- [film reel whirs]
- [brief fanfare]
[both] Hi.
You've just seen
a typical morning in the life of Wham!,
but things haven't really... [splutters]
Once again. Can we do it again?
[brief fanfare]
[both] Hi.
You've just seen
a typical morning in the life of Wham!
Things haven't always been
this way for us.
This is Bushey Meads School, where we met
at the tender age of 12 in 1975.
We have with us today
a very special guest.
Mr. Ted Halliwell, my old headmaster.
Ted, how are you?
Never been better.
Good. Ted, tell me, did you ever think
things would turn out like this?
- Well...
- Thank you, Ted. Let's go to George.
[George] When I was with Andrew,
we were absolutely determined
to have a fantastic time.
- [Andrew] Wham! was a brotherhood.
- [doorbell rings]
It was playful.
[George] A human, unpredictable mess.
All of it was pop.
[Andrew] And Wham! was
never gonna grow up.
[George] It was like a dream, really,
since we were kids.
But at the time,
everyone's like,
"How can these two idiots
become so bloody massive?"
"How does that happen?"
Wham! Bam! I am a man
Job or no job
You can't tell me that I'm not
Do you enjoy what you do?
If not, just stop
Don't stay there and rot
Ah! La, la la, la la
Yeah, yeah, yeah
La, la la, la la
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I ain't got no more worries
I ain't got no more time for you
Loving you takes such courage
Everyone's got their eye on you
I ain't got no more worries
I ain't got no more time for you
Loving you takes such courage
And don't you think that I know it
I know it, I know it, I know it
[howling]
[interviewer] George, can you just tell us
how you and Andrew got together?
Uh, basically, we met when I was 11
and Andrew was 12
in North London.
The first day
that I got to my new school, I met Andrew.
Our form tutor walked in with a new boy.
He had these sodding
great big window-frame glasses.
[George] And I was very awkward.
Slightly porky,
very strange-looking bloke.
[Andrew] Very curly big bonce of hair.
[George] And quite shy.
[Andrew] Our teacher introduced him
as Georgios Panayiotou.
[George] Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou,
that's it.
[Andrew] "Who's going to
look after the new boy?"
[George] Andrew put up his hand.
I genuinely believe that
there's something predestined about it.
I mean, the path
might have been totally different
had I sat down
next to someone else that day.
[Andrew] For me, he was Yog.
It was the nickname I'd given him.
[George] There was such a bond there,
really.
[Andrew] Essentially, Yog and I saw things
exactly the same way.
Musically, we were joined at the hip.
We'd spend hours doing skits
and putting together comedy radio shows.
...writing songs, and then we started a band
when we were both about 16.
[Andrew] We were the Executive.
[recording] Uh, the Executive.
One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, eight!
[ska version of "Fr Elise" playing]
[George] It was ska music,
and we were terrible, basically! [laughs]
[Andrew] Uh, we weren't bad for 16.
[music stops abruptly]
[Andrew] Okay, wankers, third time!
[ska music continues]
[Andrew] The five of us just about covered
everything that we needed instrument-wise.
[George] Come back, Andrew!
Fizzled out after a year,
as people didn't turn up for practices
or concerts or whatever.
[Andrew] I wouldn't say it fizzled out.
It rather more imploded,
and that just left me and Yog.
[George] It was just gonna be us two.
[Andrew] And we would just carry on
writing songs together.
[Andrew] And we'd go out dancing
in London's West End.
[George] And we went to a club
called the b*at Route.
We were kinda doing
this, like, formation dance
and having a laugh.
Andy started shouting something
about "wham, bam" and all this, you know?
[Andrew] So I just started rapping,
"Wham, bam, I am the man."
We thought
that'd be a good name for a group.
Wham!.
And it stuck.
["Pleasure Boys" playing]
I really don't know much better...
[Andrew] And there was only ever one thing
that I wanted to do.
Be in a band with Yog.
[George] Andrew and I had developed
a knack for writing these catchy songs.
We did a demo tape for 20
in Andrew's front room.
We had, like,
a broom with a microphone tied to it
and one of
those little four-track portastudios
that had just come out
at the end of the '70s.
I said get, get, get on down
I said get, get, get on down
[George] You know, we were all 17 or 18.
[Andrew] The songwriting was
dictated by our circumstances,
the environment around us.
[reporter] Protests
throughout the country.
The rocketing rise of unemployment
among 16-to 18-year-olds.
[Andrew] We were fusing rap with disco,
and then we added pop.
A social lyric to a disco backing.
Hey, everybody, take a look at me
I've got street credibility
I may not have a job
But I have a good time
With the boys that I meet
Down on the line...
[Andrew] The silly chant
that I'd been singing at one of the clubs,
we wrote the song "Wham Rap!" around it.
Wham, bam, I am a man
We just kept writing songs from there.
["Club Tropicana" playing]
[Andrew] Yog and I drew on
our clubbing experiences.
[George] "Club Tropicana" was
written about the b*at Route.
Club Tropicana, drinks are free...
[Andrew] We only had a verse
and a chorus for that track.
- [recorder clicks]
- [steady b*at]
Yog came round to my house one evening,
and I'd been working on
a chord progression that I really liked.
It was amazing because he said,
"I've got a melody that fits over
that chord progression perfectly."
[George] We'd come up with
roughly the same chord pattern.
["Careless Whisper" demo playing]
As I fall once more...
I smell the varnish
Of this dance floor
To the heart and mind...
[George] We finished it together,
put it together very slowly
at home or on the bus,
just add a little bit day by day.
Pain is all you'll find
And I'm never gonna dance again
Guilty feet have got no rhythm
And it's easy to pretend
But I know I'm not a fool...
[George] I remember it
when it was finished
one day when we were bunking off school.
I said to him, "I don't know who'll do it,
and I don't know
whether I'll be good enough to sing it."
"That is a number-one song."
The actual demo tape
was about four minutes long.
[Andrew] That was quite enough for me.
I was supremely confident.
Even though it was one song,
two-thirds of another,
and a quarter of the other.
We'd go and doorstep record companies.
[George] Two 18-year-old boys.
How cocky is that?
We'd just stand there
and insist that
we had booked an appointment.
[Andrew] We had
a very disappointing response.
[George] A guy chucked the tape back
over the table and said,
you know, "Nice voice,
but go away and write some hit songs."
They all sent "Careless Whisper" away.
They all sent "Club Tropicana" away.
I remember my stomach turning over,
and I remember the sinking feeling.
I was absolutely devastated.
Devastated.
[Andrew] It was discouraging,
but I knew a chap called Mark Dean,
who lived down the road from my parents,
and he was in the record industry.
[George] I think he discovered
Soft Cell and ABC.
Andy kept on phoning my mum all the time,
saying, "Would you listen to a tape?"
And, uh, I wouldn't.
I kept on avoiding him.
I just thought,
"Oh, not another band next door."
[George] Andrew put the tape
into Mark Dean's letterbox.
There was no music on the tape.
It was just George singing songs
with scratchy guitar.
But it was still great,
and it was fantastic.
[Andrew] He said,
"I'm gonna offer you a record deal."
[George] We signed it at this little
greasy-spoon caf. [chuckles]
[Andrew] Pure joy.
["Wham Rap!" playing]
[Andrew] My mum started,
from day one, a scrapbook.
And she built up an amazing collection.
Cuttings, reviews,
chart positions.
She really committed to the scrapbook.
Scrapbook number one.
"Andrew and Yog signed record contract
with Innervision."
"Wham!"
That was it. You know, we were living it.
[George laughs]
[George] It was just absolutely magical,
playing out your fantasies.
It was just a dream
and with your best mate, you know.
Wham! is really just Andrew and myself,
but we thought
we would incorporate two girls,
one of whom would be Andrew's girlfriend.
[Andrew] Shirlie, Yog, and I
used to go out dancing.
Then we felt
that's how we could present our music.
Another is a professional.
[Andrew] Dee C Lee joined us.
[George] The two girls
had been inspired by the Human League.
Andrew and I both loved Human League.
[Andrew] George loves Human League.
I quite like them.
The girls hadn't been
inspired by Human League.
You know, we used what we had,
and I had a girlfriend,
and we had these dance routines.
That's what we had.
So our first ever 45 was pressed.
You're gonna have a good time...
Hi, this is George Michael of Wham! here.
Hope you enjoy the new single.
It's called
"Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)."
Get, get, get on down
Said get, get, get on down
Hey, everybody, take a look at me
I've got street credibility
I may not have a job
But I have a good time
With the boys that I meet
Down on the line
Say D-H-S-S
Man, the rhythm that they're givin'
Is the very best...
[Andrew] The response was extraordinary.
Sounds described us
as socially aware funk.
Get yourself a job
Are you a man or a mouse?
[Andrew] But everything pointed toward it
being a hit.
Get some space
Get out of this place
Wham, bam, I am a man
Job or no job
You can't tell me that I'm not
Do you enjoy what you do?
If not, just stop
Don't stay there and rot
[Andrew] The label, on that first single,
credited Andrew Ridgeley and G Panos.
Panos was a shortening of Panayiotou.
[George] There is a very urgent need
for a stage name.
...are gonna pay
Now reach up high
And touch your soul...
[Andrew] George Michael.
George is the English version
of the Greek name Georgios.
Michael is the Christian name
of one of our good friend's dads.
'Cause I know that you're smart...
[Andrew] It helped shape a persona.
- Yeah!
- Say wham!
- Wham!
- Say bam!
Bam!
[Andrew] We were convinced
it was gonna be a hit.
But it didn't even make the top 100.
It was a disaster.
The record company felt
that we would need to build up a fan base.
They proposed
that we did personal appearances
in these small clubs
up and down the length of the country.
[George] 'Cause we were D list.
Yeah, we were seriously, seriously D rate.
You'd see the same poor sods
every place you went.
[crowd cheering]
[George laughs] Like, mime artists
and sh*t like that
that you would've seen
doing the same club as you last week.
[host] George!
Yes, George is gonna do a bit of rapping.
[music playing]
[George] And even though
it was embarrassing
and you were constantly being
harassed by drunks and sh*t,
it meant that we were prepared.
You know what I mean?
[steady b*at playing]
Away we go!
Right, some of you in the front, right,
I'm gonna ask you to sing along
to some of this.
[Andrew] We were
under massive pressure to chart,
and George came up with "Young g*ns."
If "Young g*ns" wasn't a hit,
we would be dropped.
["Young g*ns" playing]
[man] What the f*ck is that?
Hey, sucker
What the hell's got into you?
[Andrew] So "Young g*ns"
made its way up the charts to number 72.
[George] "Wham Rap!" had been a failure.
[Andrew] If this track wasn't a hit,
we weren't gonna make another record,
and it stalled at number 42.
It wasn't actually gonna make it
into the top 40.
[George] And that was possibly
the worst week of my life.
Christ's sake, you know? It felt bad.
I spent a week thinking,
"I'm not any good at this."
That I was wrong about something
that I believed with all my heart
since I was a child.
And then we got
this miracle phone call out of the blue.
[Andrew] We get a phone call
from Top of the Pops,
asking us if we will appear
because another artist had dropped out.
The only prime-time chart show.
I'd never really seen stardom
above Top of the Pops, you know?
A Top of the Pops appearance was
the holy grail.
[George] The night before,
we stayed in this little hotel.
[Andrew] George drew the short straw
and got some crib to sleep in.
[George] And it was a child-size bed.
[Andrew] He had
a really uncomfortable, sleepless night
with his feet poking over the end of it.
[producer] Three, two, one...
[Top of the Pops theme music playing]
[Andrew] We get on stage,
look at each other, and think,
"This is it. Let's do it."
["Young g*ns" playing]
[audience whooping]
Hey, sucker
What the hell's got into you?
Hey, sucker
Now there's nothing you can do
Well, I hadn't seen your face
Around town awhile
So I greeted you with a knowing smile
When I saw that girl upon your arm
I knew she'd won your heart
With her fatal charm...
[George] I mean, it looks terrible
when you look at it now,
but at the time, it was considered
quite innovative and new,
the way we presented ourselves.
Young g*ns having some fun
Crazy ladies keep 'em on the run
Wise guys realize...
[Andrew] We had virtually no clothes.
I think there were about two outfits
that we circulated between us.
One, two, take a look at you
Death by matrimony
[George] There's a certain energy
through the naffness, know what I mean?
Get back! Hands off! Go for it!
[Andrew] It was fairly amateurish,
but we looked original.
We looked different.
Young g*ns having some fun
Crazy ladies keep 'em on the run...
[George] It's such a funny dance routine
when you see it.
But it worked in a weird kind of way.
Everybody remembered it at the time.
We went and did it in my mum's back room.
No choreographer was gonna come up
with that sh*t.
- [song ends]
- [audience cheering]
[presenter] Wonderful! Well done, Wham!!
[George] But that was our moment
which definitely turned everything around.
The single flew up the charts.
[Andrew] Wham! had arrived.
[upbeat music playing]
[clock chimes]
[cheering]
[reporter] A happy start
to what we hope will be a great New Year.
This is Andrew from Wham!
- Hi!
- George from Wham!
Hi.
What are your predictions for 1983
on the musical side of things?
[Andrew] Well, there's Wham!
- [presenter] You've made it already.
- We've gotta have a number one yet.
We gotta have three number ones.
Millions of number ones.
What style of music do you think's
gonna be big in the summer of '83?
Ours.
[Andrew] Scrapbook number three.
We are a hit band and 20 years old.
[presenter] Wham! have got
two reasons to celebrate.
It's Andrew's birthday. Happy birthday.
And also they're in the charts
with "Wham Rap!."
[audience cheering]
[Andrew] "Wham Rap!" was rereleased,
and it went to number eight.
Amazing result.
Let's introduce the band.
- Dee.
- Shirlie.
- George.
- I'm Andrew.
[Andrew] Innervision sort of pitched us
as cultural warriors.
"Wham! will shape the views
of every adolescent."
And it pressured us
into writing to a certain formula.
Youth kicking against adulthood.
Let's check out
some social-comment rapping
with a dance record from Wham!
[Andrew] "Bad Boys" went to number two.
- ["Bad Boys" playing]
- [George] Massive hit.
Bad boys stick together
Never sad boys
Do do do do do, woo woo!
Good guys...
[Andrew] But neither of us
were happy with "Bad Boys."
[George] "Bad Boys" was simply formula.
I just didn't know what to do,
and I just wrote to formula.
I absolutely hate that single.
[Andrew] When we started songwriting,
I was unemployed,
and that informed "Wham Rap!."
The fact is, we were now a successful act.
We weren't social commentators.
[George] We had a very strong sense
of doing something different.
A vision
of this kind of bright, new pop thing.
I have genuine feeling
for a mainstream audience.
That's what
youth culture's contribution to music was.
Pop music.
I think what's happening in England
is that there's a large escapist element
creeping back into music now.
- [host] What's the plans for the summer?
- We're sh**ting a video in Ibiza.
- [host] What's the new single called?
- The new single's "Club Tropicana."
[George] Three or four years ago,
with the punk thing, people were shouting.
Now they're not ashamed
of being young, unemployed.
They'd rather just go to a disco or a club
and forget about it.
We thought we'd make this new pop music.
[Andrew] The fantasy
that is "Club Tropicana."
A new direction.
A new identity.
Neither of us had been to Ibiza before.
[dreamy instrumental music playing]
[Andrew] We were to sh**t the video
in this paradise of a boutique hotel.
The legendary Pikes,
a known secret.
An escape for the rich and famous
and the celebrities of the era.
It was like pop stars, is how they live.
It was effervescent,
everything George and I imagined
when we wrote the song
in my parents' living room
but had never seen for real.
For us, it was beginning to really shape
what Wham! was gonna become.
[George] Two young guys
who were hedonistic.
[Andrew] That exuberance of youth.
["Club Tropicana" playing]
[Andrew] "Club Tropicana" was the point
where we became pure Wham!.
Let me take you to the place
Where membership's a smiling face
Brush shoulders with the stars
Where strangers take you by the hand
And welcome you to wonderland
From beneath their Panamas
Club Tropicana, drinks are free
Fun and sunshine
There's enough for everyone...
[George] The interesting thing is
that it was kind of inconceivable to me
that I would ever become the kind of pinup
that I thought Andrew naturally was.
But, actually, girls found me attractive
as well as Andrew.
[Andrew] We stayed on
a couple of days after the sh**t.
One morning,
the phone rang in my room,
and Yog said to me,
"Can you come over and have a chat?"
Nothing out of the ordinary,
as far as that goes.
I walked around the swimming pool.
I went into his room,
and Shirlie was there,
which also wasn't unusual.
Shirlie and I had split up,
but we were
a really close trio of friends.
Yog was in bed.
He gave Shirlie sort of a quick glance.
He said to me,
"Didn't know how to tell you this,
but I'm gay."
"If not gay, you know, bisexual."
[George] About six months before we went
to do the video for "Club Tropicana",
I'd actually had something go on that,
you know,
made my attraction to men fairly clear.
I had stayed over at this guy's house.
He tried to have sex with me,
and I'd been too scared.
But I realized that I wanted to stay
in the bed for the night.
I wanted to be close to this guy,
which had never happened before.
And I wrote a song about that.
That's what that song was about.
I watch you breathe
I cannot sleep...
[George] It kinda hit me
really in a very kind of profound way
that something else was going on.
Once I realized that this was
a part of my sexuality I couldn't ignore,
I went to come out to Andrew.
[Andrew] For me,
his sexuality had
absolutely no bearing on... on us.
I wanted him to be happy.
[George] I said I was gonna talk to
my mum and dad and was persuaded,
in no uncertain terms,
that it really wasn't the best idea.
I don't think they were trying to protect
my career or their careers.
I think they were literally
just thinking of my dad. [laughs]
'Cause when you're 19, that's as far as...
You look at your parents.
"Don't tell your dad."
"My God, your dad'll hit the roof."
[Andrew] We... We... We felt, you know,
that he just couldn't tell his dad.
[George] The three of us
were so close at the time,
but the point being
I'd really, really asked the wrong people.
[Andrew] I mean, you know,
we were 19, 20 years old.
Our perspective was a little narrower.
[George] That is a pivotal moment.
At that point in time, I really did.
I really wanted to come out.
And then I lost my nerve completely.
And just... [sighs]
...by necessity,
I went with full gusto
into the progression of Wham!,
creating a new character.
You're gonna do better and better
and shock everyone at how well you can do.
Forging an identity through my success.
[Andrew] George's songwriting
was developing
at an amazing, inconceivable sort of pace.
My songwriting just wasn't developing
in anything like the same way his was,
and it created a little bit of friction.
Through the album,
through recording Fantastic,
we'd... we'd had a discussion.
[George] And we talked about the fact
that if we wanted to be massive,
we shouldn't share the writing.
[Andrew] The goals
that we kind of set ourselves
could only be attained, really,
with the sort of quality of songwriting
that he was able to produce.
[George] I've always seen the writing
as the gift I was meant to protect.
Never been any question about that.
[Andrew] It was uncomfortable for me
because songwriting was something that I...
really, how we started.
We formed a band so we could write songs,
so it was a little difficult.
[George] Andrew and I have
got it out the way very quickly
and never had to discuss it again.
["Wham Rap!" playing]
Your album, quite seriously,
it was a great album
'cause there's not one bad track on it.
- A terrific album.
- Thank you very much.
[Andrew] Our debut album Fantastic
had got to number one.
[George] It was an amazing thing to see.
[Andrew] It remained in the charts
for the best part of two and a half years.
Fancy a bit of Wham!?
- Yes.
- I thought you'd say that.
[Andrew] However, the music press
didn't like "Club Tropicana" at all.
They resented
that we had thrown the shackles off.
It wasn't another protest song.
I wasn't too keen on
the "Casablanca" single or whatever, but...
- [host] "Club Tropicana."
- I knew it was one of those places.
[Andrew] "Withering,
contemptuous, complete sell-out."
When your first singles came out,
you had a mixed following,
so you seem to have now
what we've got round here,
which is a lot of young girls
madly in love with you.
Is it a change of image?
It looks that way.
We started off
with mainly a club audience,
a lot of girls and blokes of our own age.
And, uh, this year,
we've been in a lot of national press,
and we've been in a lot of girl magazines.
- [host] That's a choice of your own.
- Yeah, it's a choice of our own.
[Andrew] It narked George
because people
weren't taking him seriously
as a songwriter.
- George and Andrew from Wham!
- Morning!
[host] A giant banana going to...
Hugo Buckley, aged eight.
- Poynton, Cheshire.
- [host] Right, great.
[George] As a younger man
and as a younger songwriter
trying to do my best,
those things really did hurt me.
[Andrew] Despite the music press,
we understood
that we were actually moving forwards.
"Pop" became a very dirty word in England
for a good four or five years.
We believe strongly in pop music
as very valid,
and I think people lost sight of that.
[Andrew] A genuine live nationwide tour
was our chance
to prove the doubters wrong.
Lovely T-shirt!
Is there no chance
of cross-fading them with music?
[Andrew] If it was gonna be a success,
the Club Fantastic tour
had to be absolutely spot on.
We never get what we want
unless we direct it fairly much ourselves.
Before, it was, "It's a great idea, boys."
[George] "What do you know? You're 19."
"You'd never know
what you're talking about."
- There are certain basic...
- That was a year ago.
...basic rules to presenting yourself
that you know automatically,
and we've actually
got that across to people now.
[Andrew] This is an example.
Our own handiwork.
It's the program for the tour.
[George] I was supremely aware
that if I left the imagery to Andrew,
kids kinda loved it.
[Andrew] The outfits in the show
had to represent exuberance of youth,
fun and excitement.
[George] I'd admired Andrew
since we were kids,
his kind of sense of style.
I place a lot of that with him, you know?
[Andrew] So I pushed the sportswear look.
I chose red, and for some...
probably 'cause he was colorblind...
[chuckles]
...Yog chose canary yellow.
We'd been joined by a new singer,
Helen DeMacque, who we knew as Pepsi.
She just slotted in beautifully
and was a huge asset to us,
as was Shirlie.
They added glamour
and a different kind of energy.
There's no... There's nobody...
It was weeks and weeks and weeks
of rehearsal.
George being George,
it was about detail.
And in George's case, forensic detail.
So much of how he defined himself
was wrapped up in his music.
[George] And I went from being
Andrew's kind of shadow
to being really
in the center of attention.
One, two...
["A Ray of Sunshine" playing]
Move it, move it, baby
Can't you see I'm ready to dance?
And I can't stop this rhythm
In my heart
Move it, move it, baby
Can't you see...
[Andrew] And it was time
to go on the road.
Shuffle on your feet
Till the floor is hot
Gonna make a lot of money
Gonna break your heart...
[crowd screaming, whistling]
The music's really good.
I think they're really fit and gorgeous.
- They're lovely.
- The music's fantastic.
Both are gorgeous!
[George] I was determined to be noticed
for what I did.
What I didn't realize was gonna happen,
obviously Andrew starting it off,
didn't realize that I was going to be
selling my physical persona.
[distant crowd chanting]
[George] All the kind of nonsense
that was borne out of that
took me up a road
that I never thought I was gonna go on.
I never, ever saw myself
as being a kind of teen idol
or anything like that.
[chanting getting louder]
[George] I was really shy, so,
to justify this kind of showy character
that was the complete antithesis
of who I was growing up...
I said
that's the thing I put on.
["Young g*ns" playing]
[crowd screaming]
Hey, sucker
What the hell's got into you?
Hey, sucker...
[Andrew] The reaction was stunning
everywhere we went.
It was absolutely nuts.
Both of us were absolutely fizzing.
To sort of up the ante even more,
George would run a shuttlecock
up and down his glistening, sweaty arm,
and he'd drop it down his shorts,
and then he'd sling it in the crowd.
- [crowd screaming]
- They went nuts.
Everybody!
Young g*ns having some fun
Crazy ladies keep 'em on the run
Wise guys realize
There's danger in emotional ties...
We keep getting bombarded
with, you know, bangles.
- We got dolly mixture...
- The garter. Did you get the garter?
- No. I got a bra last night.
- Lovely big red and black garter.
A pair of knickers the other night.
You see them?
It's great. I mean, I love it.
[interviewer] Would you rather
do anything else?
Not right now. What's it, Saturday night?
Down the Palace or something?
Not really, no.
[interviewer chuckles]
It's fantastic.
We're starting to get used to it.
We're starting to expect it, really.
But, I mean, it's fantastic.
It still doesn't make any sense, really.
[distant cheering]
[crowd screaming]
[screaming intensifies]
[Andrew] It took us both by surprise.
[George] The madness
that was going on around us.
[Andrew] But for him,
he got a high from it.
[George] The whole Wham!,
thousands of girls screaming at you thing.
Once I had a taste of it,
it was very addictive
and because I was very insecure,
it was extremely addictive.
A new state of mind
This is a number called "Good Times."
Good times...
[Andrew] Wham!
- mania had started.
Happy days are here again...
[reporter] George and his partner Andrew,
best known for their knees
displayed in different pairs
of shorts onstage
during their triumphant British tour.
They're a very sexy band.
It was wonderful.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
[man] Wham!
[crowd cheering]
Thank you very much.
Is anyone coming to see us
at Whitley Bay tomorrow?
[crowd cheering]
Okay, great.
I think I want to
Live the sporting life...
Come on!
Wham! 1984 calendar.
- Go straight to...
- The first...
No, no, no. December is the best month.
Leave your cares behind
These are the good times
[Andrew] We had a number-one album.
["Good Times" playing]
The tour was an absolute triumph.
Somebody! Anybody! Everybody!
[Andrew] The press interest
was off the scale.
Absolutely amazing. Absolutely brilliant.
[Andrew] We had a string of hit singles.
[crowd screaming]
[Andrew] And we had
zero money.
[George] Andrew and I
both came home off tour
and would go home to Mum and Dad.
It was literally that bad.
[interviewer] Have you made
a lot of money?
Um...
No, not really, and what money we've made,
we probably won't get to see
because it gets spent
before you get to see it.
Um...
There are reasons why we haven't made
anything like as much money
as most people would probably believe,
but, you know...
You're well on the way to success.
Is money coming in?
Ask my mum. She's out there.
- [host] Is she here?
- Yes.
- [host] You bought things?
- I bought a jumper.
[laughter]
- It cost nearly as much as the car.
- Lavish. We're really lavish.
[George] It was absolutely ludicrous.
[Andrew] We received 4% apiece
on singles in the UK
and 2% in the rest of the world.
[George] Right.
We didn't get any money on 12 inches,
which is what, principally,
were selling at the time.
I mean, the whole thing was laughable.
[Mark] When they first come
to the record company,
all they want is fame. Money, secondary.
And suddenly they make it,
and six months later,
they're still sitting on the bus,
saying, "Shouldn't we have some money
for doing this as well?"
"Why is it held up in pipeline royalties?"
"Why is it here?" "Why is it there?"
That's when the trouble begins.
[George] Two 18-year-old boys
being taken to a greasy spoon.
The issue is,
was it fair on the day it was signed?
How can you call being told
that they're not gonna have
their big chance at stardom
if they don't sign this piece of paper...
How is that fair?
[Andrew] We needed management.
Now, I've got this book here,
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me,
and it was written by Simon Napier-Bell,
who's actually here with me.
[George] In the '60s,
Simon was a bit of a Svengali.
[Andrew] I really took to Simon.
[Simon] On Top of the Pops,
they projected themselves
in a way which no other group from
Top of the Pops I'd ever seen had done.
Both as a group, in that they understood
how to use Top of the Pops
to project themselves,
and they came across with
this incredible sort of erotic intimacy.
Anyone we met
had to give us that confidence,
and no one had until Simon.
[Andrew] And so a new deal
was signed directly with CBS.
Feel all right, huh!
Feel pretty good, y'all
Uh!
Nah, na-na-na-na
Na-na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na
Na-na-na-na, come on y'all
Let's say it one more time...
[Andrew] It was around that point
that it was decided
just what to do with "Careless Whisper."
So George went to Muscle Shoals Studio
in Alabama.
[George] I had to record it
with Jerry Wexler,
Aretha Franklin's producer
and Ray Charles' producer,
and his session guys, who are called
the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section,
and they had
the most stunning repertoire of work.
And I was absolutely sh1tting myself.
Oh, come back, baby
Baby, please don't go...
[Andrew] George respected Jerry Wexler
hugely
and was a little in awe of the great man.
[George] I would stand there,
ready to do my "I feel so unsure,"
and Jerry would say...
[Jerry] Stand by.
[George] "Remember, George, that's where
Aretha Franklin sang "Respect,"
or, "Now, just remember, George,
that's where Ray Charles sang
"When a Man Loves a Woman."
And you're like...
[sarcastically] "Oh, thank you."
Right? Just before you do
your weedy little thing
that you wrote on the bus.
[Andrew] I was really keen to hear
what had been done with the track
because we'd cowritten it together,
and we knew what it should sound like.
[George] I thought,
"It's got Jerry Wexler's name on it."
"It must be fantastic."
[Andrew] Yog came back,
and he said, "Just have a listen."
As I take your hand
And lead you
To the dancefloor...
[Andrew] It had been eviscerated.
It lost all its character, its essence.
It was average,
and he said, "I don't like it either."
[George] So it was a bit limp.
It was mostly down to me.
Then it was suddenly,
"You gotta produce it yourself."
Though it's easy
[music stops]
I then decided that I didn't actually want
the Jerry Wexler mix
to be the final record, and I went in
and recorded the whole record again.
And thank Christ I did.
[Andrew] When he took the decision
to record "Careless Whisper"
the way that he wanted it to sound,
George went through ten sax players...
[saxophone playing]
...before Steve Gregory came in
and nailed the part.
["Careless Whisper" playing]
The production of "Careless Whisper"
was the second occasion, really,
where he'd produced a track
solely to his vision.
[George] Yes, I had also produced
a catchy song.
I remember
staying at Andrew's house,
staying in the spare bedroom,
getting up in the morning...
[Andrew] And I'd pinned a note
on my bedroom door,
and I'd made a mistake.
I'd written,
"Wake me up up before you go,"
so I just amended the "go" to "go go."
[George] It struck me that that was
somehow a wonderful title for a song.
Jitterbug
[Andrew] Next thing you know... [chuckles]
..."Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go."
- You put the boom-boom into my heart
- Ooh-ooh
You send my soul sky high
When your loving starts
Jitterbug into my...
[George] And people loved it.
Goes a-bang-bang-bang
Till my feet do the same...
[host] "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"!
Something ain't right
My best friend told me what you did...
Wham!!
Left me sleeping in my bed...
With "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,"
it's Wham!!
...with you instead
Wake me up before you go-go
Don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo
Wake me up before...
[Andrew] "Wake Me Up"
became our first number one.
When you hit that high...
- What did you do to celebrate?
- A party at my dad's restaurant.
'Cause I'm not planning on going solo
Wake me up before you go-go, ah
Take me dancing tonight...
[Andrew] Massive validation of his ability
to write hit songs that he could deliver.
I wanna hit that high
Yeah, yeah...
[George] "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"
jumped out
compared to the album
that I had co-produced
the year before.
So, suddenly,
it's not just a singer-writer.
It's a singer-writer-producer.
The musical community took the piss.
"I mean, how can they look like that
and make music like this?"
Everything will be all right
Wake me up before you go-go...
[George] "How can the country
be in love with these two idiots?"
Wake me up before you go-go, ah
Take me dancing tonight...
Your record has been slagged in the press.
[George laughs] Slagged, yeah.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, baby!
- Jitterbug
[George] If I was listening to someone
singing that now,
and I knew that they'd written it,
produced it, and sung it,
I wouldn't be taking the piss out of them
because they wore terrible clothes.
D'you know what I'm saying?
Cuddle up, baby
Move in tight...
For a f*cking 20-year-old.
...tomorrow night
It's cold out there
But it's warm in bed...
Why the f*ck
would they be taking the piss out of me?
We'll stay home instead
Jitterbug
Wake me up before you go-go...
[Andrew] After the success of
"Wake Me Up,"
we went on to record the second album.
The decision was taken to record it
in the South of France.
[George] Our label was like,
"You've gotta produce it yourself,"
whereas on the first one, I hadn't been
allowed to do it myself. You know?
[Andrew] Chteau Miraval was
an excellent creative environment
in which to work.
George liked to write almost exclusively
as part of the recording process.
[George] Into my most private place,
which is really being in the studio.
I'm a producer
before I'm a singer sometimes.
Andy's guitar is on 10, really,
and Hugh's is on 11.
I construct what I do
and literally work for hours
and hours and hours.
[Andrew] My contribution
to the writing and recording
was now limited to the recording.
Whilst we had taken that decision,
it was... it was slightly difficult.
[whooping]
[Andrew] But it was a sacrifice
that I felt I had to make.
[Simon] Contrary to what people say,
that Andrew had no part in Wham!,
it was totally the opposite.
Wham! was Andrew.
And George, when he was younger,
copied Andrew.
It was Andrew and Andrew,
the real Andrew and the fake one.
But as time went on, I think George,
partly because he really did feel
that the group wasn't him,
uh... he put more and more effort
into the songwriting and production,
and Andrew was
reasonably indifferent to that
and was an easy-going person,
so he let George do it.
[Andrew] By this point,
we could see that his songwriting
was taking him in a direction
that was different from mine.
But he was my best friend,
and to be a part of that evolution
would be a great thing.
I don't think
George really recognized his own talent
until two, three years ago.
I don't think he was fully aware
of what he could achieve,
and, I mean, he's grown in confidence
so much.
["Freedom" playing]
Do, do, do...
But you know that I'll forgive you...
[George] When I write a melody in my head,
something at the back of my neck
just knows that I've hit it.
It's almost like it was already there,
but you hadn't spotted where it was yet.
It's almost like
it comes to you fully formed,
and you just pulled it out of nowhere.
And the feeling that you have
that makes you shiver
is that you found it.
Somebody tell me, oh
Won't you tell me?
Why I work...
[Andrew] Yog was very certain
of where his talent could take him.
My life was a bit more straightforward.
I was living in the moment.
George let me take my bib off tonight.
[laughter]
I never felt that our music defined me
in the same way that it did for George.
His songwriting was becoming the vehicle
through which he could draw out
the person he wanted to be.
I knew exactly who I was.
[George] If you think about
what I was trying to do,
as long as I was proud of the songs,
that was my goal.
[Andrew] George was very sure of himself
when it came to making music,
but he was less certain
in the personal aspect of his life.
"Freedom" was the first track
Yog played to me as it was being recorded.
It could equally
have related to, uh, his sexuality.
Like a prisoner who has his own key
But I can't escape until you love me...
[Andrew] "A prisoner who has his own key"
and a "lover with another,"
you know, he's definitely
referring to his own... dilemmas.
[music fades]
[George] As a young gay man,
I knew I was just uncomfortable
'cause I was closeted.
And then I was still kidding myself
that I was bisexual.
Hang on to the little part of myself
that was attracted to women.
At that point, you know,
if you're making...
if your goal is to become
the biggest-selling artist
of, you know, that year or two,
you're not gonna make life
difficult for yourself, are you?
I was too young and too immature
to know that I was sacrificing
as much as I was.
[Andrew] As a young man
who was still trying to find himself,
I knew Yog had lacked confidence.
But I was unaware of just how deep-seated
the issues really were.
[George] I have a memory
of that feeling of insecurity
as a child.
And the kind of scared teenager I was
felt very vulnerable.
I mean, for many years,
my support system was Andrew.
[Andrew] I was self-assured.
One school report
cited me as "disruptive."
Andrew, a very sort of confident boy.
A very cocky boy, you know.
George was a quiet boy.
Andrew was a leader.
[Andrew] Our fathers
both came from abroad.
My dad's family were from Egypt.
[George] My father was from Cyprus.
My father's father was a shepherd.
And my father worked his arse off
and reaped the rewards.
[Andrew] Jack viewed me
with a fair degree of skepticism.
[George] My mum and dad thought
Andrew was the worst thing
that could ever have happened to me.
[Andrew] I'd visit his house,
r*fle through the record collection.
["Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" playing]
[George] We talked about Elton's album
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
[Andrew] One of the albums
upon which our friendship was built.
[George] We became firm friends.
["Moonage Daydream" playing]
I'm an alligator...
[Andrew] By about the age of 14,
I'd completely lost any interest
in education, such as it was.
[George] And I had this idea that,
"Well, you get your A-levels,
then you do a job for a while."
[Andrew] No.
All I could think about
was being in a band with George.
[George] Andrew had been
quite an influence on me.
[Andrew] He felt the pressure
from his mum and dad
far more acutely than I did from mine.
[George] I came from
a very oppressive household.
Because being the domineering father
I have been or I am,
I wanted to dictate terms with him.
[George] My father's idea was obviously
for me to have an academic career.
I wanted him to become
a doctor, an accountant.
Behave like I expect you to behave,
you know?
I said, "You couldn't sing
to save your life anyway."
[George] My father banned me
from using the stereo
and banned me from buying records.
He was obviously gonna make me
stop wasting my time
on dreams of the music business.
[Andrew] I phoned up Yog and said,
"Look, we're forming a band now."
"No, no, I don't think I can.
I don't think we can."
I provided the sort of thrust.
He... He reluctantly agreed.
[George] Andrew was this kind of idol
that I had.
He was the first person
that I'd ever hung around with
that was much stronger than me.
Almost everything came from Andrew.
Andrew changed my life in exactly the way
someone needed to change my life
if I was gonna be a pop star.
[Andrew] Georgios Panayiotou,
who had struggled always
to define themselves inwardly,
physically, his sexuality,
transformed into...
[Andrew] ...George Michael.
["Careless Whisper" playing]
Time can never mend
The careless whispers of a good friend
To the heart and mind
Ignorance is kind
There's no comfort in the truth
Pain is all you'll find...
[George] We knew that "Careless Whisper"
was the big single
right from the beginning of Wham!.
Should've known better, yeah...
[Andrew] I told George
that I completely supported the idea
of him releasing the song
as a solo single.
[George] You know,
there wasn't any kind of wrangling.
We always understood
that there would be a point
where there was a crossover between Wham!
and the start of my solo career.
I feel so unsure
As I take your hand
And lead you to the dance floor
As the music dies
Something in your eyes
Calls to mind a silver screen
And all its sad goodbyes
I'm never gonna dance again
Guilty feet have got no rhythm
Though it's easy to pretend
I know you're not a fool...
[Andrew] But the song would be billed
in the US
as "Wham! featuring George Michael."
The thinking beyond the move
was while Wham! was huge at home...
Tonight the music seems so loud...
[Andrew] ...we weren't quite there
in America.
...lose this crowd
Maybe it's better this way
We'd hurt each other
With the things we want to say...
[Andrew] We wanted to sell out stadiums,
tour the world.
We wanted to conquer America.
George was never going to abandon
the Wham! project
without us fulfilling our goals.
Scrapbook 16.
[interviewer] We're talking with
Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael.
Your first real, major visit
to the States.
[Andrew] It's all part of marketing.
They like you to go in first time
and just...
[George] To whet the appetite
for the Yanks.
- [George] Lay the groundwork, as they say.
- [Andrew] Yeah.
[indistinct chatter]
I'm district manager for Sam Goody's.
We're having an in-store with Wham!,
and we're having a huge turnout,
the biggest one we've ever had.
Since '81, I've been
a large fan of them. See?
Official Wham! T-shirt.
[interviewer] Why are they so popular?
Nobody knows who they are.
They're popular in the clubs in New York.
[crowd screaming]
- They're so gorgeous.
- I know.
[Andrew] "Wake Me Up,"
our first US number one.
It was a huge foot in the door,
but whilst it elevated us,
it didn't confirm us
as a big artist in the States,
and we knew there was
a whole lot of work still to do.
And everyone still wanted to know
really who we were.
And, of course,
they wanted to know about the girls.
You probably have
girls following you everywhere.
Teenage girls, and maybe a couple of...
A few older ones.
...following you everywhere.
Is it hard to be so well known?
It's something you learn to live with
and you accept.
There are many rockers
who are in it for the girls, the groupies.
These things
don't seem to interest you all at all.
Oh, they interest us,
but, I mean, you know, you have to
take them... take them, um, in your stride.
- That's the wrong way to say it.
- They're not...
- After a while...
- They're not paramount.
If I can keep my, uh, feet on the ground,
then I think we'll be all right.
[George] And, like,
what the f*ck are you gonna do?
If you have the option of hiding,
what else are you gonna do at that age?
To me, the whole kind of scream experience
that Wham! was based on
couldn't possibly be seen
as anything other than worrying.
George is totally aware of his own market.
With any artist, you're selling image,
and the strongest image to anybody
is a sexually identifiable image.
That's how everything is sold.
["Everything She Wants" playing]
[Andrew] Tabloid interest grew
in that spotlight of press intrusion.
I was rather more poorly behaved
than George.
- [George] Andrew was partying pretty hard.
- [Andrew] I was portrayed as Randy Andy.
Somebody told me...
[Andrew] Animal Andy.
The press were so focused on my behavior
that George flew under the radar.
I became a bit of a lightning rod.
[George] A foil for me,
you know, in the public sense.
Is out of reach, not good enough
I don't know
What the hell you want from me, oh...
[George] Basically, all through that time,
I'd had three girlfriends,
and I'd cruise as well,
out in the suburbs where I grew up.
Confused boy, wasn't I,
really, at the time?
- Do do do
- La la la la la...
[George] I deluded myself.
- Somebody tell me, oh
- Won't you tell me?
- Why I work so hard for you
- Give you money...
[Andrew] We went on a major UK tour.
And now you tell me
That you're having my baby
I'll tell you that I'm happy
If you want me to...
[Andrew] It was a far bigger scale.
One step further
And my back will break
If my best isn't...
[Andrew] And we were selling out arenas.
[crowd cheering]
[Andrew] We had fun with the album title.
Wham! Make It Big.
It was George's idea. It was a great idea.
It amused us immensely,
and that was one of the primary drivers
for a lot of things we did.
We were gonna take it around the world.
It's Wham! Day and coming to you
from an exotic location...
How can it be good enough for two?
Because Wham! are big
all around the world.
[reporter] To get a glimpse of Wham!,
they camped overnight
at Melbourne Airport.
[crowd screaming]
[all shout] Wham!
- Somebody tell me, oh
- Won't you tell me?
- Why I work so hard for you
- Give you money
Oh, to give you money, oh!
[Andrew] But despite a successful tour,
for George,
chart position was
the ultimate validation of his talent.
To get to number one
really mattered to him.
Oh!
Why do I do the things I do?
I'd tell you if I knew...
[Andrew] George needed success
as a songwriter
for personal affirmation.
I don't even think that I love you
[Andrew] One Sunday,
at his mum and dad's house,
there was a football match on the TV.
[George] No one was in
except Andrew and I.
[Andrew] And Yog just sat up bolt upright
and said, "I've gotta go upstairs."
"I've got an idea."
[George] And I wrote it
on one of those four-track portastudios.
I went downstairs,
and I said to Andrew, "I've done it."
["Last Christmas" playing]
I said, "We're gonna have
four number ones this year,
and we're gonna have
a Christmas number one,
and I've just written it."
I played it to him,
and he went, "f*ck yeah, that's... Yeah."
[laughs] Know what I mean?
Happy Christmas
[Andrew] The "Last Christmas" video sh**t,
we sh*t it in Saas-Fee in Switzerland,
high in the Alps.
Ah, ah
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day
You gave it away
This year...
[Andrew] Christmas was a big deal for Yog,
always.
"Last Christmas" had to convey
all of that.
Last Christmas...
[Andrew] That sense of Christmas
as we perceived it, a fantasy.
You gave it away...
[George] "Last Christmas" was
all our mates, basically.
[Andrew] And we had a whale of a time.
- ...to someone special
- Special
[Andrew] Spirits were really high,
as you can imagine.
We were so taking the piss
out of ourselves.
Once bitten and twice shy...
[George] And I remember,
as we went through the filming of the day...
[Andrew] The assistant director,
in his wisdom,
had filled each glass to the brim.
[George] Real booze, loads of booze.
It doesn't surprise me
[George] And I think our joint humor
went into so much of what we did.
I think there was a deliberate attempt
at avoiding true slickness at all costs.
...what a fool I've been...
[Andrew] You know,
it went downhill from there.
[George] Knockin' it back,
getting gradually more drunk.
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart...
[George] What I think's funny
is how much hair there is.
You can barely see the people
for all the hair.
This year, to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special...
[Andrew] It was mayhem.
It was a remarkable video sh**t
that it ever got made, actually,
to be honest with you.
But you tore him apart
Maybe next year...
[music fades]
[Andrew] We knew
we had a number one on our hands.
The release was
for the second week in December.
[reporter] The Ethiopian famine appeal
will be boosted by sales
of a special pop record.
Over 25 stars sang for nothing
at today's recording session in London,
and all the proceeds
will go to famine relief.
[Andrew] When we returned from Saas-Fee,
the office sent a request
to attend a recording
for a charity record.
[reporter] When Bob Geldof
of the Boomtown Rats
saw the TV pictures from Ethiopia,
he decided he had to do something,
and he found
his rock-music friends felt the same.
So George Michael of Wham!,
Sting of the Police,
Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet,
Bananarama, and a score of other stars
gathered to record a Christmas song
with a message,
from which all the profits
will go to Ethiopia.
["Do They Know It's Christmas?" playing]
Feed the world...
I always get really shy when there's
loads and loads of other pop stars about.
I just tend to clam up a bit.
But it's been good.
The song's really catchy.
It's a major thr*at
to our fourth number one.
[reporter] Fourth number one.
What's your next single?
It's called "Last Christmas."
It's a Christmas single.
- [reporter] Is it very Christmassy?
- Very.
[reporter] I can't ask you to sing a bit.
You'll get mortified.
- You can't ask? I'll sing you a bit.
- All right.
- It goes... [clears throat]
- Right.
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day
You gave it away...
- I'm not giving you any more than that.
- That was good.
I'll go and tell all my girlfriends,
"George sang to me."
["Do They Know It's Christmas?" playing]
But say a prayer...
[George] That's what was so ironic about
Band Aid, "Do They Know It's Christmas?".
Everyone else was just thinking
how fantastic it is.
It's gonna be great.
It's gonna be number one.
It's gonna be this, that.
And I had
all those same feelings about it,
but I just had
this little bastard ego thing
that I just had to keep squashing
that was going, "sh*t! sh*t! sh*t! sh*t!"
"sh*t!" You know what I mean?" [laughs]
Because this little ego inside me
had had the master plan
for the four number one singles this year,
and it had all worked.
Everything was ready.
The final BBC top 20 of 1984.
Wham! with "Last Christmas,"
still at number two.
And at number one for the second week,
number one for Christmas, Band Aid.
Feed the world...
[Andrew] "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
became an absolutely monster hit.
No rain or rivers flow...
[Andrew] The world responded.
Do they know it's...
[host] Some good news
this morning from Wham!
Even though they're at number two,
haven't made number one,
they are donating all the royalties
of their record worldwide
to the Ethiopia fund,
so that's numbers one and two
totally in aid
of the Ethiopia famine fund.
[George] It was still a strange feeling
to drive home
'cause, you know,
with the best will in the world,
trying to be the greatest altruist
in the world,
and having given every penny
that "Last Christmas" has ever made
to African relief funds,
and that bastard little... little...
that bastard insecure little thing
that wanted his four number ones
that year, you know...
It's irrational
and comes from a place of fear.
[Andrew] Whilst I was happy
just being in a band,
George needed more.
He needed recognition.
That was what he wanted.
Affirmation of who he was.
[reporter] The award season continues.
The official Oscars of the music business
were presented at
the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
[Elton John] Probably one
of the best songwriters out of Britain
for a long time.
And that's serious.
People tend to put Wham! down
as a teenybopper band that won't last.
The people that put them down
are the bands that won't last.
I'm experienced enough to know.
You can tell a great songwriter.
On stage, I compared him
to Barry Gibb, Paul McCartney,
John Lennon, people like that. Um...
[hesitates] He has got what
Bowie and I would've loved to have had
when we were 21, 22.
Um...
And I'm not talking about
performing on stage, records...
The man's a great songwriter,
and this award ceremony today,
it's about songwriting.
[applause]
[stirring instrumental music playing]
[whistling, applause]
[shakily] It's the most important thing
that I've ever received
and that's happened to me.
And, uh, I'd just like to say
thank you to BASCA
and thank you
to everyone who's bought our records
for the last couple of years. Thank you.
[applause, whistling]
[George] I was kind of in shock
that that had happened.
The idea of being in the same room
with famous people
that actually recognize you as a musician,
people like Elton John, you know...
It took me a long time
to get used to the idea.
["Freedom" playing]
[Andrew] Scrapbook 25.
China.
Every day, I hear a different story
People saying
That you're no good for me
Saw your lover with another
And she's making a fool of you
Oh...
It is indeed a rare privilege...
...to say that my partner, Andrew, and I
are deeply honored...
I'm not gonna be able
to read my own handwriting.
- [Andrew] Nothing new, is it?
- [George laughs]
[Andrew] Our manager, Simon,
proposed to us
that we do a couple of shows in China.
[George] And it was a very clever idea.
[Andrew] America was
really interested in Communist China.
As the first modern pop group ever to go...
My stupid partner and myself...
[Andrew] ...we'd attract global attention...
I don't want your freedom...
...and bust America open wide.
[laughs] Let's get down to truth here.
...are deeply flattered
and privileged by the invitation
to play in front
of the Chinese "pube-lic."
I don't need your freedom
Girl, all I want right now is you
Do, do, do
Whoa, whoa, yeah
[on cassette] You put the boom-boom
Into my heart
You send my soul sky high
When your loving starts
- Jitterbug into my brain
- Yeah, yeah
Goes a-bang-bang-bang
Till my feet do the same...
[Andrew] Our idea was
to project fun, exuberance.
The values of Wham!.
Our band and Shirlie and Pepsi,
everyone was committed.
- [cheering]
- [music playing]
One, two, three...
See me, single and free
No fears, no tears, what I want to be
One, two, take a look at you
Death by matrimony
Whoo!
[reporter] In Peking last night,
it was a two-man cultural revolution.
On stage, the British pop duo called Wham!
in the first big-name Western rock concert
ever on mainland China.
[man] You won't be able to see
the person in New York
who's interviewing you,
but you'll be able to hear their audio.
[Northern accent] Look, we're on telly.
[jingle playing]
Wham! in China.
[reporter] Good morning, George.
Good morning, Andrew.
- Morning.
- Good evening, Phyllis.
[reporter] George, let's...
George is the blond,
and Andrew is the brunette.
I say this
because this is a first for you all.
Everybody's so excited
to have you all on our television here.
Andrew, he's just really never been called
a brunette here.
- Oh. [laughs]
- That's very flattering, Phyllis.
[reporter] Why do you think
that they allowed Wham! to perform there?
I think they see us as fairly safe
because we don't really represent
rock and roll.
We represent more, you know...
I don't know, show business, pop,
but the videos and the records,
which, after all,
is all they know about us,
haven't shown
any kind of real rock and roll,
sex and dr*gs angle, I suppose.
You're saying because of your clean cut,
wholesome image?
Yeah. Onstage, anyway.
[chuckles] Wait a minute.
What are you like offstage?
A lot of our viewers would like to know.
I'm sure they'd like to know.
We'll let them use their imaginations.
Okay. Thank you, George, Andrew.
You're terrific.
[George] That was all right.
[George grunts]
Right, let's go out on the town.
Pick up some birds. Do the business.
["I'm Your Man" playing]
[Andrew gasps]
- [George] Is that cold?
- Yeah.
Best air conditioning in, uh...
"Chinois."
Baby, I'm your man
[George] It really did
make that difference in America.
[Andrew] The press response was massive.
In Communist China,
Wham! prompted millions of new swingers.
Rock has come to China in concert form
to see the British rock group Wham!
Do it right
Right, do it with me
If you're gonna do it...
[Andrew] It did elevate our status
as a global phenomenon.
So good, you're divine...
[George] But at the same time,
I had this little voice inside going,
you know, "What am I gonna do?"
I was intelligent enough
to know that this was the wrong road.
If I was looking for happiness,
I should not be trying to catch up
with Michael Jackson
or Madonna or whatever,
which was absolutely
what I was intent on doing.
[Andrew] The character
that he was having to present
was so hard to reconcile
with what he needed emotionally.
[George] I wanna be able
to develop as a human being,
but I feel trapped.
[Andrew] His future as a solo artist
was dependent on Wham!
becoming as successful
as the likes of Prince or Elton.
[George] I don't think there's any way
I could've controlled my ego enough
to have stopped me
exploring the possibility
of being the biggest-selling artist
in the world.
- Andy!
- [camera clicks]
However distressing
I was beginning to find fame,
my ego couldn't possibly have been stopped
at that time.
[Andrew] After Band Aid,
a live event was conceived
called Live Aid. It was a global event.
Yog had been invited
to perform with Elton John.
[reporter] The show will be seen
by more than one billion people,
and some of the younger performers
may be a little nervous tomorrow.
I don't know anything
about the billion people.
It's gonna be difficult enough for me
there being 75,000 in front of me
because I've never played
in front of that many people.
[crowd cheering and whistling]
[Andrew] It was a chance
for him to shine globally.
[Elton John] Onstage, Mr. George Michael.
[Andrew] And the song
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"
was stitched into George's musical DNA.
But you misread...
[George] I idolized Elton as a child,
and when I'm with him,
I get a little voice from a nine-year-old,
you know, "God, I can't believe I'm here!"
Closed the door
And left me blinded
By the light...
- Everyone!
- [crowd cheering]
Don't let the sun go down on me, yeah
Don't let the sun
Although I search myself
It's always someone else I see...
[Andrew] Yog suggested that I might do
some backing vocals.
...of your life
To wander free...
[Andrew] It was nice to be invited,
but it was his moment.
Yeah
But losing everything
Is like the sun going down on me...
[Andrew] George was emerging
as an artist in his own right.
At Live Aid, more than a billion people
got to see that for themselves.
Like the sun going down on me
[crowd cheering]
[Andrew] And then the encore was bonkers
because everyone was up onstage.
Throw your arms around the world...
We were rubbing shoulders
with David Bowie and Freddie Mercury.
But say a prayer
Pray for the other ones
At Christmastime, it's hard...
[Andrew] It was a surreal experience...
- [George] Have you had fun?
- [crowd cheering]
Well, tonight...
[Andrew] ...with these absolute icons
of the industry.
Instead of you...
Everyone!
[Andrew] It was a huge step up.
[music fades]
But it was just the beginning.
Ah! La, la la, la la
Yeah, yeah, yeah
La, la la, la la
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
La, la la, la la
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah...
[reporter] Wham! fans young and old
came to see
George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley
for their current US tour.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I would lock you up
But I could not bear
To hear you screaming...
[Andrew] The US stadium tour,
Wham! America,
was a big risk.
The only one that mattered
Was me, me, me...
At that point, Wham! had never played
a stadium anywhere.
It was a big gamble.
It's too late to stop
Won't the heavens save me?
But it paid off.
Take me to the edge of heaven
One last time might be...
[reporter 1] The British duo
that's taken the pop world by storm.
[reporter 2] Racking up three
number-one records in the United States.
In America, they were so big.
[cheering]
And I looked, and I thought,
"God, they've all come to see my son."
Could have kissed him, hugged him,
cuddled him, squeezed him. You understand?
He made me a very, very proud man.
[reporter 3] No doubt about it.
Wham! did make it big in America.
I did a very big U-turn.
Well done, boy.
Baby
I get excited at the things that you...
[reporter 4] At what point did you realize
you were going to be
a major star in America?
[George chuckles]
[Andrew] It was proper superstar status.
We'd broken America.
- Good night! Thank you!
- [crowd cheering]
You've been brilliant! See you soon.
Take me to the edge of heaven
One last time might be forever...
[music fades]
[George] The success was so much more
than I had ever dreamed of.
[emotional music playing]
[Andrew] And so...
whilst we crisscrossed the States,
the questions were,
"Where do we go from here?"
[interviewer] You've made it bigger
than almost anybody this year.
How does it feel
right in the middle of it?
Does it feel like
it's the biggest thing in the whole world?
I think the, um...
the success in America over the last year,
although we've worked very hard for it,
I think it's actually been
the biggest surprise,
the actual speed of success,
that we've come across
during the three years
we've been in the business,
just in terms of I think that we do need
some time to actually sit back,
and I think we're just gonna move on,
do something different now, I think.
In reality, the turning point with Wham!
was nothing to do with Wham!.
[crowd screaming]
The turning point with Wham! was me
as I suddenly thought,
"Oh my God, I'm a massive star,
and I'm gay,"
and the depression was about that.
It was about the way I'd boxed myself in.
You know, careful what you wish for.
[Andrew] We had achieved everything
as that superstar band,
and we were growing up.
It got to a point
where I didn't want any more of it.
Are you jealous of his solo success?
Don't mention the solo stuff!
No, I feel I'm a big part of it, you know?
- What are you gonna do when it stops?
- What am I gonna do?
Hopefully, I'll retire with grace
or do something with grace.
[George] Because I'd come out to Andrew,
he understood
there was more than a band at stake.
It was kind of my sanity,
and he didn't put any pressure on me
to continue.
He already knew why I was feeling trapped.
How do you feel when George has a hit
that you're not in,
and when he does music with other artists?
- Do you feel left out?
- No, no. I think it's...
I think it's what he should be doing.
You know, it allows his own
artistic, um... creativity to expand,
you know, which you've got to do.
You're basically saying
is that if it works for George, fine,
and what works for you is fine.
Yeah.
There are occasionally rumors
that you two may separate,
go opposite directions.
Can you foresee such a time, Andrew?
- Such a time? There'll be a time, yeah.
- Mm.
[George] I think Andrew was
ready to finish because,
much as he understood his importance,
he... he was tired of being,
you know, taken potshots at
as the lucky guy that's kind of
coasted along with George Michael,
and I think, you know,
he was so much more than that.
[Andrew] Had to end at some point.
We... We both knew that.
[poignant music playing]
[reporter 1] Thousands of Wham! fans
spent the weekend queuing
to get tickets
for the pop duo's farewell concert.
[reporter 2] 25,000 fans
descended upon Wembley Stadium yesterday
in a bid to get tickets
for their farewell concert.
[Andrew] Performing one show was symbolic.
There could only be one final show.
[reporter 2] Tickets are expected
to be sold out within hours.
[George laughs]
I'm sitting next to Wham!
[George] Here we are.
"The legend that is George Michael,"
you're supposed to say.
Yeah. I'm sitting next to the legend
that is George Michael.
And his friend.
Former partner.
[Paula Yates] And do you think you'll be
very sad on the last concert?
Or do you think it'll be jolly?
- I think it'll be...
- [Andrew] Happy.
[George] I think it'll be a bit of both.
I think it'll be
probably the best concert we've ever done,
and I think it'll be rather sad
that it's the last.
- [Andrew] Disappointing if it isn't.
- Mm. Let's pray that it's a nice day.
Let's all keep our fingers crossed
that the sun shines,
God smiles upon us,
and Wham! ends as it began,
with a smile on its face.
[Andrew] Fantastic ending.
- I love you.
- [Paula Yates] Tore at my heartstrings.
[George sniffles]
[crowd cheering]
We want Wham!! We want Wham!!
We want Wham!! We want Wham!!
[chanting continues]
[chanting continues]
[reporter] Andrew, George, ITN.
What's it like to play your last concert?
- We're excited.
- We'll let you know afterwards.
- Yeah!
- [reporter] Any regrets?
None whatsoever.
Huge thank you to everyone...
Not only today,
but for the last four years.
- All right.
- Thanks a lot.
Cheers.
[crowd chanting]
["Everything She Wants" playing]
[crowd cheering, whistling]
[crowd screaming]
[crowd screaming]
One, two, three, go!
Whoo!
[George] I was very proud.
I was very proud that day.
Yeah
[Andrew] And so we played the hits
one more time.
Good evening!
[crowd cheering]
This is "Club Tropicana."
[crowd screaming]
["Club Tropicana" playing]
Ladies and gentlemen, Pepsi and Shirlie!
["Bad Boys" playing]
Dear Mummy, dear Daddy
Now I'm 19
Oh yeah, I was your only son...
[George] By the end of it,
I had no doubt that I could become
an international solo success.
[crowd cheering]
This one is called
"Wake Me Up Before You..."
[crowd] Go-Go!
["Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" playing]
[Andrew] By the time
we stepped out on that stage,
the second incarnation
was almost complete.
Yog
has become the artist
that he was destined to be.
["Freedom" playing]
And you do...
One more time!
I don't want your freedom
I don't want to play around
I don't want nobody, baby
Part-time love just brings me down
Do, do, do
[crowd] Whoa, whoa, yeah!
Do, do, do, do, do, do
Oh, oh
Whoa!
- [song ends]
- [crowd cheering, whistling]
Thank you very much!
Good night! You've been brilliant!
[cheering fades]
[George] There was
this overwhelming feeling of pride
that we had made such an impression
in four years.
[Andrew] To see that
an awful lot of the people that were there
were there because Wham! represented
that part of their youth to them.
Wham! was never gonna be middle-aged
or be anything other than that
essential and pure representation
of us as youths.
[poignant instrumental music playing]
We all wake up
in the middle of our dreams.
Suddenly, it's not there.
Wham! as us, as what we were together,
was at an end.
[George] If I was gonna go to the place
that I believed I was about to go to,
there was no way that we could hang out
in the way that we had always done.
There was just no way.
It would've been too difficult for Andrew.
So it was a sad day in some ways.
It was the end of something.
Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight.
Thank you, George.
George embraced me and said,
"I couldn't have done it without you."
It said everything
that he needed to say to me.
The fact that we'd,
you know, we'd achieved
such huge success together.
You know, what our friendship represented.
[George] We were gonna be separate,
when we hadn't been since we were...
since we were kids.
[Andrew] I was happy for my friend.
He stood on the cusp of greatness.
But I didn't know
what being George Michael truly meant.
[George] I was on my own.
And I had no idea
how much I was gonna miss that support.
And I would always remember this journey.
Absolutely beautiful and happy, you know.
Wham!.
["I'm Your Man" playing]
Oh!
Call me good
Call me bad
Call me anything you want to, baby
But I know, uh-huh
That you're sad
And I know I'll make you happy
With the one thing that you never had
Baby, I'm your man
Don't you know that
Baby, I'm your man
You bet
If you're gonna do it, do it right
Right, do it with me
If you're gonna do it, do it right
Right, do it with me
If you're gonna do it, do it right
Right, do it with me
If you're gonna do it, do it right
Right, do it with me
So good, you're divine
Wanna take you, wanna make you
But they tell me it's a crime, oh
Everybody knows
Where the good people go
But where we're going, baby
Ain't no such word as no
Baby, I'm your man
Don't you know who I am
Baby, I'm your man
You know, you bet
If you're gonna do it, do it right
- Right, do it with me
- Come on, baby
- If you're gonna do it, do it right
- Yeah, ooh, take me home
- If you're gonna do it, do it right
- Please don't leave me here
To do it on my own
First-class information
And you sense your inspiration
With some stimulation
Ooh, yeah
Do it right, oh...
Wham! (2023)
Moderator: Maskath3