ON THIS DAY IN 1987 - "I WANT YOUR SEX" WAS CENSORED DESPITE ITS MONOGAMY MESSAGE

ON THIS DAY IN 1987, George Michael released Faith — an album containing a song that had been censored even though he publicly framed its message around monogamy.

Months before the album arrived, “I Want Your Sex” had already triggered a fierce reaction. 📻 Some radio stations banned or restricted it, while at least one station replaced the provocative word in its own edited version. The title and erotic chorus were widely treated as an endorsement of promiscuity.

Michael strongly disagreed. 🚫 He maintained that the song was about desire within a committed relationship, not casual sex. He wanted to show that lust, intimacy and monogamy did not have to contradict one another.

The video faced similar resistance. MTV required edits before broadcasting it, and Michael recorded a spoken introduction placing the song within the debate over casual sex. 📺 The video then made its message visible: the words “Explore Monogamy” appeared across the body of Kathy Jeung, Michael’s girlfriend at the time.

The controversy created a striking contradiction. A record intended to connect sexual desire with commitment was being discussed as though it promoted exactly the opposite. ❤️ Even Michael acknowledged that the deliberately provocative presentation made his argument difficult for some listeners to recognize.

Years later, he revealed another layer to the story. The song’s direct inspiration, he said, was a particular man he loved and had grown frustrated waiting for. That private situation unfolded amid complicated feelings involving the relationships in his life at the time. 🎙️

So behind one of Faith’s boldest and most controversial tracks was something more vulnerable than its title suggested: longing, confusion and the desire to be chosen. Sometimes the loudest provocation can conceal the most personal confession. ✨

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