George Michael - Hard Day b/w I Want Your
Printed From: Top 40 Music on CD
Category: Top 40 Music On Compact Disc
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Printed Date: 27 April 2025 at 9:10am
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Topic: George Michael - Hard Day b/w I Want Your
Posted By: eric_a
Subject: George Michael - Hard Day b/w I Want Your
Date Posted: 01 September 2008 at 11:17am
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I was just reminded of a mystery from years ago. While this isn't exactly a "top 40" question, I'll bet someone here has the answer.
As many of you will recall, George Michael's single "I Want Your Sex" was split into Part 1/Part 2 on 45. Somewhat strangely, however, I've seen the 12" single in two different jackets and ostensibly with different A-sides. There's one jacket that matches the 7" PS ("I Want Your Sex," parts 1-3 b/w "Hard Day"). Then, there's a second version, selling "Hard Day" as the A-side, backed with "I Want Your Sex"). Does anyone know the story behind this flip? Was "Hard Day" a big club hit? Was it pushed to radio? On a related note, I just heard "I Want Your Sex" on an old American Top 40 countdown, and Casey avoids saying the title of the song. 
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Replies:
Posted By: AndrewChouffi
Date Posted: 01 September 2008 at 11:55am
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"Hard Day" was worked to Black/Urban stations (it reached #21 on Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart in a separate chart run after "I Want Your Sex").
"Hard Day" reached #5 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music - Club Play chart. Andy |
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 01 September 2008 at 4:42pm
| As a side note, Jim once sent me a dub of "I Want Your Love," which was sent to his station on a reel to reel tape when the song was a hit. It's an interesting edit of the 12" mix that removes all instances of the word "sex." |
Posted By: Steve Sharp
Date Posted: 01 September 2008 at 7:50pm
| I remember reading about the "I Want Your Love" version, but have never heard it. I would love to get ahold of it. |
Posted By: Brian W.
Date Posted: 02 September 2008 at 5:02pm
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Well, since the catalog number of the US 12-inch for "I Want Your Sex" was 44-06814 and this is 44-07466, presumably "I Want Your Sex" as the A-side came first.
According to Discogs.com, the US 12-inch of "I Want Your Sex" with "Hard Day" as the B-side used the LP version of "Hard Day." Presumably when that song was remixed, the 12-inch version was given the A-side in a separate release. http://www.discogs.com/release/421730 - Hard Day http://www.discogs.com/release/361406 - I Want Your Sex BTW, I've mentioned this is other threads, but the original LP Version of "Hard Day" as released on the 12-inch in advance of the album ran slower than the final album version. I have that original running speed on the US CD3 maxi. Same mix, just runs noticeably slower. |
Posted By: Hykker
Date Posted: 02 September 2008 at 5:25pm
Me too. |
Steve Sharp wrote:Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 02 September 2008 at 5:46pm
Me three. :) |
Posted By: Roscoe
Date Posted: 02 September 2008 at 8:07pm
Boy, I haven't heard that one since 1987! I mainly heard the standard 45 version on the radio stations in my region, but the one pop station in my (very small) hometown played the "I Want Your Love" version, which always bugged me whenever I heard it. I can't even remember how they reworked it; must have blocked it out. Several years later, this same station played a "clean" version of Dead Eye Dick's "New Age Girl" that put a sound effect over the word "bone" in the "she don't eat me but she sure likes the bone" line. Another travesty. |
Posted By: elcoleccionista
Date Posted: 03 February 2017 at 10:43pm
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Casey Kasem named the full track name up to a certain point when it
was climpbing up to the top 20, from then on all instances on later shows I have listened to, he ommitted it. |
Posted By: elcoleccionista
Date Posted: 03 February 2017 at 10:51pm
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By the way, for those interested, there are previously unheard "I
Want Your Sex" vocals on the 2010 Freemasons remixes which were officially licensed. They appear on the second verse between "...it's taken too much time... and ..."when you tell me you're gonna regret it...". |
Posted By: Plastic Steel
Date Posted: 06 February 2017 at 8:00am
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My local stations generally played the "I Want Your Love" version back in the summer of '87. I took a run at making my own edit based on a cassette I taped off the radio back then. I was able to match the edits but I didn't have the outro since it was cut off on my cassette (unless it sounds exactly like the intro to "Back In The High Life Again" by Steve Winwood, then I have it). I'm also not 100% sure I have the intro since it was also cut off ("Flames Of Paradise," if you're wondering). I should have known I'd need it 30 years later.
Generally, you have to replace "sex" in the chorus with either "love" or no vox so that instead of: I want your sex I want your love I want your sex I want your...sex in the regular version, you end up with: I want your love I want your love I want your love I want your... Then the ending transitions to the middle third of the "Monogamy Mix" (the version on the LP) with the synth horns. It's actually a nice piece of editing. It's surprising this wasn't released as an actual radio promo on 45 or CD. I probably heard this version more back then than the "filthy" version them big city folk had to listened to. |
Posted By: Brian W.
Date Posted: 06 February 2017 at 8:05pm
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Yeah, "I Want Your Sex" was the #1 selling single for
three weeks, but it never climbed higher than #4 in airplay, with a peak of #2 on the Hot 100. I've always wondered if it would have been #1 on the Hot 100 if it hadn't been for some radio stations reluctance to play it. |
Posted By: PopArchivist
Date Posted: 09 June 2020 at 12:32pm
Looking back now you are probably right Brian W, in this era the song would be pretty tamed compares to Rihanna's S & M and other more provocative hits. ------------- Favorite two expressions to live by on this board: "You can't download vinyl" and "Not everything is available on CD." |
Posted By: RichM921
Date Posted: 10 June 2020 at 5:07am
Even 5 or so years later no one seemed to have an issue with Color Me Badd's "I Wanna Sex You Up" or R. Kelly's "Sex Me". Attitudes changed fairly quickly. |
Posted By: PopArchivist
Date Posted: 28 August 2020 at 6:19pm
I'm sort of torn whether in my Hot 100 of 1987 (which strives for complete accuracy, radio edits over 45 commercial versions for example) to include this radio I Want Your Love version or to go with the I Want Your Sex, which also got airplay and most of us know and heard back then. The controversy is what I think propelled it to #2. It is an interesting edit, but it is a very rare case of a radio edit that never made it to the public on any released single version. Any thoughts on what I should do I am all ears. ------------- Favorite two expressions to live by on this board: "You can't download vinyl" and "Not everything is available on CD." |
Posted By: Bellenger1981
Date Posted: 28 August 2020 at 8:11pm
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I say go with the one that got the most airplay. ------------- Jason Bellenger Byron Center, Michigan, USA |
Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 29 August 2020 at 5:34am
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Personally, I'd go with "I Want Your Sex." It's the one I heard the majority of the time in the summer of 1987.
It's the same reason I prefer the German version of "99 Luftballons" by Nena. I never heard the English version much until years after the fact. Of course, a lot depends on which radio market you were in at the time. |
Posted By: PopArchivist
Date Posted: 29 August 2020 at 7:31pm
That's the way I was leaning Paul. I wouldn't begin to deduce which got more airplay that year I want your love or I want your sex, but my money would be on what was commercially available, which was I want your sex. Could a clean version released got it to #1? Possibly. If the label wanted to play it safe a clean version should have been available for purchase but it wasn't. The 45 and the CD promo in 1988 contain no censored lyrics. I personally never heard I want your love until Ron and Chuck showed me it existed. However, there was a front page article in Billboard on June 27, 1987 which indicates the clean edit was created by an Atlanta radio station and was not approved by Columbia. ------------- Favorite two expressions to live by on this board: "You can't download vinyl" and "Not everything is available on CD." |
Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 30 August 2020 at 4:48am
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Just for the record, I do recall hearing the "I Want Your Love" version a few times on the radio during the summer of 1987. I
believe that KDWB & WLOL were probably only playing it during the day. I was working the overnight shift at 7-11 that summer and I had the radio on all night long and they were certainly playing the "Sex" version a lot. Frankly, I thought the whole "controversy" was pretty silly to begin with. |
Posted By: jebsib
Date Posted: 30 August 2020 at 7:55am
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I travelled a lot around the country that summer (New England, Buffalo, Fla,
Hawaii) and - as Paul said - the song was very heavily dayparted in many markets - thus only played after 8pm. Never once heard the "Love" remix until years later. |
Posted By: 995wlol
Date Posted: 30 August 2020 at 2:08pm
FWIW, I listened exclusively to WLOL and don't remember hearing "I Want Your Love" that summer, but I was only 11 years old, so take that with a grain of salt. Interestingly, when school started back up in the fall, one of the "KDWB kids" (yes, there was a distinction in our classroom) brought a cassette with different edits of "I Want Your Love" they had recorded off air. This was the first time I was aware of there being a version with cleaned up lyrics. I also remember a story on one of the Twin Cities TV newscasts that included a snippet of 'LOL evening jock Denny Shafer talking about the controversy...wish I could see that piece now. |
Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 30 August 2020 at 2:20pm
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I'm not sure either which station I heard the "Love" version on, but I do remember being taken aback the first time I
heard it. I was covering for someone on the 7-11 day shift, which makes me think they day parted the 2 versions. |
Posted By: PopArchivist
Date Posted: 30 August 2020 at 7:05pm
That Billboard article pretty much confirmed there was an edited version at some radio stations so both of you are probably correct. Though if released now nothing in the entire song would need to be edited for content. Back then I don't think having "sex" in the title of the song was as acceptable as it is now. I can't think of any 80's song that has "sex" in the title outside of I Want Your Sex that was a top 40 hit. I mean Sexcrime 1984 by Eurythmics is the only one I could even come up with just from the top of my head. Sexual Healing from 1982 sure, but Marvin Gaye could sing about love and sex and it would still be classic Motown hit if the lyrics were not dirty. Nothing in that song that would not be appropriate for the masses. No, I Want Your Sex is really the first true sex song that mentions more than just love. Programmers had to make a choice for the first time because George Michael did not want to edit the song or the video, the Billboard article even references that. ------------- Favorite two expressions to live by on this board: "You can't download vinyl" and "Not everything is available on CD." |
Posted By: jebsib
Date Posted: 31 August 2020 at 10:16am
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Was there any outrage at the time over "Like a Virgin"?
I seem to remember some concern - perhaps that it was too suggestive? I think other songs in the 80s such as "Sugar Walls" and "Relax" tended to 'bury their message' a little so it wasn't so in your face. |
Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 31 August 2020 at 11:24am
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From the 12/26/87 issue of Billboard (Vox Jox column):
SEX & SAFE SEX: George Michael's "I Want Your Sex" caused concern for some programmers, and with prodding from the press, the hit served as an interesting springboard from which to examine radio's role in these AIDS-wary days. After the song's release, Michael somewhat reluctantly explained that the song promotes monogamy. Even then, many programmers felt listeners wouldn't take the time to interpret the song that way. Many stations introduced "I Want Your Sex" with prosafe-sex messages, some played the edited "I Want Your Love" version, and some banged it right out of the box to few complaints from listeners. Eventually, the song hit No. 2 on the Hot 100. |
Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 31 August 2020 at 11:34am
I remember some raised eyebrows when "Like A Virgin" came out, but it was such a massive hit, that I don't think too many stations wouldn't play it. I thought there would be more controversy about "Relax", but I seem to remember that was more directed towards the video. There were some stations that banned "Sugar Walls" and others that only played it at night. |
Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 31 August 2020 at 5:53pm
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I worked at a station here in Erie in 1984 that banned
play of "I Want A New Drug!" ------------- John Gallagher Erie, PA https://www.johngallagher.com" rel="nofollow - John Gallagher Wedding & Special Event Entertainment / Snapblast Photo Booth |
Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 01 September 2020 at 4:17am
But I bet you played it later that year when it morphed into "Ghostbusters!" :) |
Posted By: RichM921
Date Posted: 01 September 2020 at 7:13am
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I'd love to have a copy of the censored version. I remember hearing it
as the only version on one of my local CHRs at the time WRBQ Tampa Q105. In all honesty I never knew until reading this forum that the word he was singing was "love". It sounded like a different word, which I won't repeat here but could be considered just as dirty as the word "sex". In a strange twist of fate, the station that would only play the censored version, Q105, is now classic hits and now plays the uncensored version every day. |
Posted By: jebsib
Date Posted: 01 September 2020 at 8:42am
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Is there a thread for Controversial Top 40 hits: their evolution and various
edits? Sounds like we have a few candidates |
Posted By: David Pro
Date Posted: 01 September 2020 at 11:40am
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The censored radio edit of "I Want
Your Sex" titled "I Want Your Love" would have been a nice inclusion to the second disc of the 2011 remastered re-issue of Faith. Here is the tracklisting of the second disc: 1. "Faith" (Instrumental) – 3:16 2. "Fantasy" – 5:02 3. "Hard Day" (Shep Pettibone Mix) – 9:04 4. "I Believe When I Fall in Love" (Stevie Wonder, Yvonne Wright) (live) – 7:03 5. "Kissing a Fool" (Instrumental) – 4:35 6. "Love's in Need of Love Today" (Live at Wembley Arena, 1 Apr '87) (Wonder) – 4:43 7. "Monkey" (7" Edit Version) – 4:48 8. "Monkey" (A Capella & Beats) – 7:27 9. "Monkey" (Jam & Lewis Remix) – 8:10 |
Posted By: radiofan16
Date Posted: 11 May 2023 at 8:01pm
Here's a news report. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcOOjIO2Ml8 - George Michael I Want Your Sex Report. |
Posted By: Jody Thornton
Date Posted: 11 May 2023 at 10:24pm
Was it K-104? (WCCK) ------------- Cheers, Jody Thornton (Richmond Hill, Ontario) |
Posted By: eriejwg
Date Posted: 13 May 2023 at 12:50pm
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Hi Jody, indeed it was K104 in Erie. As I recall, the order
came down from the President of the company ------------- John Gallagher Erie, PA https://www.johngallagher.com" rel="nofollow - John Gallagher Wedding & Special Event Entertainment / Snapblast Photo Booth |