| "Jesus to a Child" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by George Michael | ||||
| from the album Older | ||||
| B-side | "One More Try" (live gospel version) | |||
| Released | 8 January 1996 | |||
| Genre | Bossa nova[1][2] | |||
| Length |
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| Label | Virgin | |||
| Songwriter(s) | George Michael | |||
| Producer(s) | George Michael | |||
| George Michael singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Jesus to a Child" on YouTube | ||||
"Jesus to a Child" is a song by English singer and songwriter George Michael. Written as a melancholic tribute to his late lover Anselmo Feleppa, it was released in January 1996 by Virgin Records as the first single from his third studio album, Older (1996). The song, both written and produced by Michael, received positive reviews from music critics, many praising it as one of the best songs of the album; both The Guardian and Music Week named it Single of the Week.[3][4] It peaked at number one in Australia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom; it was Michael's sixth UK number one and his third as a solo performer. It also reached the top three on several other European charts and peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100. The music video for "Jesus to a Child" was directed by Howard Greenhalgh.
After Michael's death in 2016, Dame Esther Rantzen, founder of the charity ChildLine, revealed that Michael had secretly donated all of the single's royalties to the charity. She said "George helped us to reach out to hundreds of thousands of children through his generosity. I met him a couple of times, he approached us, rather than us going cap in hand to him, but it was an intensely personal gift. He didn’t want it to be known or to be part of his image."[5] She told BBC News that "he really wanted to keep his help secret, it was an intensely personal gift. It meant we could answer more children."[6]
- ^ Lester, Paul (25 May 1996). "Albums". Melody Maker. p. 50. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Older". People. 20 May 1996. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ Sullivan, Caroline (5 January 1996). "Music: CD single of the week - George Michael is back". The Guardian.
- ^ "Reviews: Singles - Single of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. 6 January 1996. p. 16. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ^ Jefferies, Mark (27 December 2016). "Star-studded George Michael tribute concert to be held to thank him for £2million Childline donation". Mirror. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ "George Michael's philanthropy comes to light after his death". BBC News. 27 December 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.