals: Alex Kapranos
2. "Love and Destroy" (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
   • Lead vocals: Alex Kapranos
3. "Missing You" (Alex Kapranos)
   • Lead vocals: Alex Kapranos

CD2 (deleted on day of release)

1. "Michael" (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
   • Lead vocals: Alex Kapranos
2. "Don't Start" (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
   • Lead vocals: Alex Kapranos & Nick McCarthy
3. "Tell Her Tonight" (German Version) (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
   • Lead vocals: Nick McCarthy

CD3

1. "Michael" (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
   • Lead vocals: Alex Kapranos
2. "Don't Start" (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
   • Lead vocals: Alex Kapranos & Nick McCarthy

7"

1. "Michael" (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
   • Lead vocals: Alex Kapranos
2. "Michael" (Simon Bookish Remix) (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
   • Lead vocals: Simon Bookish

12"

1. "Michael" (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
   • Lead vocals: Alex Kapranos
2. "Love And Destroy" (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
   • Lead vocals: Alex Kapranos
3. "Don't Start" (Alex Kapranos)
   • Lead vocals: Alex Kapranos

[edit] US Track Listings

12"

1. "Michael" (Album Version) (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
   • Lead vocals: Alex Kapranos
2. "Dark Of The Matinée" (Headman Remix) (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy/Bob Hardy)
   • Lead vocals: Alex Kapranos
3. "This Fire" (Playgroup Remix) (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
   • Lead vocals: Alex Kapranos
4. "Michael" (Thomas Eriksen Mix) (Alex Kapranos/Nick McCarthy)
   • Lead vocals: Alex Kapranos

[edit] External link

• Michael Lyrics

Franz Ferdinand
Alex Kapranos | Robert Hardy | Nicholas McCarthy | Paul Thomson
Discography
Albums and extended plays: Darts of Pleasure | Franz Ferdinand | You Could Have It So Much Better
Singles: "Darts of Pleasure" | "Take Me Out" | "The Dark of the Matinée" | "Michael" | "This Fire" | "Do You Want To" | "Walk Away" | "The Fallen" / "L. Wells" | "Eleanor Put Your Boots On"
DVDs: Franz Ferdinand
Related articles
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria | Domino Records | Tore Johansson | Rich Costey
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