The One George Michael Song To Listen To Right Now

Because 2016 isn't done taking everything that it can take from us, on Sunday night, news broke that ex-Wham! singer George Michael died at the age of 53. His publicist confirmed the news with BBC, and stated that he "passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period." Considering what a prolific singer Michael was, it's obvious that fans would turn to his discography in order to heal some of the heartache they're feeling right now. So, if you're looking for one Michael song to listen to right now, then I think that one song should be "Careless Whisper," which was his first solo single in the U.K. while he was still a member of Wham! and can also be found on the band's album Make It Big.

According to BBC, the song was co-written by Michael and Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley when they were only 17. In the United States, it was credited as a single for Wham! featuring George Michael, but, in fact, the song was a taste of what was to come for Michael's life after the band. The famous saxophone solo, and Michael's soulful, anguished singing, combined to make the song one of the most notable of his singles — so notable that it was just this year used repeatedly in the superhero film Deadpool. (Wham!) It's even on the soundtrack, in case you somehow got the impression that Michael wasn't badass.

This song is exactly the right one to be listening to right now because of how ubiquitous it is. Even the most casual George Michael fan can recognize the opening bars of the song and can feel the pain that he's singing in every single line. And the lyrics are incredibly haunting in light of the singer's passing:

I'm never gonna dance again

Guilty feet have got no rhythm

Though it's easy to pretend

I know you're not a fool

Should've known better than to cheat a friend

And waste the chance that I've been given

So I'm never gonna dance again

The way I danced with you

I don't know about you guys, but I'm kind of in tears right now. From Deadpool to Family Guy, "Careless Whisper" has taken on a life of its own, and you don't have to have been growing up in the '80s to know all the words to this song — if not just the chorus. It was one of those early signs of Michael's talents as a solo performer and, though it's not the most rare gem in his discography, maybe that's OK. Maybe now is not the time to look for the jewel in the jewelry store; maybe now is the time to share George Michael with the world rather than just with his more hardcore fans.

So turn on "Careless Whisper," blast it out the windows, and see how long it takes a neighbor to start singing along. Despite the sad story that it tells, this is a song that brings people together, because everyone remembers where they were — or what they were watching — the first time they heard that saxophone blare.