FEATURE:
Too Good to Be Forgotten: Songs That Are Much More Than a Guilty Pleasure
Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
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THIS song is one of those happier…
childhood memories where I was discovering all sorts of interesting music. I have seen the Wham! song, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go feature on lists of guilty pleasure songs. I suppose some consider Wham! to be a bit cheesy and very commercial in terms of their sound. I don’t like some of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s songs, but I think that Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go is an underrated one. Wham! would create better with tracks like I’m Your Man, Club Tropicana, and Last Christmas; Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go is infectious fun and should not been seen as a guilty pleasure! Instead, I feel that it is a good song to give you energy and a smile! Released as a single on 14th May, 1984, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go it was written and produced by George Michael. The song went to number-one in the U.S. and U.K. and, to this day, I think that it can get people dancing and singing along. Perhaps it is a generational thing whether you bond with the song. I think I was in middle school when I first heard the track. I was hooked and infused by the infectiousness of the song! The music video, which I was also fond of, features Michael and Ridgely wearing oversized message T-shirts (‘CHOOSE LIFE’). I want to bring in the Wikipedia article that mentions the inspiration behind the song:
“Michael's inspiration for the song was a scribbled note that his bandmate Andrew Ridgeley had left for his parents, intended to read "wake me up before you go" but with "up" accidentally written twice, so Ridgeley wrote "go" twice on purpose.
In 1984, George Michael had this to say on the development of the song:
I just wanted to make a really energetic pop record that had all the best elements of Fifties and Sixties records, combined with our attitude and our approach, which is obviously more uptempo and a lot younger than some of those records. It's one of those tracks that gets rid of a lot of your own personal influences; it reminds me of so many different records that I couldn't actually nail them down. I'd done a demo at home that just had a bass line and a vocal on it. Usually, I write the record in my head; I know what all the parts are going to be and I sing them to all our musicians. And it was great. ... We actually did it as a rehearsal. We used a LinnDrum because the drummer was late, and it was such a good track that we kept it”.
Not only is Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go underrated and seen as a guilty pleasure, but the album it came from, Make It Big, is not considered one of the better albums from the ‘80s. Released on 5th November, 1984, Make It Big also includes Freedom, and Careless Whisper. George Michael showed what a brilliant songwriter he was through the album – to be able to write Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, and Careless Whisper (a co-write with Ridgeley) for the same album shows incredible range and talent!
IN THIS PHOTO: Wham! in 1984 for Tiger Beat Magazine
Not to go on a tangent, but I want to bring in AllMusic’s review for Make It Big:
“The title was a promise to themselves, Wham!'s assurance that they would make it big after struggling out of the gates the first time out. They succeeded on a grander scale than they ever could have imagined, conquering the world and elsewhere with this effervescent set of giddy new wave pop-soul, thereby making George Michael a superstar and consigning Andrew Ridgeley to the confines of Trivial Pursuit. It was so big and the singles were so strong that it's easy to overlook its patchwork qualities. It's no longer than eight tracks, short even for the pre-CD era, and while the four singles are strong, the rest is filler, including an Isley Brothers cover. Thankfully, it's the kind of filler that's so tied to its time that it's fascinating in its stilted post-disco dance-pop rhythms and Thatcher/Reagan materialism -- an era that encouraged songs called "Credit Card Baby." If this dichotomy between the A-sides and B-sides is far too great to make this essential, the way Faith later would be, those A-sides range from good to terrific. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" is absolute silliness whose very stupidity is its strength, and if "Everything She Wants" is merely agreeable bubblegum, "Freedom" is astounding, a sparkling Motown rip-off rippling with spirit and a timeless melody later ripped off by Noel Gallagher. Then, there's the concluding "Careless Whisper," a soulful slow one where Michael regrets a one-night stand over a richly seductive background and a yearning saxophone. It was an instant classic, and it was the first indication of George Michael's strengths as a pop craftsman -- which means it points the way to Faith, not the halfhearted Edge of Heaven”.
I think that Wham! as a duo should be reassessed and enjoyed more. Last Christmas finally reached number-one last year, but I think that they penned more treasures and treats. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go is one of their most-streamed songs on Spotify; a blast of the 1980s that has actually dated well and stands up to repeated listens! There is a teenage quality to the lyrics in terms of what Michael is expressing. I think that is a real strength of the song. My favourite part is the chorus, which I think is one of the catchiest and most effusive of the 1980s. I can see why some younger listeners may find Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go cheesy, but stick with the song and it will definitely get under the skin! We sadly lost George Michael in 2016, though it is clear that his genius remains. I think that he hit higher peaks as a solo artist but, as part of Wham!, he was responsible for some truly terrific songs! Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go is a proper jam and, in these dark and stressful times, embracing songs like this can do some good. It is far stronger than many people give it credit for - it is definitely not a song one needs to feel guilty about loving! Get up, get ready and turn Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go before you…
HIT that high!