7 of the greatest Wham! songs ever

24 April 2019, 15:45 | Updated: 1 May 2019, 18:44

Before George Michael became a worldwide success as a solo artist, he burst onto scene as part of Wham! with his longtime pal Andrew Ridgeley.

In just a few years, Wham! became one of the world's most popular groups, selling over 30 million records. 

Their songs have stood the test of time, and we never tire of playing their classic hits. Here are their very best in an ultimate playlist...

1. 'Everything She Wants'

Originally released as a double A-side with 'Last Christmas' in 1984, this song was also a number one hit in the States. It was written and produced by George Michael, it tells the story of a man who is disillusioned by the demands of his partner, despite the amount of work he does to keep her happy. In later years, George said it was his favourite Wham! song.

2. 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go'

This song gave Wham! their first number one in both the UK and US. Produced and written by George, he said that inspiration for the song was a scribbled note that Andrew had left for his parents, intended to read "wake me up before you go" but with "up" accidentally written twice, so Andrew wrote "go" twice on purpose.

3. 'Club Tropicana'

Written by both George and Andrew, this song was something of a departure from their previous singles, which had all been influenced by social or political issues. This song was a satire of the cheap package holiday boom of the early 1980s, and was a swipe at the Club 18-30 scheme of the time.

4. 'I'm Your Man'

This track gave Wham! their third number one single in the UK, and was written and produced by George. Within six months of its release, Wham! had broken up. Actor Shane Richie scored his own hit with the song in 2003.

5. 'Freedom'

Another UK number one, this song was unusually released in mono sound. The melody of the song was used by George as the intro to his classic track 'Faith', played on a church organ.

6. 'Young Guns (Go for It)'

This was Wham!'s first hit single, and was helped by a last minute appearance on Top of the Pops after another act pulled out. George wrote the song about a teenage guy's worry that his best friend was getting too committed to a girl, when he should have been enjoying his youth.

7. 'Last Christmas'

One of the most popular Christmas pop songs of all time, this track had to settle for the Christmas number two spot in 1984, as it was also the year Band Aid released 'Do They Know It's Christmas' (which George also featured on). The song returned to number two in 2017, after fans attempted to get it to number one in tribute to George.