Wham!

  • New York, NY
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  • Pop
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  • 1981
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About Wham!


Wham! sparked something of a pop revival in the mid-'80s and could arguably be held responsible for sparking off the boy band trend of the '90s. They were unashamedly pop, to the point of padding the front of their trousers for television appearances. At the heart, however, was a string of catchy singalong singles written by George Michael (born Georgios Kyrriacos Panayiotou in London to a Greek restauranting family).

George met Wham!'s other half, Andrew Ridgeley, at school in the London suburb of Bushey, and in 1979 they started performing together as part of the ska-based band the Executive. When that group dissolved, they wrote songs, made demos, and rushed into a recording contract with the equally eager independent label Innervision, scoring an instant hit with "Wham Rap!" (they thought that "wham" was the sound they made when Michael and Ridgeley performed together). In order to move to a recording contract with Sony label Epic, Wham! was forced to walk away from most of the royalties from their debut album, Fantastic. None of that mattered when their 1984 single, "Wake Me up Before You Go Go," became a worldwide hit, accompanied by a video of the pair cavorting in their sportswear. Almost immediately, George Michael started thinking of a solo career, and released "Careless Whisper," issued in the U.S. under George Michael of Wham!

Wham!'s end came suddenly two years later, in 1985, reputedly when the group's manager, Simon Napier-Bell (later to manage Take That), decided to sell a share of his management to a South African entertainment conglomerate. Supposedly, as part of a stand against South African politics, George Michael immediately announced Wham!'s breakup. They gave their farewell performance before a sold-out audience of 72,000 fans at London's Wembley Stadium.

George Michael comfortably stepped straight into his own highly successful solo performing and recording career. Andrew Ridgeley's post Wham! album, Son of Albert, sold poorly and produced just one minor hit, "Shake." ~ Ed Nimmervoll, Rovi

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Music

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  • I'm Your Man
    wham
    Video
    I'm Your Man
  • Where Did Your Heart Go?
    wham
    Video
    Where Did Your Heart Go?
  • Bad Boys
    wham
    Video
    Bad Boys
  • Club Tropicana
    wham
    Video
    Club Tropicana
  • The Edge Of Heaven
    wham
    Video
    The Edge Of Heaven
  • Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)
    wham
    Video
    Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)
  • The Edge Of Heaven
    wham
    Video
    The Edge Of Heaven
  • Bad Boys
    wham
    Video
    Bad Boys
  • 992
    SoundStream
    SoundStream
    song name
    0:00
    Audio powered by
    All the music you want, just 10 bucks a month. Try it free.
    • Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/9/3/0/3/5/106053039.mp3
    • Careless Whisper
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/6/1/7/4/6/105464716.mp3
    • Everything She Wants
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/6/8/6/5/5/106055686.mp3
    • Everything She Wants (Remastered 2006)
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/0/0/8/0/4/229240800.mp3
    • Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (Remastered 2006)
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/9/7/7/6/3/201636779.mp3
    • Freedom
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/3/3/1/6/5/106056133.mp3

Photos

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  • CBS
    Wham!
    CBS

News

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  • Wham!
    Seether Get Their Wham! On, Plus The Worst Heavy ’80s Covers
    www.rollingstone.com
    George Michael Song. Plus, let us know your favorite — or in this case, least favorite — '80s covers in the comments. Limp Bizkit – "Faith ... " (orig...
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  • Wham!
    One word: Wham! Another word: reunion
    prefixmag.com
    Via The Sunday MirrorTwo more: get excited. Desperately in need of some good press after recent shenanigans including passing out in his car with a lo...
    Read More
  • Wham!
    Dan Deacon's Wham City Plans Comedy Tour
    www.pitchfork.com
    City people, Deacon included, will cross the Eastern half of North America in November; dates are below. Alongside Deacon, the show will feature Ed Sc...
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  • Wham!
    Peter Wolf Crier: 'Last Christmas' (Wham Cover) (Live On A.V. Unde | Prefix
    www.prefixmag.com
    Tweet The A.V. Club's Holiday Undercover series continues today with this cover of Wham's ever-present "Last Christmas" by Peter Wolf Crier. This one ...
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  • Wham!
    Graffiti6 Covers Wham!’s “Last Christmas”
    idolator.com
    Wham!'s George Michael learned long ago that a heart does not a good Christmas present make, and must be saved for someone special. But kids these day...
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  • Wham!
    The xx - "Last Christmas" (Wham! Cover)
    stereogum.com
    Wham!'s "Last Christmas" is one of the all-time great cheesed-out holiday songs, but it's got a simple, heart-heavy longing at its core, and so maybe ...
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  • Wham!
    Listen to the xx Covering Wham!'s "Last Christmas"
    pitchfork.com
    Photo by Erez Avissar The xx popped by BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge this morning to play an intimate session, during which they performed "Chained" from ...
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  • Wham!
    The xx Cover Wham's "Last Christmas"
    Paste
    The xx covered Wham's holiday track, "Last Christmas," transforming the cheery pop song into a dark and twisted tale of love. Full of romantic synths,...
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Discography

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  • Music from the Edge of Heaven (1986)
    Wham!
    Music from the Edge of Heaven (1986)
    Columbia
  • Make It Big (1984)
    Wham!
    Make It Big (1984)
    Columbia
  • Fantastic (1983)
    Wham!
    Fantastic (1983)
    Columbia
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