George Michael faces public test

George Michael's new video lampoons the relationship between Blair and Bush

LONDON, England -- British pop singer George Michael is about to discover whether the controversy surrounding his new song has damaged his career.

The single -- "Shoot The Dog" -- was released in the UK on Monday in the wake of heated publicity both over its lyrics and the content of the animated video.

The song attacks Britain's close alliance with the U.S. in the fight against terror while the video lampoons the personal relationship between UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President George W. Bush.

The song, which is not being released in the U.S., comes after the former Wham! star's last single, Freeek!, failed to sell.

Michael, 39, who has chiefly lived in the U.S. for a number of years with his partner Kenny Goss, has said he believes much of the criticism is a result of homophobia.

He claims that an attack on the song by a New York Post newspaper -- in which he was branded a "past-his-prime pop pervert" -- has also made life too difficult in the United States.

He said he had been forced to undertake "damage control" with a number of interviews.

"It's been very heavily inferred that I was actually an al Qaeda sympathiser, that somehow I thought that there was something not horrific and shocking about the attacks on September 11," he said in a British TV interview earlier this month.

The singer says the song was never intended for U.S. release

"I was trying to do some damage control because my life was in danger. Americans are very reactionary right now and I -- because of that article -- cannot return to America, even though my partner lives there.

"I love my home there, I love Kenny's family, I spend time, sometimes, in Dallas and some time in LA."

He denied the controversy over "Shoot The Dog" was simply an attempt to whip up publicity to revive his career.

"This would be the most stupid publicity stunt anyone ever pulled. I mean look at the publicity, I've got out of it.

"I'm not stupid -- I knew I was going to walk into a wall of criticism because these are very reactionary times, but they're also very urgent times and I felt that I had to do this."