Wham! is (L-R) : Andrew Ridgeley and George
Michael
Singularly, the best
loved pop duo of the 1980s, their farewell concert in 1986 titled "The Final" --
at London's cavernous 80,000 capacity Wembley stadium was sold-out and packed to
the rafters. The story began...
Wham! Career Fortunes
........ in 1983 with a debut album named "Fantastic." A
year later, their 2nd album "Make It Big" captured international attention. A
wildly successful single off that album -- "Wake Me Up Before You
Go." was Wham!'s first Billboard #1and stayed there for 3 weeks in
1984.
Men In White ! Wham!'s most endearing image was captured
in their "Wake Me Up" video. They were a sensation in white suits and pastel
ties - a variation of John Travolta's white-suit-and-chains disco look.
The Classic Wham! Look
That Voice! Out of that
album, came "Careless Whisper," and "Everything She Wants." -- both Billboard #
1s. "Careless Whisper" established George Michael as both a creative songwriting
force and a mature vocal talent. With that milestone track, George Michael
ventured into Darryl Hall's turf as a "blue-eyed soul" panther. And he more than
held his own there.
The duo also released two other albums, "Music From the Edge of Heaven" and
"WHAM! The Final." It was from "Music From the Edge of Heaven" that the popular
Last Christmas was released. In 1986 George Michael decided
to go solo.
The Faith "Fenomenon"
While waiting for the release of his debut solo album Faith, George Michael
collected his 4th Billboard #1 dueting with Aretha Franklin on a single called
"I Knew You Were Waitng For Me". The Queen of Soul and the Prince of Ice Cool.
It would be a prelude to an album that shook the industry...
I Want Your Sex was the first cut off a much anticipated
album given the stature of Michael as a rising superstar. It was calculated to
shock and it did. "I Want Your Sex" reached #2 on Billboard but the single and
its video was banned in several countries for advocating promiscuity. "Father
Figure" was George Michael's 5th Billboard #1 and it was no less controversial.
The lyrics were suggestive of incest and pedophilia...
One More Try ... the
album continued to astonish with its story-like thread. The album was Billboard
#1 on the Album Charts for 12 weeks and was the American Music Awards' Album Of
The Year in 1988. Michael's next single "One More Try" became his 6th #1 and
spoke of contriteness and repentence which seemed to allude to his 2 previous
singles. The content of "Faith" was deeply sexual in nature and showcased
Michael's growing maturity as a songwriter. "Monkey" - Michael's 7th #1 was a
funky taunt about letting go of inhibitions ("the monkey"). Coming off the heels
of "One More Try", it was a cheeky about-face from repentence. Michael was Jekyl
and Hyde to perfection...
Listening Without Prejudice
The 2nd album was in
many ways, a difficult one for George. The sex object image he portrayed was
really at the coercion of Sony Records who wanted to cash in on his sex appeal.
"Listening" was an open rebellion from that forced image. Michael left his image
off the album cover and wrote contemplative songs that contained no sexual
references. He reinvented his sound and was a critical success. "Listening" went
multi-platinum.
Praying For Time was the album's prime cut and became
Michael's 8th Billboard #1. In it, George Michael played the devil's advocate
and painted a Sodom and Gomorrah-like scenario leading into Judgement Day. It
would prove to be the only #1 hit from the album. A year later, Michael and
Elton John remade Elton's "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" which became
George's 9th #1 single. In 1996, George Michael released "Older" and the track
"Star People" became Michael's 10th Billboard #1 on the Dance Charts.
Trans-Atlantic Success
Four of George
Michael's 10 #1 hits were simultaneously #1s in the UK and the US. They were
"Wake Me Up", "Careless Whisper", "I Knew You Were Waiting" and "Don't Let The
Sun Go Down". Reaching #1 in the UK and the US simultaneously is the pinnacle of
any pop artiste's career.
GEORGE MICHAEL:
US v. UK Chart
Performance: A Comparison Here is a chart that shows
how the singles that made it to #1 in the US, did in the UK. It provides an
interesting insight of how different the public reaction is in the US and the UK
to different singles. US smash #1 hits like Monkey Father Figure and One More
Try, as you can see, barely made it to the Top 20 in the UK.
Performance of US #1 singles in the UK
| Song |
US Entry
date |
Peak |
Weeks in Top 20
|
UK Entry
date |
Peak |
Weeks in Top
20 |
| Wake Me Up Before You Go
Go |
October 84 |
1 |
11 |
May 84 |
1 |
8 |
| Careless Whisper
|
January 85 |
1 |
12 |
August 84 |
1 |
12 |
| Everything She Wants
|
May 85 |
1 |
10 |
December 84 |
2 |
8 |
| I Knew You Were Waiting
|
March 87 |
1 |
8 |
January 87 |
1 |
6 |
| Faith |
November 87 |
1 |
10 |
October 87 |
2 |
5 |
| Father Figure
|
February 88 |
1 |
11 |
January 88 |
11 |
1 |
| One More Try
|
May 88 |
1 |
8 |
April 88 |
8 |
1 |
| Monkey |
August 88 |
1 |
13 |
July 88 |
13 |
1 |
| Praying for Time
|
September 90 |
1 |
8 |
September 90 |
6 |
4 |
| Dont Let the Sun Go Down on
me |
January 92 |
1 |
13 |
December 91 |
1 |
6 |
Source: Hit Singles: Top 20 Charts, Dave McAleer,1994
GEORGE MICHAEL:
UK
v. US Chart Performance: A Comparison Here is a chart
that shows how the singles that made it to #1 in the UK, did in the US. It
provides an interesting insight of how different the public reaction is in the
US and the UK to different singles. UK smash #1 hits like Edge of Heaven barely
made it to the Top 20 in the US.
Performance of UK #1 singles in
the US
| Song |
UK Entry date |
Peak |
Weeks in Top 20 |
US Entry date |
Peak |
Weeks in Top 20 |
| Wake Me Up Before You Go Go |
May 84 |
1 |
8 |
October 84 |
1 |
11 |
| Careless Whisper |
August 84 |
1 |
12 |
January 85 |
1 |
12 |
| Freedom |
October 84 |
1 |
8 |
September 85 |
3 |
8 |
| I'm Your Man |
November 85 |
1 |
8 |
January 86 |
3 |
8 |
| A Different Corner |
April 86 |
1 |
7 |
June 86 |
7 |
6 |
| Edge of Heaven |
June 86 |
1 |
6 |
June 86 |
10 |
5 |
| I Knew You Were Waiting |
January 87 |
1 |
6 |
March 87 |
1 |
8 |
| Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me |
December 91 |
1 |
6 |
January 92 |
1 |
6 |
| Jesus to a Child |
January 96 |
1 |
4 |
February 96 |
7 |
4 |
Source: Hit Singles: Top 20 Charts, Dave McAleer,1994
George Michael album double platinum before
release
LONDON (Reuters) - George Michael's new album ``Songs
from the last century'' has already achieved double platinum status -- and
that's before it has even been released.
Advance orders for the album, which is a
collection of Michael's interpretations of songs written over the last 100
years, mean more than 750,000 have already been sold in Britain alone.
The album is released by Virgin Monday, Dec.
6. 1999
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