On 30 October , '' Faith '' was released in the UK and in several markets worldwide . '' Faith '' topped the UK Albums Chart , and in the US , the album had 51 non-consecutive weeks in the top 10 of '' Billboard '' 200 , including 12 weeks at No. 1 . '' Faith '' had many successes , with four singles ( " Faith " , " Father Figure " , " One More Try " , and " Monkey " ) reaching No. 1 in the US . '' Faith '' was certified Diamond by the RIAA for sales of 10 million copies in the US . To date , global sales of '' Faith '' are more than 25 million units . The album was highly acclaimed by music critics , with AllMusic journalist Steve Huey describing it as a " superbly crafted mainstream pop/rock masterpiece " and " one of the finest pop albums of the '80s " . In a review by '' Rolling Stone '' magazine , journalist Mark Coleman commended most of the songs on the album , which he said " displays Michael 's intuitive understanding of pop music and his increasingly intelligent use of his power to communicate to an ever-growing audience . " In 1988 , Michael embarked on a world tour . In Los Angeles , Michael was joined on stage by Aretha Franklin for " I Knew You Were Waiting ( For Me ) " . It was the second highest grossing event of 1988 , earning $ 17.7 million . At the 1988 Brit Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on 8 February , Michael received the first of his two awards for Best British Male Solo Artist . Later that month , '' Faith '' won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 31st Grammy Awards . At the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards on 6 September in Los Angeles , Michael received the Video Vanguard Award . According to Michael in his film , '' A Different Story '' , success did not make him happy and he started to think there was something wrong in being an idol for millions of teenage girls . The whole '' Faith '' process ( promotion , videos , tour , awards ) left him exhausted , lonely and frustrated , and far from his friends and family . In 1990 , he told his record company Sony that , for his second album , he did not want to do promotions like the one for '' Faith ''
1989 MTV Video Music Awards
1989 MTV Video Music Awards
George Michael