About The Song
“One More Try” is a song recorded by English singer and songwriter George Michael from his debut solo studio album, Faith (1987). It was released on 11 April 1988 as the album’s fourth single by Columbia Records. The song hit number one on all of the US Billboard Hot 100, the Hot Black Singles and the Hot Adult Contemporary charts. Its music video was directed by Tony Scott and filmed in Australia.
A ballad at almost six minutes in length, the song lyrically explores a young man’s hesitancy to enter/revisit a new relationship because he had been emotionally hurt so many times previously. The song concludes with temptation taking over, and Michael ends by singing the title for the only time. In 1988, Michael told Countdown that the song was written, recorded and finished within 8 hours.
“One More Try” remained a live favourite at Michael’s concerts in the years which followed including a live gospel version performed at Wembley Arena on 1 December 1993 as a part of the Concert of Hope, later released on the “Jesus to a Child” single in 1996, although its radio airplay tends to be restricted to specific “Love Songs”-esque features because of both the tempo and the length.
Tony Reed from Melody Maker wrote, “I’ve had enough of danger, George sings on this, the third single off Faith, and apparently quite the crowd pleaser on his current world tour. Now what sort of danger could that be? The mini bar running out of Perrier? The batteries in his Philishave packing in?” He also declared it as a “very, very sl-o-ow ballad”.
It reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart and became his sixth number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. Four of the six singles issued from Faith went to number one in America, while by comparison, none managed to do so in the UK.
“One More Try” was the third consecutive number one single from the Faith album. “One More Try” debuted at an impressive number 40 the week of 16 April 1988, and matching the speed of “Father Figure”, reached number one by its seventh week, 28 May 1988, this time staying there for three consecutive weeks. “One More Try” was the second-longest running number one of 1988, tied with “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison, and behind the four-week run of Steve Winwood’s “Roll with It”. In total, “One More Try” spent seven weeks in the top 10 and 14 weeks in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, out of a total of 18 weeks. It was a triple-chart number one, also topping the then-Hot Black Singles chart and the Adult Contemporary charts, and becoming the last number-one single on the now-Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart by a white male artist until Robin Thicke’s “Lost Without U” (2007).
Video
Lyrics
I’ve had enough of danger
And people on the streets
I’m looking out for angels
Just trying to find some peace
Now I think it’s time
That you let me know
So if you love me
Say you love me
But if you don’t just let me go
‘Cause teacher
There are things that I don’t want to learn
And the last one I had
Made me cry
So I don’t want to learn to
Hold you, touch you
Think that you’re mine
Because it ain’t no joy
For an uptown boy
Whose teacher has told him goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
When you were just a stranger
And I was at your feet
I didn’t feel the danger
Now I feel the heat
That look in your eyes
Telling me no
So you think that you love me
Know that you need me
I wrote the song, I know it’s wrong
Just let me go
And teacher
There are things
That I don’t want to learn
Oh the last one I had
Made me cry
So I don’t want to learn to
Hold you, touch you
Think that you’re mine
Because it ain’t no joy
For an uptown boy
Whose teacher has told him goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
So when you say that you need me
That you’ll never leave me
I know you’re wrong, you’re not that strong
Let me go
And teacher
There are things
That I still have to learn
But the one thing I have is my pride
Oh so I don’t want to learn
Hold you, touch you
Think that you’re mine
Because there ain’t no joy
For an uptown boy
Who just isn’t willing to try
I’m so cold
Inside
Maybe just one more try