Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go Print

Jitterbug Jitterbug Jitterbug Jitterbug You put the boom-boom into my heart (do do) You send my soul sky high when your lovin' starts Jitterbug into my brain (yeah yeah) Goes a bang-bang-bang 'til my feet do the same But something's bugging you Something ain't right My best friend told me what you did last night Left me sleepin' in my bed I was dreaming, but I should have been with you instead Wake me up before you go-go Don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo Wake me up before you go-go I don't want to miss it when you hit that high Wake me up before you go-go 'Cause I'm not planning on going solo Wake me up before you go-go (ah) Take me dancing tonight I wanna hit that high (yeah, yeah) You take the grey skies out of my way (do do) You make the sun shine brighter than Doris Day Turned a bright spark into a flame (yeah yeah) My beats per minute never been the same 'Cause you're my lady, I'm your fool It makes me crazy when you act so cruel Come on, baby, let's not fight We'll go dancing, everything will be all right Wake me up before you go-go Don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo Wake me up before you go-go I don't want to miss it when you hit that high Wake me up before you go-go 'Cause I'm not planning on going solo Wake me up before you go-go (ah) Take me dancing tonight I wanna hit that high (yeah, yeah, yeah, baby) (Jitterbug) (Jitterbug) Cuddle up, baby, move in tight We'll go dancing tomorrow night It's cold out there, but it's warm in bed They can dance, we'll stay home instead (yeah, yeah) (Jitterbug) Wake me up before you go-go Don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo Wake me up before you go-go I don't want to miss it when you hit that high Wake me up before you go-go 'Cause I'm not plannin' on going solo Wake me up before you go-go (ah) Take me dancing tonight Wake me up before you go-go, don't you dare to leave me hanging on like a Yo-yo Take me dancing (Boom-boom-boom-boom) (Boom-boom-boom-boom) ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’ by Wham! Songwriter: George Michael "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" is a song by the English duo Wham!, first released as a single in the UK on 14 May 1984. It became their first UK and US number one hit. It was written and produced by George Michael. The single was certified Platinum in the US, which at the time commemorated sales of over two million copies. The music video features Michael and Ridgeley wearing oversized message T-shirts ("CHOOSE LIFE") created by Katharine Hamnett, starting a craze covered in the 2002 VH1 series I Love the 80s. The song was ranked number 28 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the ‘80s. History: Michael's inspiration for the song was a scribbled note that his bandmate Andrew Ridgeley had left for his parents, intended to read "wake me up before you go" but with "up" accidentally written twice, so Ridgeley wrote "go" twice on purpose. In 1984, George Michael had this to say on the development of the song: I just wanted to make a really energetic pop record that had all the best elements of Fifties and Sixties records, combined with our attitude and our approach, which is obviously more uptempo and a lot younger than some of those records. It's one of those tracks that gets rid of a lot of your own personal influences; it reminds me of so many different records that I couldn't actually nail them down. I'd done a demo at home that just had a bass line and a vocal on it. Usually, I write the record in my head; I know what all the parts are going to be and I sing them to all our musicians. And it was great. ... We actually did it as a rehearsal. We used a LinnDrum because the drummer was late, and it was such a good track that we kept it. It was recorded within two days at Sarm West Studio 2 in London, with a live rhythm section. The song, according to Michael, had been done in one take without any drop-ins (overdubs) at all - production-wise, he noted that the two options to him were "either to be like Trevor Horn and go for stunning sounds on your own, or just get a great sound on each instrument and go for a live take". The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number four – after much hype from the duo claiming they would go straight in at number one,[citation needed] which was a rare occurrence then – and climbed to the top spot seven days later, staying there for two weeks. The song also went to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, holding the top spot for three weeks. The UK sleeve was designed by Peter Saville, with photography by Trevor Key. Wham! (briefly known in the US as Wham! U.K.) were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They became one of the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to 1986. Influenced by funk and soul music and presenting themselves as disaffected youth, Wham!'s 1983 debut album Fantastic addressed the United Kingdom's unemployment problem and teen angst over adulthood. Their second studio album Make It Big in 1984 was a worldwide pop smash hit, charting at number one in both the UK and the United States. Associated with the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US, the singles from the album—"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Everything She Wants" and "Careless Whisper"—all topped the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1985, Wham! made a highly publicised 10-day visit to China, the first by a Western pop group. The event was seen as a major watershed moment in increasing friendly bilateral relations between China and the West. In 1986, Wham! broke up. Michael was keen to create music targeted at a more sophisticated adult market rather than the duo's primarily teenage audience. Before going their separate ways, a farewell single "The Edge of Heaven", and a greatest hits album titled The Final would be forthcoming, along with a farewell concert entitled The Final. George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was a British singer, songwriter and record producer. Known as a leading creative force in music production, songwriting, vocal performance and visual presentation, he is regarded as one of the greatest artists of his generation and an icon of popular culture. Michael rose to fame as a member of the music duo Wham! and later embarked on a solo career. Born in East Finchley, Michael formed the duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981. The band's first two albums, Fantastic (1983) and Make It Big (1984), reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. Their hit singles included "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" and "Last Christmas". Certifying themselves as a global act, Wham!'s tour of China in April 1985 was the first visit to China by a Western popular music act, and generated worldwide media coverage. Michael's first solo single, "Careless Whisper", reached number one in over 20 countries, including the UK and US. Before embarking on the production of his first solo album, Michael went on to release two more number-one singles, "A Different Corner" and "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)". Michael's debut solo album, Faith, was released in 1987, topping the UK Albums Chart and staying at number one on the Billboard 200 for 12 weeks. The album sold 25 million copies worldwide and remains one of the best selling albums of all time. Four singles from the album—"Faith", "Father Figure", "One More Try", and "Monkey"—reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Michael became the best-selling music artist of 1988 and Faith was awarded Album of the Year at the 1989 Grammy Awards. Michael released his second solo album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 in 1990. The album was a UK number-one and included the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Praying for Time", and the worldwide hit "Freedom! '90". A duet with singer Elton John in 1991, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", was also a transatlantic number one. Michael went on to release two multimillion-selling albums, Older (1996) and Patience (2004). Michael came out as gay in 1998. He was an active LGBT rights campaigner and HIV/AIDS charity fundraiser. Michael's personal life and legal troubles made headlines during the late 1990s and 2000s, as he was arrested for public lewdness in 1998 and was arrested for multiple drug-related offences after that time. The 2005 documentary A Different Story covered his career and personal life. Michael's first tour since 1991, the 25 Live tour, spanned three tours over the course of three years: 2006, 2007, and 2008. Four years later, he performed his final concert at London's Earls Court in 2012. In the early hours of 25 December 2016, Michael was found dead at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, aged 53. A coroner's report attributed his death to liver issues and heart disease. Michael is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with sales of over 115 million records worldwide. He achieved seven number-one songs on the UK Singles Chart and eight number-one songs on the US Billboard Hot 100. Michael won various music awards, including two Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, three American Music Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, and six Ivor Novello Awards. In 2008, he was ranked 40th in Billboard's list of the "Greatest Hot 100 Artists of All Time". In 2019, Michael was named as the greatest artist of all time by Smooth Radio. The Radio Academy named him the most played artist on British radio during the period 1984–2004. Source: Wikipedia