George Michael’s jazz cover of The Police’s Roxanne is still stunning 25 years on
2 May 2025, 15:21
The Wham! icon first released his jazzy rendition of 'Roxanne' in 1999.
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George Michael is beloved for his many original hit songs, but the ‘Careless Whisper’ artist was also gifted at performing covers of others’ tracks.
In 1999, the Wham! star released his fourth studio album, Songs from the Last Century, which as the name suggests featured George singing covers of various songs from the 1900s ahead of the turn of the millennium.
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One of those covers was of The Police’s ‘Roxanne’, which the ‘Freedom!’ singer reimagined as a stripped back jazz song.
Over 25 years on, George’s rendition of ‘Roxanne’ is still making an impression with listeners, old and new – especially thanks to a live recording which is available to watch on the singer’s official YouTube channel.
Watch George Michael sing ‘Roxanne’ live below:
George Michael - Roxanne (Live)
Speaking with Capital FM (via gmforever.com) about why he chose the songs that he covered on Songs from the Last Century, George said: “They’re really just songs that I thought I’d like to have a go at... I wanted something that would suit a very gentle delivery.”
On the subject of ‘Roxanne’ specifically, he continued: “To be honest, it’s not one of my favourite Sting songs.”
However, he made it clear that Sting was one of the “British writers that [he] most respect[s]...
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“So really it was a matter of: ‘What Sting song can I do?’ And, to be honest, I really like to cover songs that, not that I think that could not necessarily be better, but that I don’t think were perfect in the first place.
“I’ve never really liked 'Roxanne' that much, but it’s a great song,” he explained.
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Giving 'Roxanne' a jazzy mood was how George achieved his challenge of improving the single.
One of his fourth album’s most popular tracks, George went on to perform ‘Roxanne’ on his mid-00s 25 Live tour, as well as on his Symphonica tour in the early 2010s.
George Michael - Roxanne @ Symphonica The Orchestral Tour, Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam
The Police - Roxanne (Official Music Video)
The latter tour was recorded for a live album, which was released in 2014.
Although the then-51-year-old artist’s ‘Roxanne’ cover didn’t feature on the first edition of his live album, it was included on the deluxe record alongside other exclusives 'Going To A Town' and 'You Have Been Loved'.
‘Roxanne’ was released by The Police in April 1978, and was the first single from their debut studio album Outlandos d’Amour. The song was their second single, following on from 1977’s ‘Fall Out’, and tells the story of a man who falls in love with a prostitute.
George Michael recorded a music video for his cover of the song in 1999. The video was filmed in Amsterdam’s red-light district.
