Shoot the Dog by George Michael

"Shoot the Dog" is a single by British singer-songwriter George Michael, released as the second single from his album, Patience, though released a year and a half prior to the album. 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 twenty 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)". "Shoot the Dog" also samples "Be Near Me" by pop group ABC, as well as Michael's own song "Fastlove" (1996). It originally premiered on ITV after the episode "Series 2, Episode 6" on July 2, 2002, and was the number one music video on rotation on MTV between July and August 2002.Following the death of George Michael on December 25, 2016, the music video was broadcast by MTV Classic in the United States, and ITV in the United Kingdom on December 26, 2016 — ahead of a rerun of the movie Bee Movie — and featured a title card paying tribute to Michael.