George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley met at Bushey Meads School in Watford, England. At first, they performed in a short-lived rock and roll band called The Executive. They then changed their name and signed with Innervision Records. Soon after a legal victory over Innervision, the duo was signed to CBS, Columbia Records in the United States and Canada and Epic Records for the rest of the world.
Further information: Artist development deal
Michael took on the majority of roles and responsibilities within the band— composer, singer, producer, and occasional instrumentalist— but the contribution of Ridgeley as the group's image specialist and spokesman was crucial to the band's initial success. Ridgeley convinced a reluctant George that Wham! needed to change their image and sound frequently, from the leather-clad moody singers of "Bad Boys" and "Young Guns (Go For It!)" to the more fashionable pop superstars of "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go."
Still teenagers, they promoted themselves as hedonistic youngsters, proud to live a carefree life without work or commitment. This was reflected in their earliest singles. Such works as "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)" have been seen as sarcasm advocating the other point of view.
The first record to be released by the band was "Wham Rap!". It was a double-A side with a Social Mix and Anti-social Mix. The record was banned for general release in the UK due to the profanity in the Anti-social Mix. In October 1982, their song "Young Guns (Go For It!)" was issued. The song was an appeal from one youthful lad to his friend to not throw his life away so early on marriage. It stalled outside the UK Top 40 but then Wham! got lucky when Top Of The Pops scheduled them. An important weekly BBC chart show on television, it had to look outside the Top 40 to fill a gap created by an act which had pulled out of recording. Nearest to the 40 mark and still climbing, Wham! was summoned, and a phenomenon immediately began.
The impact of Wham! on the public, especially teenage girls, was felt from the moment they finished their debut performance of "Young Guns (Go For It!)" on Top Of The Pops. Michael's appearance may have helped. He wore espadrilles, a suede jacket slit open, and rolled-up denim jeans. Ridgeley stood behind him, flanked by backing dancers D.C. Lee and Shirlie Holliman.
The performance was as much one of acting as it was of singing, with Michael playing the part of the pleading goodtime lad, and Ridgeley the guy who had been drawn into commitment. Afterwards, the song shot into the Top 40 at #24 and peaked at #3 in December. The following year (1983), D.C. Lee began her work with Paul Weller of The Style Council, and was replaced by Pepsi DeMacque. Holliman and DeMacque would later record music as Pepsi and Shirlie.
Wham! followed up "Young Guns (Go For It!)" with the reissue "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)", a song about the joys of a leisurely life (the full version of which clocked in at almost seven minutes long); "Bad Boys", about a strained relationship between a rebellious teenage lad and his worried parents; and "Club Tropicana", a satire of the Club 18-30 scene. Each song came with a memorable music video.
By the end of 1983, Wham! was rivaling Duran Duran and Culture Club as Britain's biggest pop act. Notoriety and column inches were duly achieved with their antics of placing a shuttlecock down their shorts, and their first album Fantastic reached #1.
Around this time, Ridgeley become conscious of legal problems with their initial contract at Innervision. He mounted a legal challenge against the record company and its founder Mark Dean, who had initially signed them to the label, and George publicly stated they were financially mistreated [citation needed]. While the legal battle raged (perhaps to raise much-needed funds for the fight), Innervision released a medley of non-single album tracks from Fantastic, entitled Club Fantastic Megamix. Wham! publicly denounced the move, and urged fans not to buy it. After all the legal wrangling, Innervision admitted there were royalty discrepancies with Wham!'s contract, leading to the bankruptcy and dissolution of Innervision.
Driven by Ridgeley, the duo changed their image, and Wham! returned in May 1984 with an updated, cutting-edge pop image quickly copied by other pop bands. Andrew changed the band's look from "moody in leather jackets" to smiles and fashionable clothing, with an aim to promote themselves more as sex symbols rather than spokespeople for a disaffected generation.
Fittingly enough, these changes propelled the next single (a pop standard) to the top of the charts around the world. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, a song Michael wrote from a note left to him in his hotel room one night by Ridgeley. The note was mistakenly written by Ridgeley as "don't forget to wake me up up before you go go, George". Since he accidentally wrote the word "up" twice, Ridgeley decided to compound the error and write "go" twice. It became their first UK #1 and rose to the top in the USA), capped by a memorable video of the duo, plus the ubiquitous Pepsi and Shirlie, wearing Katharine Hamnett T-shirts with the slogans CHOOSE LIFE and GO GO.
These t-shirts became essential fashion items as Hamnett wrote herself into the pop culture lexicon, having simultaneously designed the FRANKIE SAY t-shirts for Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
Although some critics felt that Wham! represented bubblegum pop[citation needed], many were starting to appreciate Michael's proven ability as a songwriter and capable vocalist. (The following year, he would win the Ivor Novello Award for songwriting.) However, at the same time they bemoaned the status of Ridgeley, who had started to "play" a guitar during live shows (never on any recordings) but whose overall contribution was deemed to be lightweight[citation needed].
With some bizarre contradiction, the next single "Careless Whisper" was issued as a George Michael solo piece, yet unlike any Wham! single since "Wham Rap!," it was co-written by Ridgeley. The song quickly reached #1. In the autumn of 1984, Wham! came back as a duo with "Freedom", another chart-topper. In November, they released their second album, Make It Big, which coasted to #1 on the album charts. The band set off on another arena tour at the end of '84, and George told Smash Hits magazine at the time that he had written a song called "Stephen." The song had been composed for a friend who was struggling to cope with bereavment. While this song is still unreleased, those that were at the recording sessions decsribe it as a heartfelt story of the loss of a loved one[citation needed].
George contributed to the Band Aid project, with Michael providing vocals as the song usurped their own Christmas release, "Last Christmas"/"Everything She Wants", the former of which featured a video set in a ski resort.
The single became the highest-selling single ever to peak at #2 in the UK charts. As such, Wham! donated all their royalties to the Ethiopian famine appeal to coincide with the fundraising intentions of Band Aid, the song which beat them to the top spot. Band Aid's success meant that Michael had been at #1 within three different entities in 1984—as a solo artist, half of a duo, and part of a charity ensemble.
Michael desired to create music targeted to a more sophisticated audience than the duo's primarily teenage fanbase. Therefore, Michael and Ridgeley announced the breakup of Wham! in the spring of 1986, destined to take place after a farewell single and album, along with a historic grand finale concert at Wembley Stadium on June 28, 1986, called The Final. British pop group Five Star declined George's invitation to be the supporting act, saying they needed to concentrate on their own career at the time.
Come on
Wham! Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come on, everybody!
Get on, with your party!
And don't let nobody say you're wrong.
O.k.
So you've lost control,
But they'll never steal your soul
No way!
Greedy men, in far off places,
Don't be afraid to show your faces.
We know what you've done is wrong,
But clap your hands, and sing along now!
Don't even bother, to let us know,
When you flick the switch and stop the show,
Because the party has begun,
And we'll still be dancing, as-you-run-now!
[Chorus]
Oh no, don't think that I'm not scared,
Oh no, don't think that I'm prepared.
I just take each day as it comes,
Because it may, it may,,
It may be the last one!
I know they don't care about me,
I ain't got no money, ain't a v.i.p.
And I know they don't care about you,
You may, as well, enjoy your life like I do!
[Chorus]
The song "Come On" by Wham! is an upbeat dance track celebrating the power of music and the importance of having fun. The chorus encourages everyone to let loose and enjoy themselves, regardless of what others may think or say. The verses take a slightly darker turn, addressing corrupt and greedy people in positions of power who seek to control and manipulate others. However, the message of the song remains clear: don't let anyone bring you down or steal your joy.
The song's lyrics are somewhat ambiguous, but it seems to be a commentary on the state of the world and the need to find joy and happiness despite difficult circumstances. The chorus, with its catchy melody and cheery refrain of "Come on, everybody! Get on, with your party!" is intended to be uplifting and unifying, emphasizing the power of music to bring people together. The verses, on the other hand, touch on themes of fear, powerlessness, and injustice, with references to "greedy men" and the possibility of the party being "spoiled."
Overall, "Come On" is a fun and energetic song that encourages listeners to let loose and enjoy themselves, even in the face of adversity. Its message of empowerment and celebration is timeless and universally appealing.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on, everybody!
Let's all get together and have a good time!
Get on, with your party!
Keep dancing and enjoying yourself!
And don't let nobody say you're wrong.
Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you're doing something bad by partying.
O.k.
Understood.
So you've lost control,
Maybe you're not in full control of the situation.
But they'll never steal your soul
No matter what happens, don't let anyone take away what makes you who you are.
No way!
Absolutely not!
That they're gonna spoil your fun.
These people won't be able to ruin your good time.
Greedy men, in far off places,
Powerful people who don't care about you are far away making decisions that could affect you.
Don't be afraid to show your faces.
Don't hide or be ashamed of who you are.
We know what you've done is wrong,
We're aware that these people have done bad things.
But clap your hands, and sing along now!
Despite this, let's all remain happy and enjoy the music.
Don't even bother, to let us know,
You don't need to tell us when you're going to try and stop us.
When you flick the switch and stop the show,
When you try to shut down our fun.
Because the party has begun,
We're already having a good time.
And we'll still be dancing, as-you-run-now!
We won't let you stop us from enjoying ourselves even as you try to get away.
Oh no, don't think that I'm not scared,
I'm not fearless, I have my concerns.
Oh no, don't think that I'm prepared.
I might not have everything under control.
I just take each day as it comes,
I live in the moment and don't worry too much about the future.
Because it may, it may,,
Because you never know what could happen.
It may be the last one!
This could be our last chance to have a good time, so let's make it count.
I know they don't care about me,
I realize that some people in power don't have my best interests at heart.
I ain't got no money, ain't a v.i.p.
I'm not rich or important enough to matter to them.
And I know they don't care about you,
They wouldn't care about you either.
You may, as well, enjoy your life like I do!
So let's both just have fun and not worry about them.
[Chorus]
Repeating the same message of enjoying ourselves despite any external circumstances.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE MICHAEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@diegomartinabra
He was one of the best songwriters and singers of all time.
@theo3000
WHAM!'s first album was FANTASTIC
@ElvarMasson
'Twas indeed
@robertacquarulo1850
What a privilege it was to watch George Michael grow as a musician. Best singer song writer ever imo.
@supremeobliterator
He's up there !
@cybertaiga9534
@ Robert Acquarulo- George Michael was definitely special. Just imagine- even during the early stages of Wham, he was arranging and producing most of the group's songs. This was what separated them from the later "boy bands" that emerged and flourished. Plus he was a very gifted songwriter. Even on this first album, there are hidden gems if one cares to listen- the best example is 'Nothing Looks the Same in the Light.'
@moradogris4100
Todas sus canciones las amooo,, 😍❤️👌
@studiobencivengamarcusbenc5272
The optimism when I grew up was sheer splendeur- sorry kids I feel pity for you - we were like young cats in the sun - I liked Wham for two reasons : fresh & funky
@tahutoa
i think it's cool how the chorus feels like a verse, and the verses feel like a chorus
@whambam849
That is very smart