Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

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"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"
File:WakeMeUpBeforeYouGoGo.jpg
Standard artwork by Peter Saville and Trevor Key
Single by Wham!
from the album Make It Big
B-side"A Ray of Sunshine"
Released14 May 1984
StudioSarm West (London)[1][2]
GenreBubblegum pop[3]
Length3:50
Label
SongwriterGeorge Michael
ProducerGeorge Michael
Wham! singles chronology
"Club Fantastic Megamix"
(1983) 		"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"
(1984) 		"Careless Whisper"
(1984)
Music video
"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" on YouTube
Alternative cover
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
US release of the original 1984 single

"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" is a song by English pop duo Wham!, first released as a single in the UK on 14 May 1984.[4] It became their first UK and US number one hit. It was written and produced by George Michael. The single was certified platinum in the US, which at the time commemorated sales of over two million copies. The music video features Michael and bandmate Andrew Ridgeley wearing oversized message T-shirts ("CHOOSE LIFE") created by Katharine Hamnett, starting a craze covered in the 2002 VH1 series I Love the 80s.[5] The song was ranked number 28 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s.[6]

History

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George 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, 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.[7]

It was recorded within two days at Sarm West Studio 2 in London, with a live rhythm section.[2] The song, according to Michael, had been done in one take without any drop-ins (overdubs) at all – production-wise, he noted that the two options to him were "either to be like Trevor Horn and go for stunning sounds on your own, or just get a great sound on each instrument and go for a live take".[8] The UK sleeve was designed by Peter Saville, with photography by Trevor Key.[9]

Reception

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Upon its release, the song received a mixed reception from contemporary critics. Smash Hits' Dave Rimmer deemed it "An absolutely dreadful comeback in which George and Andy ditch everything they do well in favour of a feeble foray into Shakin' Stevens country.(...) Awful.".[10] While Cash Box said that "the Motown groove and patent vocals of 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go' are perfect CHR material which is executed expertly by this British duo."[11] The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number four and climbed to the top spot seven days later, staying there for two weeks. The song also went to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, holding the top spot for three weeks.

Music video

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The music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan.[12] It showcases the band performing for an audience of mostly teenagers at Brixton Academy in South London.[13] The band wore Katharine Hamnett T-shirt designs that said "CHOOSE LIFE".[14]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by George Michael.

7-inch: Epic / A 4440 (UK)
No.TitleLength
1."Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"3:51
2."Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" (instrumental)4:03

Note:

  • The US 7-inch single (Columbia 04552) has identical track listing.
  • Also released as a CD single in 1999
12-inch: Epic / TA 4440 (UK)
No.TitleLength
1."Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"3:51
2."A Ray of Sunshine" (specially recorded for The Tube)4:58
3."Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" (instrumental)4:03

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[60] 2× Platinum 140,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[61] Platinum 100,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[62] 2× Platinum 180,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[63] Gold 250,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[64] Platinum 50,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[65] Gold 75,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[66]
1984 release 		Gold 500,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[67]
2006 release 		3× Platinum 1,800,000‡
United States (RIAA)[68] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  5. ^ Kraszewski, Jon (2017). Reality TV. Taylor & Francis. p. 127.
  6. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  40. ^ "Wham! Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
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  42. ^ "Wham! Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
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