Comments on: WHAM! – “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”

By: Jimmy the Swede

Jimmy the Swede — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 08:48:26 +0000

“‘Cause I’m not planning on going solo”, eh, George?

Sorry, flower, but being put on Rule 43 is for your own good!!

By: Brooksie

Brooksie — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:31:39 +0000

Oh... and I love the song. Pure joyful cheese. It still fills a dancefloor because there is nothing remotely negative anywhere in song (other than the cynical audience targeting). This began the most economical and successful run of any if the British invasion bands: Duran had a royal flush of fuckups; ditto Culture Club; Frankie could never last; Tears for Fears took too much time out and came back bloated. Wham! hit the top with this, and stayed at the top until they chose to bow out. A sublime run in both the UK and the US and it all began here. Whenever I hear people knock this song, I think of all the 'cool' bands from back in the day who treated Wham! like a joke, but unlike Wham! they really didn't see the big picture and let fame go to their heads.

By: Brooksie

Brooksie — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:17:17 +0000

The girl on the cover I have always believed is the same girl doing the ‘backing’ singing in the video with Pepsi and Shirlie. I believe she is also the love interest in the ‘Last Christmas’ video, a model by the name of ‘Kathy Hill’.

By: DV

DV — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:23:20 +0000

I hated Wham! then, but I like this song now. It was great to dance to at recent office christmas party.

By: SteveM

SteveM — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:59:09 +0000

but…doing WHAT? the ironing?

By: mike

mike — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:10:32 +0000

#66/#68 Ah yes, the great gay-ification of the singles charts in the late Spring/early Summer of 1984 – I remember it well. Heady days indeed! And such weird timing as far as I was concerned, as I’d only discovered the gay scene within the previous 18 months, and was still very much going through my honeymoon period (which also coincided with Hi-NRG’s emergence and its own short-lived golden period). So to have my discoveries and passions so swiftly reflected back through mainstream pop culture felt like a vindication, of sorts.

As for Yvonne Gage: “Doin’ It In A Haunted House” was, shall we say, heavily inspired by “Thriller”. A passing novelty, of little consequence.

By: wichita lineman

wichita lineman — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:13:05 +0000

Re 67: One man’s “manages to summon even more excitement” is another man’s “sounds unbearably pleased with himself”.

Unwilling to leave the can of worms alone, doesn’t the macro-pop title Make It Big sound a little Thatcherite? At one pole with Dexys’ Let’s Make This Precious at the other?

By: Billy Smart

Billy Smart — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:05:55 +0000

#66 I think that this must be the most gay top ten in UK history;

NME Singles Chart, 23rd June 1984.

1. Two Tribes – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2. Smalltown Boy – Bronski Beat
3. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go – Wham!
4. Only When You Leave – Spandau Ballet
5. High Energy – Evelyn Thomas
6. Sad Songs Say So Much – Elton John
7. Pearl In The Shell – Howard Jones
8. Dancing With Tears In My Eyes – Ultravox
9. Relax – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
10. Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now – The Smiths

(Also down from 10 to 14 that week, ‘Searchin’ by Hazell Dean. Further down this chart I see Dead Or Alive, Bananarama, Queen and The Associates, amongst others.

I also see something called ‘Doin’ It In A Haunted House’ by Yvonne Gage at 33. What was that? It sounds disco to me… Mike?)

By: pink champale

pink champale — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:53:40 +0000

gutted to miss out on the discussion of the politics of ‘wham rap’. i once told a work colleague that wham! were the most important political band of the 80′s (not unaware i was trolling him) and he replied urgently “yes, but for the wrong side!”. i don’t think his analysis extended much beyond cheerfulness + highlights = thatcher, but for all that george didn’t intend it, as others have said there definitely is something a bit thatcherite the sod society message of ‘wham rap’ (great snook though it also cocks) and certainly in club tropicana, which celebrates of the (actually quite positive) side of thatcherism sought to demolish know your place-ism.

probably also worth mentioning that the specials’ ‘bright lights’ “i thought i might move down to london town/i could get in a band, have fun all the year round/the living down there must be pretty easy/if people rip up their jeans deliberately/the streets really must be paved with gold/if everyone goes wham! and has fun on the dole” so jerry dammers not a fan!

wmubygg itself is great of course. for me the best bit is the way – in a song that’s pretty excited already – george manages to summon even more excitement in the way he sings “my BEATS PER MINUTE…”.

By: Glue Factory

Glue Factory — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 07:51:00 +0000

“Also in the studio that week were; Spandau Ballet, Evelyn Thomas, Bananarama, Bronski beat and Sister Sledge. John Peel and david Jensen were the hosts.”

Bananarama, Bronksi Beat and Evelyn Thomas – surely the most gay TOTP ever?

By: Billy Smart

Billy Smart — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:02:41 +0000

TOTPWatch: Wham! twice performed ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’ on Top Of The Pops;

24 May 1984. Also in the studio that week were; Status Quo, Alvin Stardust and Evelyn Thomas. Janice Long and Mike Smith were the hosts.

7 June 1984. Also in the studio that week were; Spandau Ballet, Evelyn Thomas, Bananarama, Bronski beat and Sister Sledge. John Peel and david Jensen were the hosts.

By: Kat but logged out innit

Kat but logged out innit — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 14:07:24 +0000

JIDDERBERG. My (now teenaged) sister adored this song and funnily enough as a toddler I loved hearing her sing it to me. This track is as stencilled into my bones as The Grand Old Duke Of York – for me there is no question of liking or disliking but merely Existence.

By: Mark M

Mark M — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:23:00 +0000

Re 50 etc: To that extent, you could argue that it was Wham-era George, rather than Morrissey, who was channeling the spirit of Arthur Seaton (“I’m out for a good time – all the rest is propaganda!”). More Saturday Night And Sunday Morning-type sentiments in a later Wham No 2, which I’m sure will be discussed in time…

I tend to side with Adam Curtis on the argument that whatever its initial intentions, that kind of hedonistic individualism ultimately proved a very useful lever for advanced consumer capitalism via us being encouraged to define ourselves by our desires.

By: Pete Baran

Pete Baran — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:53:13 +0000

Further viewing of the video shows FOUR backing singers, of which the one second from the left looks similar to single sleeve girl.

By: Pete Baran

Pete Baran — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:31:11 +0000

Unless she bought Andrew Ridgley’s nose off of him, its unlikely!

By: Alan

Alan — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:31:06 +0000

pepsi & shirley v wendy & lisa FITE. (actually this is way too one sided, cos W&L do all the telly music innit)

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:19:41 +0000

I admit I did not consult a picture of P&S before rushing to this judgement.

By: lonepilgrim

lonepilgrim — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:56:12 +0000

Shirlie you can’t be serious?

By: Matthew H

Matthew H — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:48:26 +0000

That is no way Shirlie.

By: Glue Factory

Glue Factory — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:05:50 +0000

..and apparently featured on another artist’s number 1 in 2000, according to the ever reliable wikipedia.

(Is it really Shirlie? I don’t recognise her with differently coloured hair)

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:21:42 +0000

It’s Shirlie isn’t it, of Pepsi & Shirlie, Wham! backing singers and briefly pop stars in their own right. In fact they’d be getting their own entry here if it wasn’t for their former employer.

By: Snif

Snif — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:41:50 +0000

Just out of curiosity (if not ignorance) was that young lady whose face adorns the sleeve anyone in particular?

By: Rory

Rory — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:30:32 +0000

Last edited on 25 July 2009 by SmokeyTheCat: “The political nature of the song; unsourced admittedly but worthy of inclusion I think. Please discus it if you feel the need to delete.” Can we delete it now that we’ve discussed it here? ;)

By: ace inhibitor

ace inhibitor — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:40:30 +0000

that proves it then. Also of course, in context, ‘Wake me up before you go go’ could be read as a coded endorsement of the mass picketing strategy in the miner’s strike, that was reaching its zenith in this very month, Battle of Orgreave etc (picketing being an early morning affair, generally)

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:51:55 +0000

I refer you all to that fount of knowledge Wikipedia!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wham_Rap!_(Enjoy_What_You_Do)

Fifth paragraph particularly germane ;)