Wham!

WHAM! were an iconic English pop duo - George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, formed in London in 1981. The pair originally met in 1975 when Andrew took a shy new boy at school under his wing. They instantly hit it off and their boyhood escapades at Bushey Meads School built a bond that was never broken.

The duo found themselves riding an astonishing rollercoaster of success, taking them all over the world. They made and broke iconic records, they were treated like gods, but they stayed true to their friendship and ultimately to themselves. It was a party that seemed as if it would never end. And then it did, in front of tens of thousands of tearful fans at Wembley Stadium in 1986.

WHAM! became one of the most successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to 1986.

George... I never minded being thought of as a pop star. People have always thought I wanted to be seen as a serious musician, but I didn't, I just wanted people to know that I was absolutely serious about pop music.

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go was WHAM's 1st UK and US No.1 single taken from the 1984 album Make It Big. The song was created from a note left by Andrew Ridgley to his parents where he accidentally used the word up twice Wake me up up ... The video featured, the what would become Iconic and must have T-shirt of the 80’s with the CHOOSE LIFE message emblazoned across oversized Katherine Hamnett T-shirts. The track featured in numerous movies and received 2 Grammy nominations – Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Music Video.

It was written and produced by George Michael, it was certified Platinum in the US, which at the time commemorated sales of over two million copies. In 2015, the song was voted by the British public as the nation's 13th favourite '80s number one in a poll for ITV. It was also ranked number 28 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s.

To learn more about Wham! click and explore any of their media channels and network links in the tool-bar above.