The George Michael hit he never connected with: “It did nothing for me”
By the time George Michael had entered his 20s, he had already garnered more fame than most of his contemporaries could comprehend. After forming Wham while still in his teens with friend Andrew Ridgley, their debut album spawned huge pop hits, including ‘Club Tropicana’ and ‘Wham Rap’. While their youthful rise to the top may have seemed a fluke, Make It Big was the album where they turned themselves into a cultural force to be reckoned with.
The strength of ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’ introduced fans to the pure sheen of Michael’s pop flair, possessing a bluesy delivery that delivered musical ecstasy whenever he opened his mouth. Although the pair were still putting equal work into their music, ‘Careless Whisper’ was a turning point for Michael’s career as a soloist.
The track was written before the group had released their debut, and Michael was determined to turn the song into a hit. While ‘Careless Whisper’ would later become the pivotal moment for Michael’s future solo career, he also remembered having a complicated relationship with the very song that made him a star.
Michael thought the lyric never entirely worked for him despite its emotional resonance, explaining in 1987, “While ‘Careless Whisper’ was loved by many, it did nothing for me emotionally. Most likely because it seems like it’s from another lifetime”. After all that hard work turning it into a hit, the public quickly started to see Michael as his own entity rather than one-half of a pop duo.
Knowing that solo stardom seemed inevitable, Michael and Ridgeley played one final farewell concert at Wembley Stadium in 1986, after which the former went it alone. Starting with the album Faith, Michael proved that he could adopt the mannerisms of a classic singer-songwriter, writing tracks that dealt with the nuanced mechanics of relationships like ‘One More Try’ and ‘Father Figure’.
Even with the massive hits he would go on to create as a solo artist, Michael still kept ‘Careless Whisper’ as a critical part of his setlist. Although the late talent may have made peace with the song being one of his cornerstone hits, Michael still wasn’t sure why it appealed to so many people.
When speaking to The Big Issue, Michael was bewildered by what people saw in his signature tune, recalling, “It’s ironic that this song – which has come to define me in some way – should have been written right at the beginning of my career when I was still so young. I was only 17 and didn’t really know much about anything – and certainly nothing much about relationships”.
While the naivety may be palpable when reading the lyrics, it means something entirely different once paired with the melody, depicting a desperate man doing everything he can to keep the flame of love alive. Michael may have been figuring out what relationships were all about, but lines about never dancing with his lover again sound like a man well beyond his young years.
