Wham!
1316019
225956367
2008-07-16T05:09:31Z
74.241.41.125
/* Increasing success */
{{Refimprove|talk=y|date=July 2008}}
:''"Wham" redirects here. For other uses, see [[Wham (disambiguation)]].''
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| Name = Wham!
| Img = Wha,.jpg
| Img_capt = [[Andrew Ridgeley]] (top) and [[George Michael]] on the cover of their second album, ''[[Make It Big]]''
| Img_size = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels -->
| Landscape =
| Background = group_or_band
| Alias = Wham! UK
| Origin = [[London]], [[England]]
| Genre = [[Pop music|Pop]]
| Years_active = 1981–1986
| Label = [[Innervision Records]]<br/>[[Epic Records]]<br>[[Columbia Records]] <small>(US & Canada)</small>
| Associated_acts = The Executive
| URL =
| Past_members = [[George Michael]]<br/>[[Andrew Ridgeley]]
}}
'''Wham!''' (often written '''WHAM!''') were a [[pop music|pop]] [[band (music)|band]] formed in [[1981]] by [[George Michael]] and [[Andrew Ridgeley]]. They were briefly known in the [[United States]] as ''Wham! UK'' due to a naming conflict with another band. In a recent poll by NME, Wham were named 'The Most Manly Pop Band Of All Time', edging out rival pop artists the Backstreet Boys for the prestigious title.{{Fact|date=July 2008}}
==Beginnings==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Whamesw.jpg|left|thumb|Wham's "Everything She Wants" single sleeve.]] -->Michael and Ridgeley met at [[Bushey Meads School]] in [[Watford]], [[England]], [[UK]]. 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 [[Artist development deal|signed]] to [[Sony Music Entertainment|CBS]], [[Columbia Records]] in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]] and [[Epic Records]] for the rest of the world.
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.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} 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 [[hedonism|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. Subsequently the reissued UK releease replaced the controversial lines in the first verse "B1, B2, make a claim on your name is all you have to do" and the opening two phrases of the second verse citing "Mr. Average". Additionally two videoes were recorded for each set of lyrics. In 1983 on the UK pop show, Channe 4's [[The Tube]], Wham! performed live the original song in full complete with the B1,B2 lines. This version was considered far better and was later released in the UK as the U.S Remix. Wham! Rap was a big hit for the group but 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 Top of the Pops performance of Young Guns is still considered a great moment in the group's history - critical acclaim given for the 'nightclub' feel of the dance routine by all four of the group.
===Increasing success===
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 wore [[espadrilles]], a [[suede]] jacket slit open, and rolled-up [[denim]] [[jeans]]. Ridgeley stood behind him, flanked by backing dancers [[Dee 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 (singer)|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 (U.S Remix) of which clocked in at almost seven minutes long); "[[Bad Boys (Wham! song)|Bad Boys]]", about a strained relationship between a [[rebel]]lious 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 (album)|Fantastic]]'' reached #1.
Around this time, Ridgeley become conscious of legal problems with their initial contract at Innervision. 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 (album)|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. Ridgeley changed the band's look from "moody in leather jackets" to smiles and fashionable clothing, with an aim to promote themselves more as [[sex symbol]]s 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-shirt]]s with the [[slogan]]s '''CHOOSE LIFE''' and '''GO GO'''.
These t-shirts became popular fashion items as Hamnett wrote herself into the [[pop culture]] lexicon, having simultaneously designed the '''FRANKIE SAY''' t-shirts for [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]].
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 (Wham! song)|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 1984, and Ridgeley 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 bereavement.
George contributed to the [[Band Aid (band)|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 [[Ethiopia]]n [[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.
It was during Wham!'s late years that they met and collaborated with male feminist virtuoso M.S. FLo$$. Under his guidance and tutelage, they wrote songs that some consider the best of their career.
===China and Live Aid===
In April [[1985]], Wham! took a break from recording to embark on an enormous world tour including a groundbreaking 10-day visit to [[China]], the second (after Spyz, a New Zealand band who toured in 1982) by a Western pop group.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4379399.stm BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Music | How Wham! brought the West to China<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The China excursion was a masterful publicity scheme devised by [[Simon Napier-Bell]] (one of their two managers). It culminated in a concert at the Worker's Gymnasium in [[Beijing]] in front of 10,000 people. Director [[Lindsay Anderson]] documented the tour in his film ''Foreign Skies''.
Sporting a [[beard]], Michael appeared with Ridgeley onstage at [[Live Aid]] (although they didn't perform as Wham!). Michael sang "[[Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me]]" with [[Elton John]] while Ridgeley joined [[Kiki Dee]] in the row of backup singers. In November, Wham! released "[[I'm Your Man (song)|I'm Your Man]]" which went straight to #1 in the UK charts.
Michael began a relationship with model/makeup artist Kathy Yeung and Ridgeley with [[Keren Woodward]] of [[Bananarama]]. Ridgeley also took up the hobby of [[rallying|rally driving]], famously crashing one car before the end of 1985. "Last Christmas" was re-issued for the festive season and again made the UK Top 10, peaking at #6, while Michael took up offers he was starting to receive to add his voice to other artists' songs. He performed backing vocals for [[David Cassidy]], and for Elton John on his successful singles "Nikita" and "Wrap Her Up," on which he sang co-lead (most notably with [[Elton John]]: "Nikita" (a UK #3) and "Wrap Her Up" (a UK #12) in 1985)
===Demise===
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 (1923)|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.
The farewell single was "[[The Edge of Heaven]]" which reached #1 in June 1986. "Where Did Your Heart Go?" was the group's final single in the United States. The song, originally recorded by art-rock ensemble [[Was (Not Was)]], was a downbeat and somber affair that telegraphed the intentions of George Michael for the next decade's work and would fit musically on any of his solo albums. The duo's last album was a double-LP collection of all the singles to date, mostly the extended versions, and was also called ''The Final'' (released in [[North America]] as the severely pared-down ''Music from the Edge of Heaven'' with alternate tracks). Wham! then said goodbye to their audience (73,000 of whom attended the eight-hour event) and each other with an emotional embrace at the end of the show. The band had been together five years, selling close to 20 million albums and 10 to 15 million singles. ''Foreign Skies'', the film of their tour of China, received its world premiere as part of the festivities, making it the most highly-attended film premiere in history.
==Post-Wham!==
As CBS Records preferred the pop sound of Wham!, Ridgeley's solo-guitar and drum-driven career (i.e., ''[[Son of Albert]]'') was over almost as soon as it began. After varying careers as a rally driver and actor in LA, Ridgeley retired to Cornwall, where he became an environmental activist with [[Surfers Against Sewage]]. He lives with his wife [[Keren Woodward]].
He later became a partner in a firm which manufactures [[surfing]] goods. He has largely stayed out of the public eye and remains in Cornwall in his meticulously restored 15th-century house.
Michael, who had enjoyed his second solo #1 earlier in the year with "A Different Corner," began a permanent solo career which immediately endeared him to the adult audience he desired to reach.
"Last Christmas" was given its third consecutive festive release in December 1986, although that time it stalled outside the Top 40. No other Wham! single has ever been re-issued to the UK charts since then, and it took until [[1995]] before a Wham! song was given a mainstream [[cover version]] treatment, when Danish singer [[Whigfield]] did her own version of "Last Christmas" (which was later covered by [[Billie Piper]] as the b-side to her 1998 single "She Wants You," and released as the A-side in several territories). The same year, Lisa Moorish, girlfriend at the time to [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]]' [[Liam Gallagher]], recorded "I'm Your Man" for release into the charts.
According to newspaper rumours, Lisa apparently shared the studio with George Michael, who at the time was putting the finishing touches to the ''[[Older (George Michael album)|Older]]'' album. At the time of release, Michael legally could not be associated with the song, but he is rumoured to have provided the male vocal section in the chorus. Since then, [[Shane Richie]] has covered "I'm Your Man" as a fundraising song for the BBC charity [[telethon]] [[Children in Need]].
For several years after he became a solo artist, George Michael was publicly negative about his time in Wham!, largely because of the intense negativity of media coverage on business partner Ridgeley. George complained of the constant pressure he felt, and he claimed that the duo had been mistreated financially. He also spoke disparagingly about the Wham! repertoire, especially the songs from the first album.
However, his perspective on the era has softened in recent times. He still performs "Everything She Wants", one of the more critically acclaimed songs from the Wham! era, at his solo concerts.
==Discography==
===Albums===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
|-
!rowspan="2"|Title
!rowspan="2"|Release<br>Date
!colspan="3"|{{nowrap|Peak chart}} positions
|-
!width="40"|<small>[[UK Album Chart|U.K.]]</small>
!width="40"|<small>[[ARIA Charts|Australia]]</small>
!width="40"|<small>[[Billboard 200|U.S.]]</small>
|-
| ''[[Fantastic (album)|Fantastic]]''
|align="center"| 1983
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|83
|-
| ''[[Make It Big]]''
|align="center"| 1984
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|-
| ''[[Music From The Edge of Heaven]]''
|align="center"| 1986
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|10
|-
| ''[[The Final]]''
|align="center"| 1986
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|5
|align="center"|-
|-
| ''[[12" Mixes (Wham!)|12" Mixes]]'' <small>(Compilation)</small>
|align="center"| 1987
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|-
| ''[[If You Were There (The Best of Wham)]]'' <small>(Compilation)</small>
|align="center"| 1997
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|-
|}
=== Singles ===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!align="left" rowspan="2"|Title
!align="center" rowspan="2" colspan="2"|Release Date
!align="left" rowspan="2"|Album
!align="center" colspan="5"|Chart Positions
|-
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|<small>[[UK Singles Chart]]</small>
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|<small>[[Irish Singles Chart]]</small>
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|<small>[[ARIA Chart|AUS Singles Chart]]</small>
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|<small>[[Billboard Hot 100|US Hot 100]]</small>
!align="center" valign="top" width="40"|<small>[[Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks|US AC]]</small>
|-
|align="left" |"[[Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)]]"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|[[1982 in music|1982]]
|align="center" |Jun
|align="left" rowspan="5"|''Fantastic''
|align="center" |45
|align="center" |-
|align="center" |-
|align="center" |-
|align="center" |-
|-
|align="left" |"[[Young Guns (Go For It)|Young Guns (Go For It!)]]"
|align="center" |Sep
|align="center" |3
|align="center" |3
|align="center" |4
|align="center" |-
|align="center" |-
|-
|align="left" |"[[Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)]]" <small>(re-issue)</small>
|align="center" rowspan="4"|[[1983 in music|1983]]
|align="center" |Jan
|align="center" |8
|align="center" |13
|align="center" |9
|align="center" |-
|align="center" |-
|-
|align="left" |"[[Bad Boys (Wham! song)|Bad Boys]]" <sup><span id="ref_A" />[[#endnote_A|'''[A]''']]</sup>
|align="center" |May
|align="center" |2
|align="center" |3
|align="center" |9
|align="center" |60
|align="center" |-
|-
|align="left" |"[[Club Tropicana]]"
|align="center" |Jul
|align="center" |4
|align="center" |4
|align="center" |60
|align="center" |-
|align="center" |-
|-
|align="left" |"[[Club Fantastic Megamix]]"
|align="center" |Dec
|align="left" |-
|align="center" |15
|align="center" |16
|align="center" |-
|align="center" |-
|align="center" |-
|-
|align="left" |"[[Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go]]"
|align="center" rowspan="5"|[[1984 in music|1984]]
|align="center" |May
|align="left" rowspan="4"|''Make It Big''
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |4
|-
|align="left" |"[[Careless Whisper]]" <sup><span id="ref_B" />[[#endnote_B|'''[B]''']]</sup>
|align="center" |Jul
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |1
|-
|align="left" |"[[Freedom (Wham! song)|Freedom]]"
|align="center" |Aug
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |3
|align="center" |3
|align="center" |4
|-
|align="left" |"[[Everything She Wants]]" <sup><span id="ref_C" />[[#endnote_C|'''[C]''']] </sup>
|align="center" |Dec
|align="center" |-
|align="center" |-
|align="center" |7
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |4
|-
|align="left" |"[[Last Christmas]]" <sup><span id="ref_C" />[[#endnote_C|'''[C]''']] <span id="ref_D" />[[#endnote_D|'''[D]''']]
|align="center" |Dec
|align="left" |-
|align="center" |2
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |3
|align="center" |-
|align="center" |-
|-
|align="left" |"[[I'm Your Man (song)|I'm Your Man]]"
|align="center" |[[1985 in music|1985]]
|align="center" |Nov
|align="left" rowspan="4"|''Music from the Edge of Heaven<br>/ The Final''
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |3
|align="center" |3
|align="center" |13
|-
|align="left" |"[[A Different Corner]]" <sup><span id="ref_B" />[[#endnote_B|'''[B]''']]</sup>
|align="center" rowspan="3"|[[1986 in music|1986]]
|align="center" |Apr
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |2
|align="center" |-
|align="center" |7
|align="center" |6
|-
|align="left" |"[[The Edge of Heaven]]" <sup><span id="ref_E" />[[#endnote_E|'''[E]''']]
|align="center" |Jun
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |2
|align="center" |10
|align="center" |22
|-
|align="left" |"[[Where Did Your Heart Go?]]"
|align="center" |Oct
|align="center" |-
|align="center" |-
|align="center" |54
|align="center" |50
|align="center" |-
|-
|}
<div class="references-small">
;Notes
*A <span id="endnote_A" />[[#ref_A|'''^''']] credited in the U.S. as Wham!-UK.
*B <span id="endnote_B" />[[#ref_B|'''^''']] A George Michael solo effort, "Careless Whisper" was credited to "Wham! featuring George Michael" in North America.
*C <span id="endnote_C" />[[#ref_C|'''^''']] "Everything She Wants" / "Last Christmas" released as a double A-side in the UK.
*D <span id="endnote_D" />[[#ref_D|'''^''']] "Last Christmas" was reissued as a single numerous times. In 1985 it peaked at #6 in the UK, #45 in 1986. A release in 1997 charted at #58 in the US on the [[Hot 100 Airplay]] chart and at #22 on the Adult Contemporary that same year. In 2007 the song once more charted in the UK, reaching #14.
*E <span id="endnote_E" />[[#ref_E|'''^''']] "The Edge of Heaven" / "Where Did Your Heart Go?" released as a double A-side in the UK.
</div>
==References==
{{Refimprove|date=January 2008}}
<references />
==External links==
*[http://www.georgemichael.com Official website of George Michael]
*[http://www.GMFan.com/ The Unofficial George Michael & Wham Fan / Collectors Site]
*[http://www.georgemichael.org/ GeorgeMichael.org]
*[http://www.georgemichael.sk/Esection/english.html George Michael: The Box of Fame]
*[http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/wham Wham!] at [[Rolling stone|Rolling Stone]]
{{Wham!}}
{{George Michael}}
[[Category:English musical groups]]
[[Category:Music from London]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1981]]
[[Category:George Michael]]
[[da:Wham!]]
[[de:Wham!]]
[[es:Wham!]]
[[fr:Wham!]]
[[ko:왬]]
[[id:Wham!]]
[[it:Wham!]]
[[nl:Wham!]]
[[ja:ワム!]]
[[no:WHAM!]]
[[pl:Wham!]]
[[ru:Wham!]]
[[simple:Wham!]]
[[fi:Wham!]]
[[sv:Wham!]]
[[zh:威猛樂隊]]