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 bandβ composer, singer, producer, and occasional instrumentalistβ 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 1984βas 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.
Young Guns
Wham! Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(What the hell's got into you?)
Hey sucker
(Now there's nothing you can do)
Well I hadn't seen your face around town awhile,
So I greeted you, with a knowing smile,
When I saw that girl upon your arm,
I said "Soul Boy, let's hit the town!"
I said "Soul Boy, what's with the frown?"
But in return, all you could say was
"Hi George, meet my fiancee"
[Chorus]
Young guns,
Having some fun
Crazy ladies keep 'em on the run.
Wise guys realize there's danger in emotional ties.
See me, single and free
No tears, no fears, what I want to be.
One, two, take a look at you
Death by matrimony!
Hey sucker,
(What the hell's got into you?)
Hey sucker!
(Now there's nothing you can do.)
A married man? you're out of your head
Sleepless nights, on an H.P. bed
A daddy by the time you're twenty-one
If your happy with a nappy then you're in for fun.
But you're here
And you're there
Well there's guys like you just everywhere
Looking back on the good old days?
Well this young gun says caution pays!
[Chorus]
I remember when he such fun and everything was fine,
I remember when we use to have a good time,
Partners in crime.
Tell me that's all in the past and I will gladly walk away,
Tell me that you're happy now,
Turning my back
Nothing to say!
"Hey tell this jerk to take a hike,
There's somethin' 'bout that boy I don't like"
"Well sugar he don't mean the things he said"
"Just get him outta my way, 'cause I'm seeing red
We got plans to make, we got things to buy
And you're wasting time on some creepy guy"
"Hey shut up chick, that's a friend of mine,
Just watch your mouth babe, you're out of line"
Oh!
Get Back
Hands off
Go for it!
Get Back
Hands off
Go for it!
[Chorus]
The song "Young Guns" by Wham! is a cautionary tale about the perils of settling down too soon, as told by a carefree young man to his friend who has recently become engaged. The song is written from the perspective of the singer who sees his friend as foolish for giving up his freedom and searching for true love too soon. The chorus of the song, which declares, "Young guns having some fun, crazy ladies keep 'em on the run. Wise guys realize there's danger in emotional ties," is a mantra for the carefree and unattached lifestyle that the singer embodies.
The first verse of the song is about the singer running into his friend who he hasn't seen in a while. He greets him with a smile, but sees that he has a girl on his arm. The singer can tell that this girl has a fatal charm over his friend, and he tries to cheer him up by suggesting that they hit the town. However, his friend tells him that he is engaged, and so the singer bemoans the fact that his friend is now lost to him forever.
The second verse of the song is more of a direct pitch to the singer's friend, trying to convince him of the wisdom of the single and unattached lifestyle. He argues that getting married and settling down will lead to sleepless nights, an HP bed, and a child by the time he's 21. On the other hand, the singer is "single and free," with "no tears, no fears" and he knows what he wants to be: a young gun having fun.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey sucker
Asking, why are you acting so strange?
Hey sucker
There is no escaping your current situation
Well, I hadn't seen your face around town awhile, so I greeted you with a knowing smile
It's been a while and it's good to see you
When I saw that girl upon your arm, I knew she won your heart with a fatal charm
I see you've met someone, and she's bewitched you
Young guns, having some fun. Crazy ladies keep 'em on the run. Wise guys realize there's danger in emotional ties. See me, single and free. No tears, no fears, what I want to be. One, two, take a look at you. Death by matrimony!
Some people enjoy their freedom and know that emotional ties can be risky
A married man? you're out of your head. Sleepless nights, on an H.P. bed. A daddy by the time you're twenty-one. If you're happy with a nappy then you're in for fun. But you're here, and you're there. Well, there's guys like you just everywhere. Looking back on the good old days? Well, this young gun says caution pays!
Getting married at a young age can be hard and finding time for everything is a challenge
I remember when we had such fun and everything was fine. I remember when we used to have a good time, partners in crime. Tell me that's all in the past, and I will gladly walk away, tell me that you're happy now, turning my back, nothing to say!
Remembering old times, but it's time to move on
"Hey, tell this jerk to take a hike, there's something 'bout that boy I don't like". "Well, sugar, he don't mean the things he said". "Just get him outta my way, 'cause I'm seeing red. We got plans to make, we got things to buy, and you're wasting time on some creepy guy". "Hey, shut up chick, that's a friend of mine, just watch your mouth babe, you're out of line"
A friend being protective of someone he cares for when someone badmouths them
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE MICHAEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sammymarquez4101
Imagine getting a break on Top of the Pops and your entire career rides on absolutely nailing it - this is what it looks like. Brilliant.
@guns2rosesofficial
Exact same thing happened with Queen 8 years prior.
@gingerfellah5665
I remember this performance and I studied it closely. George Michael was still only a teenager at this point and I went to a party a week later and we were doing the dance.
@paulouk83
Absolutely nailed it with a routine then made up themselves they were soooo good as a four!
@friendyadvice2238
I think Shirley is excellent here!!! She really adds something to the whole routine
@ainihulugalle1195
β€
@sandrabaker1159
40 years ago and still sounds great.
@desertrose1226
It only looks about 18 years old! Itβs aged so well!
@user-xo8le9th3v
@@desertrose1226 And the clothes of the 1980s are not out of date at all today.
@timn4481
ummm...no...shit then, still shit. and im a massive GM fan. he was a phenom but this is/was very very average.