When George Michael met Bon Jovi on a record

George Michael, one the leading musical voices of the go-go ‘80s, died on Christmas in England, according to the BBC. The cause of death was heart failure, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

He was 53. 

First with Wham! and then as a solo artist, Michael was the ‘80s and ‘90s standard bearer for blue-eyed soul with hits like  “Freedom,” “Faith” and “Careless Whisper.”

MORE: George Michael dead at 53

In 2006, “Careless Whisper” was mashed up with Bon Jovi “Wanted Dead or Alive” to become “Careless or Dead” by the Brit outfit known as the Kleptones, aka music producer and DJ Eric Kleptone. The Kleptones typically release their music for free. Mashup artists do that to skirt copyright obligations.

“Careless Or Dead” was released on the Kleptones 2006 album “24 Hours.” The track takes the vocals of  “Dead or Alive” and lays it, seamlessly, onto “Careless Whisper.” There are several YouTubes of it floating around that delete some elements of the original mashup, including a sample of a speech by President George W. Bush that was used as an intro.

Neither Michael or Bon Jovi have publicly referred to “Careless or Dead” but then again, the original artists rarely ever talk about mashups. We play it here, to remember the too-soon passing of Michael.

Chris Jordan: cjordan@app.com