outside," and a funky little guitar lick, followed by Michael's instantly recognizable vocal, sounding liberated and loose. So much of his recent material has been heavy in lyric and short on hook; as a result, he's had a tough time getting on radio in the U.S. This should begin the next era for this keeper of an artist, who at last seems comfortable just having a little fun." Sarah Davis from Dotmusic said that "Outside" "is every bit Fast Love's [sic] twin with the singer at his most accessibly funky." She added, "Turning his arrest into musical inspiration, George Michael cheekily uses the sound of a police siren to welcome in his first new single in more than two years." Beth Johnson from Entertainment Weekly described the song as a "retro-disco hoot". Raul Cairo from Music & Media noted that "it's a superb slice of neo-'70s disco/funk, boasting tongue-in-cheek lyrics and a strong hook." Victoria Segal from NME called it a "disco inferno". In 2018, Dave Fawbert from ShortList described it as an "amazing slinky disco track", adding that it is "timeless and would still be a massive hit if was released today." Chart performance "Outside" peaked at number one in Greece, Hungary, and Spain. In addition, it reached number two in the United Kingdom, number three in Italy, number four in Denmark, number five in Iceland, number seven in Ireland, and number eight in Finland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Outside" reached number three in November 1998. Outside Europe, the song reached number three on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, number 11 in New Zealand, and number 13 in Australia. Music video The song's satirical music video, directed by Vaughan Arnell and filmed on 4 June 1998, features a police helicopter hovering over Los Angeles and shadowing various people, both gay and straight, kissing, having sex or engaging in foreplay, all in public. The scenes of public coupling are styled like real surveillance footage and interspersed with scenes of Michael and his dancers performing in a men's toilet. Michael is dressed as an LAPD police officer and clutching a nightstick, while the toilet is decorated like a disco nightclub, complete with flashing lights and disco balls. Two female dancers dressed in police uniforms are also seen dancing with Michael. At the end of the video, two male officers arrest numerous couples previously shown engaging in lewd