Why George Michael's 'Hand To Mouth' is a song for your soul

When you think of George Michael, some songs come to mind.

Careless Whisper. Faith. I Want Your Sex.

Hand to Mouth is the one song that should be apart of songs he's known for. When I took a chance to expand on other songs of his I haven't listened to yet. I call myself a fan of his, yet I didn't listen to his other songs. I only knew his successful songs. I put the scratched CD on, hoping the sound could be clear and cohesive. I tuned to the sixth, track Hand to Mouth, I found myself listening to it over and over that night, and then a few more times on my morning walks.

Hand to Mouth came out in 1987, as apart of the album Faith. It was easily overlooked due to the popular songs: Faith and I Want Your Sex. It's sad that this sultry and mesmerizing track wasn't given the same amount of publicity. Even in top ten lists in media, it's still not given the second chance for a surge in success.

The song opens up in a soft and steady percussion, giving the movement to slowly sway and the song begins. It starts about a disillusioned young man-

Jimmy got nothing made himself a name

With a gun that he polished for a rainy day

A smile and a quote from a vigilante movie

Our boy jimmy just blew them all away

Looking at those lyrics, to have a small story about a Jimmy, that this was someone to feel sorry but wonder what led to his choices. This is an unfortunate common factor in some troubled individuals that end up with a different fate to their name. It could have been different for Jimmy as well as others that have resorted to human malevolence in order to be remembered.

Then the second story of the song comes up, a young hooker who has had a hard life and has to make a decision for her child-

She loved her little baby

But she couldn't bare to see her living

This young woman had to make the decision to give her child up for a life she couldn't provide or bear to see living a life like hers. George sings that it happens all the time with young hookers, and he's right.

The third part of the song, to tell about the dreams to have in America, but sadly, the reality sets in.

I believe in the gods of America

I believe in the land of the free

But no one told me

That the gods believe in nothing

Hopes and dreams become hapless and distant. It's true, it's a harsh reality to those that have that ambition to achieve whatever they want. That mindset of , "I can do anything I want when I put my mind to it". It is possible, but there also needs to be the mindset that sometimes things don't work out the way we envisioned, even if it's in the place where dreams come true.

It is a song that tells a story similarly like Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen to sing about blue collar ties or Don't You Want Me by The Human League with the rise and fall of a star. Songs that tell us a through story about the changing in people through the passages of life. George is telling us what happened to these individuals that were either driven to a breaking point to make a name, made altering choices to prevent the past only to find it repeating again. Dreams that remain dreams because of the harsh parts of life. The way this song goes on about a lost hope, but the strive to keep moving on. That hopeless devotion to the thought that someday, one day it'll all change.

Listening to this song in modern time, with a inclination to understand what the singer is saying. It is very relatable for the ones who work tirelessly. In my relation to the song, I have always dreamed that I would have a successful life for my stories I've written. It hits on a heartfelt note about the strive for success but the struggle of it. Especially hearing the lyric-

Everybody talks about the new generation

Jump on the wagon or they'll leave you behind

Society keeps moving, and it doesn't stop for anyone.

The music still has that same George Michael sound, but this one just feels unique on it's own without any comparison to what other song it would sound like. I would say that it has some similarities to Careless Whisper for the melancholy melody that pulls at the heartstrings of love and broken dreams. But it's hard to explain to say exactly what this song is, that's just what George Michael did, he made these songs that can stand on their own without comparison.

It feels like a song you'd hear in a lounge. The way it starts out slow, with a gradual combination of different sounds to make a steady and soft atmosphere. The way he sings it with a sweet and sultry way, the way he always did, but this song, the way he sings it. It's almost personal. I could have seen this song used for a movie for the sketchy ambiance or a love-theme for lovers we know won't make it in the long run. This is something I could have seen Lana Del Rey or The 1975 make a cover of.

I feel that that some of the verses of Hand to Mouth are left open to the listener, I've looked up to see what some of the lyrics meant to what George was conveying. But it seemed I wasn't the only one, many others were left baffled to try and figure out some of the specific messages in the parts of this song. I've interpreted it from a personal point of view as well as the commentary through the stories of these characters for the song. To show the constant flow of frustration in everyday life.

It's a song to sit down, listen to, and appreciate for this sound that is rare to hear anymore. It's a song that only George Michael can create.

Upon listening to it, you'll be swaying to the sounds, eyes closed to imagine the stories that George is providing. When his voice echos, your arms are out and open, careful but carefree.

Then the song ends with a feeling I can only describe it as "a melancholic understanding". Having a song that has made me feel hurt and healed at the same time. To dream but remember that dreams don't come true, but not yet. It's just not time yet as the song ends with-

And I tell myself

One day

They just might see me

It also hurts to remember when George Michael left us in 2016, I say this never knowing him as a person, only as a fan of his music that was before my time. I remember when my eyes brimmed with tears to see his passing. It only makes this song in a personal value to remember his legacy.