"Heal the Pain"
Single by George Michael
from the album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1
B-side"Soul Free"
Released4 February 1991 (1991-02-04)[1]
GenrePop
Length4:46
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)George Michael
Producer(s)George Michael
George Michael singles chronology
"Waiting for That Day"
(1990)		 "Heal the Pain"
(1991)		 "Cowboys and Angels"
(1991)
Licensed audio
"Heal the Pain" on YouTube

"Heal the Pain" is a song written and performed by English singer-songwriter George Michael and released on Epic Records in February 1991. A contemplative, acoustic guitar-based love song, it was the fourth of five UK singles taken from his second solo album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1990).

The song entered the UK Singles Chart in February 1991 and peaked at number 31. It followed a pattern of being slightly lower than its predecessor (the previous three singles had peaked at numbers 6, 23 and 28, respectively). One more single from the album would continue the pattern, by not even breaking the threshold of the top 40. "Soul Free", also taken from Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, appeared as the B-side. For the fourth US single, Columbia Records used "Soul Free" as the A-side and "Cowboys and Angels" as the B-side, but the single did not chart.

The band Lemon Jelly have used an uncredited sample of the track on the B-side of their single "Rolled/Oats". Brazilian singers Fernanda Takai and Samuel Rosa recorded a version of the song in Portuguese titled "Pra Curar Essa Dor", for Takai's fourth studio album, Na Medida do Impossível, released in 2014.

Critical reception

Adam Sweeting from The Guardian viewed "Heal the Pain" as one of the "best tracks" of Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1. He added that the song "with its close harmonies and neck-brushing acoustic guitars, is the Paul McCartney ballad the Fab One never wrote."[2] A reviewer from Music & Media wrote, "Comforting, Beatles-type pop. If The Beatles are the healer, Michael is the dealer."[3] Alan Jones from Music Week named it Pick of the Week, declaring it as a "gentle acoustically jangling, intimately sung ballad", noting that it was Michael's personal favourite. He concluded, "Not a Top 10 hit, but a breath of fresh air."[4]

Charts

Chart (1991) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] 36
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[6] 16
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] 25
Ireland (IRMA)[8] 16
UK Singles (OCC)[9] 31

2006 version

"Heal the Pain"
Single by George Michael and Paul McCartney
from the album Twenty Five (US release)
Released
  • 2006 (UK release of Twenty Five)
  • 2008 (US release, also as single)
Recordedweek of 28 November 2005
GenrePop
Length4:46
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)George Michael
Producer(s)George Michael
George Michael singles chronology
"This Is Not Real Love"
(2006)		 "Heal the Pain"
(2008)		 "December Song"
(2008)
Paul McCartney singles chronology
"Ever Present Past"
(2007)		 "Heal the Pain"
(2008)		 "Sing the Changes
(The Fireman)"
(2008)

In 2005, it was announced that Michael would be recording a version of the track with Paul McCartney, in whose style the song was written. Michael appeared on the Chris Evans show on BBC Radio 2 on 5 December 2005, and announced that he had recorded the song with McCartney "last week" but did not know what he was going to do with it yet. The track was later added to the greatest hits collection Twenty Five.

In 2008, it was released as a single from the US release of George Michael's greatest hits album Twenty Five.

References

  1. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 2 February 1991. p. vi.
  2. ↑ Sweeting, Adam (30 August 1990). "Music: Now George Wants Your Cheques". The Guardian.
  3. ↑ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 23 February 1991. p. 24. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  4. ↑ Jones, Alan (2 February 1991). "Mainstream: Singles — Pick of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. p. 8. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  5. ↑ "George Michael – Heal the Pain" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  6. ↑ Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  7. ↑ "George Michael – Heal the Pain" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  8. ↑ The Irish Charts. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  9. ↑ Top 75 Releases. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
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