Shoot the Dog

"Shoot the Dog"
Single by George Michael
from the album Patience
Released	29 July 2002 (2002-07-29)
Genre	Synth-pop[1]
Length	5:01
Label	Polydor
Songwriter(s)	George Michael Philip Oakey Ian Burden
Producer(s)	George Michael
George Michael singles chronology
"Freeek!" (2002) "Shoot the Dog" (2002) "Amazing" (2004)

"Shoot the Dog" is a song by British singer-songwriter George Michael, released as the second single from his fifth and final studio album, Patience, though released a year and a half prior to the album. It was his last release for Polydor Records, after which he departed from that label and returned to Sony Music, on which the album Patience, including the song "Shoot the Dog", was released. The song is a protest song referring to (and critical of) British Prime Minister Tony Blair and American President George W. Bush. Released on 29 July 2002, it peaked at number one in Denmark and number 12 in the United Kingdom.

The music video for the song is completely animated. The single marked 20 years since the release of Wham!'s first single, "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)", another politically charged song written by Michael. "Shoot the Dog" samples the Human League song "Love Action (I Believe in Love)". It also samples the "That's right!" vocal from Silver Convention's "Get Up and Boogie", as well as the "Gotta get up" vocal from Michael's own song "Fastlove" (1996).

Lyrics

Michael has said of the song:

'Shoot the Dog' is simply my attempt to contribute to the public debate that I feel should be taking place regarding Iraq and Saddam Hussein. [...] I have tried to convey my message with humour, because the public is rightfully scared of these issues, and humour has often been a useful aide to political debate.^[2]

Music video

"Shoot the Dog' is a protest song referring to (and critical of) British Prime Minister Tony Blair and American President George W. Bush, who are both spoofed in the song's music video

The music video featured animation provided by the satirical British cartoon series 2DTV. It originally premiered as a 'world exclusive' on MTV and VH1 simultaneously on July 2, 2002, and was the number-one music video on rotation between July and August 2002.^[3]

VH1 broadcast the video several days before the song first saw radio play.^{[citation needed]}

The video depicts a frustrated general attempting to explain the geopolitical situation surrounding the War on Terror to President Bush using Michael's music. Tony Blair is satirised as a literal lapdog of the Bush administration, playing "fetch" and being petted by Bush. The video also depicts Michael as a parody of Homer Simpson, who is bullied by a next door neighbour (an allegory for the U.S.'s alleged envy of Iraq's rich oil reserves, which is thought by critics to have been a primary motivation for the War on Terror), and Michael attempting to seduce Cherie Blair into having her husband stop going along with Bush. A caricature of Geri Halliwell makes a cameo appearance in which she tries to join the video as one of Michael's backup singers, the Spice Girls having broken up a year prior in 2001.

Criticism

Michael faced heavy criticism of his song in the United States, with the New York Post naming him a "past-his-prime pop pervert". Michael claimed he feared returning to the United States as a result of the article's contents and the public's outrage.^[4]

Track listings

UK, South African, Australian, and Japanese CD single^[4][5][6]

1. "Shoot the Dog" (explicit album version)
2. "Shoot the Dog" (Moogymen mix)
3. "Shoot the Dog" (Alexkid Shoot the Radio remix)
4. "Shoot the Dog" (video)

UK cassette single^[7]

1. "Shoot the Dog" (explicit album version)
2. "Shoot the Dog" (Moogymen remix)

European and Japanese DVD single^[8][9]

1. "Shoot the Dog" – 5:35
2. "Freeek!" – 4:33

Charts

Chart (2002)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[10]	36
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11]	41
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12]	46
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[13]	1
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[14]	31
Denmark (Tracklisten)[15]	1
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[16]	28
France (SNEP)[17]	59
Germany (GfK)[18]	44
Hungary (Single Top 40)[19]	7
Ireland (IRMA)[20]	23
Italy (FIMI)[21]	5
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22]	26
Portugal (AFP)[23]	2
Romania (Romanian Top 100[24]	21
Scotland (OCC)[25]	15
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[26]	4
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[27]	39
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[28]	14
UK Singles (OCC)[29]	12

Release history

Region	Version	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	"Shoot the Dog"	29 July 2002	CD cassette	Polydor	[30]
Australia		5 August 2002	CD		[31]
Japan		21 August 2002			[32]
	"Shoot the Dog" / "Freeek!"	4 December 2002	DVD		[33]

See also

• "Land of Confusion" by Genesis (a protest song that featured caricatures of celebrities and politicians, provided by Spitting Image, in the music video)
• Poodle (insult)
• List of number-one songs of the 2000s (Denmark)

References

1. "You Have Been Loved: Remembering George Michael, the Icon". Albumism. 27 December 2016.
2. "CNN.com - George Michael defends 'Shoot the Dog' - July 5, 2002". edition.cnn.com.
3. "Michael denies attack on Bush". bbc.co.uk. 5 July 2002. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
4. Shoot the Dog (UK & Australian CD single liner notes). George Michael. Polydor Records. 2002. 570 92 42.
5. Shoot the Dog (South African CD single liner notes). George Michael. Polydor Records. 2002. MAXCD 395.
6. Shoot the Dog (Japanese CD single liner notes). George Michael. Polydor Records. 2002. UICP 5017.
7. Shoot the Dog (UK cassette single sleeve). George Michael. Polydor Records. 2002. 570 924 4.
8. Shoot the Dog (European DVD single liner notes). George Michael. Polydor Records, Universal Music Group. 2002. 5709839.
9. Shoot the Dog (Japanese DVD single liner notes). George Michael. Polydor Records, Universal Music Group. 2002. UIBP-5004.
10. "George Michael – Shoot the Dog". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
11. "George Michael – Shoot the Dog" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
12. "George Michael – Shoot the Dog" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
13. "George Michael – Shoot the Dog" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
14. "Canadian Digital Song Sales". Billboard. 27 September 2003. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
15. "George Michael – Shoot the Dog". Tracklisten. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
16. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20, no. 34. 17 August 2002. p. 18. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
17. "George Michael – Shoot the Dog" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
18. "George Michael – Shoot the Dog" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
19. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
20. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Shoot the Dog". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
21. "George Michael – Shoot the Dog". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
22. "George Michael – Shoot the Dog" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
23. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20, no. 36. 31 August 2002. p. 13. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
24. "Arhiva romanian top 100 Editia 40, saptamina 7.10–13.10, 2002" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 17 February 2005. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
25. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
26. "George Michael – Shoot the Dog" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
27. "George Michael – Shoot the Dog". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
28. "George Michael – Shoot the Dog". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
29. "George Michael: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
30. "New Releases – For Week Starting 29 July 2002: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 27 July 2002. p. 31. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
31. "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 05/08/2002" (PDF). ARIA. 5 August 2002. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 August 2002. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
32. "シュート・ザ・ドッグ | ジョージ・マイケル" [Shoot the Dog | George Michael] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
33. "新譜発売日一覧 2002年 12月分" [New Release Date List for December 2002] (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on 9 June 2003. Retrieved 28 August 2023.