In this song, Michael makes a forthright plea to his lover, making a case for why they should have sex. Among the reasons: It's natural, he's been waiting a long time and he's out of patience, everybody should do it, he loves her. Trying to get in a girl's pants is a common theme in rock and R&B music, but this is the first hit song that included the word "Sex" in the title, although Marvin Gaye knocked on the door with his 1982 hit "Sexual Healing."
Some critics accused Michael of ripping off Prince with this song, but Prince's hits at the time were not sexual in nature, as radio stations stuck to his songs like "Pop Life" and "Raspberry Beret" while songs like "Erotic City" and "Darling Nikki" were either B-sides or album cuts. "I Want Your Sex" did generate some controversy and was banned by the BBC; after the initial shock of hearing DJs say the title, the song was accepted and had a long chart life. Over the next few years, the sexual floodgates opened up with hit songs titled "I Wanna Sex You Up" and "I Touch Myself" free to roam the airwaves. Prince was now free to release songs like "Cream" and "Gett Off" as singles.
This was Michael's first single as a solo artist. His clean-cut image as a member of Wham! may have given him the benefit of the doubt among program directors that would have rejected a song with this title from many other artists. For Michael, it immediately distinguished his solo work from Wham!, where he was known for hits like "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go."
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