Freeek!

2002 single by George Michael

"Freeek!"
Single by George Michael
from the album Patience
B-side"The Long and Winding Road"
Released18 March 2002 (2002-03-18)
Genre
Length4:33
Label
  • Polydor
  • Aegean
Songwriter(s)
  • George Michael
  • Moogymen
Producer(s)George Michael
George Michael singles chronology
"If I Told You That"
(2000) 		"Freeek!"
(2002) 		"Shoot the Dog"
(2002)

"Freeek!" is a song written and performed by English singer George Michael. The song contains samples from "Try Again" by Aaliyah, "Breathe and Stop" by Q-Tip, and "N.T." by Kool & the Gang. A remastered version called "Freeek! '04" was later included on Michael's fifth and final studio album, Patience (2004).

The single was released on 18 March 2002; the first of six to come from Patience, although the album itself was not released until 2004. The song peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart and also charted within the top ten in many other European countries. It topped the charts of Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, and Spain and reached number five in Australia.

Music video

The music video for "Freeek!" was directed by Joseph Kahn. It incorporates a futuristic theme, including cyborgs and sophisticated technology recalling the film Blade Runner, with a sexually aggressive tone. The directorial effects in the video were first used in Janet Jackson's "Doesn't Really Matter" video, also directed by Kahn.

With a production budget of $2 million (equivalent to $3.3 million in 2023), the music video for "Freeek!" is the 18th most expensive music video made.

Track listings

UK and Australian CD1[3]

  1. "Freeek!"
  2. "Freeek!" (The Scumfrogs mix)
  3. "Freeek!" (Moogymen mix)

UK and Australian CD2[4]

  1. "Freeek!"
  2. "Freeek!" (Max Reich mix)
  3. "The Long and Winding Road" (Beatles cover)

UK cassette single and European CD single[5][6]

  1. "Freeek!"
  2. "The Long and Winding Road" (Beatles cover)

Japanese CD single[7]

  1. "Freeek!"
  2. "Freeek!" (The Scumfrogs mix)
  3. "Freeek!" (Moogymen mix)
  4. "Freeek!" (Max Reich mix)
  5. "The Long and Winding Road" (Beatles cover)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2002) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[8] 5
Australian Dance (ARIA)[9] 2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] 7
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] 21
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[12] 11
Denmark (Tracklisten)[13] 1
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[14] 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[15] 6
France (SNEP)[16] 7
Germany (Official German Charts)[17] 7
Greece (IFPI)[18] 4
Hungary (Mahasz)[19] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[20] 14
Italy (FIMI)[21] 1
Japan (Oricon)[22] 93
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] 8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 12
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[25] 15
Norway (VG-lista)[26] 7
Portugal (AFP)[14] 1
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[27] 9
Scotland (OCC)[28] 9
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[29] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[30] 26
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] 2
UK Singles (OCC)[32] 7

Year-end charts

Chart (2002) Position
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[33] 99
Italy (FIMI)[34] 19
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[35] 147
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] 66
UK Singles (OCC)[37] 117

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[38] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Version Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United Kingdom "Freeek!" 18 March 2002 CD [39][40]
Australia [41]
Japan 20 March 2002 [42]
"Shoot the Dog" / "Freeek!" 4 December 2002 DVD Polydor [43]

See also

  • List of number-one hits of 2002 (Italy)
  • List of number-one singles of 2002 (Spain)
  • List of number-one songs of the 2000s (Denmark)

References

  1. ^ "You Have Been Loved: Remembering George Michael, the Icon". Albumism. 27 December 2016.
  2. ^ "Retro Modern: George Michael's 'Freeek!'". Blogcritics. 15 January 2017.
  3. ^ Freeek! (UK & Australian CD1 liner notes). George Michael. Polydor Records, Aegean Records. 2002. 5706812.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ Freeek! (UK & Australian CD2 liner notes). George Michael. Polydor Records, Aegean Records. 2002. 5706822.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ Freeek! (UK cassette single sleeve). George Michael. Polydor Records, Aegean Records. 2002. 5706974.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ Freeek! (European CD single liner notes). George Michael. Polydor Records, Aegean Records. 2002. 5706972.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Freeek! (Japanese CD single liner notes). George Michael. Polydor Records, Aegean Records. 2002. UICP-5014.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ "George Michael – Freeek!". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  9. ^ "Issue 632" ARIA Top 50 Dance Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  10. ^ "George Michael – Freeek!" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  11. ^ "George Michael – Freeek!" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  12. ^ "George Michael – Freeek!" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  13. ^ "George Michael – Freeek!". Tracklisten. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  14. ^ a b "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 14. 6 April 2002. p. 57. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  15. ^ "George Michael: Freeek!" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  16. ^ "George Michael – Freeek!" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  17. ^ "George Michael – Freeek!" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  18. ^ "Top 50 Singles" (in Greek). IFPI. Archived from the original on 3 April 2002. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  19. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20, no. 15. 6 April 2002. p. 13. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  20. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Freeek!". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  21. ^ "George Michael – Freeek!". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  22. ^ ジョージ・マイケルのシングル売り上げランキング (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  23. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 13, 2002" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  24. ^ "George Michael – Freeek!" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  25. ^ "George Michael – Freeek!". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  26. ^ "George Michael – Freeek!". VG-lista. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  27. ^ "Editia 15, saptamina 15.04–21.04, 2002" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 22 March 2005.
  28. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  29. ^ "George Michael – Freeek!" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  30. ^ "George Michael – Freeek!". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  31. ^ "George Michael – Freeek!". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  32. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  33. ^ "Year in Review – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 2002" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 2–3. 11 January 2003. p. 14. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  34. ^ "Top of the Music – Mix e Singoli" (PDF) (in Italian). FIMI. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  35. ^ "Jaarlijsten 2002" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  36. ^ "Swiss Year-End Charts 2002" (in German). Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  37. ^ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2002" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  38. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  39. ^ Hubner, Miriam (2 March 2002). "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20, no. 10. p. 22. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  40. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 18 March 2002: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 16 March 2002. p. 30. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  41. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 18th March 2002" (PDF). ARIA. 18 March 2002. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2002. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  42. ^ "新譜発売日一覧 2002年 3月分" [New Release Date List for March 2002] (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on 8 August 2002. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  43. ^ "新譜発売日一覧 2002年 12月分" [New Release Date List for December 2002] (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on 9 June 2003. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
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