When George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley came together to form Wham!, they had absolutely no idea they were about to write pop history with an earworm tune that would linger as a fan favorite for the next 42 years.
Michael was just a 17-year-old kid riding a London bus when he first developed the melody for what would become the song “Careless Whisper.” Later, he and his best friend, Ridgeley, came together to finish the song in a basement.
Fast forward to today, and the tune was just voted the Best Song Ever in a listener ranking by Smooth Radio. The UK commercial station had its listeners vote on their all-time Top 500 favorites, and the 42-year-old classic easily snatched the number-one spot for the ninth year in a row.
“Careless Whisper” beat out music titans such as Queen‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Michael Jackson‘s “Man in the Mirror,” and Simon and Garfunkel‘s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
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In fact, Michael’s artistry was rewarded with an astonishing five rankings in the poll’s Top 20! Other listener favorites included 1986’s “A Different Corner,” 1987’s “Father Figure,” his 1991 duet with Elton John, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” 1994’s “Jesus to a Child,” and finally, 1996’s “Fastlove.”
Not bad for a song written in a basement by a 17-year-old. Ridgely accepted Smooth Radio’s award proudly, stating, “It’s a truly immense accolade, one of which I’m very proud.”
He added, “George would have been similarly extraordinarily moved to know that this song—one of the jewels in the crown—is so much loved by the people. That was always the mark of success for us as songwriters, and for him as an artist.”
The guitarist and songwriter concluded, “The sax melody occurred to [George] on the bus.” He added, “That was mated with a chord pattern that I had come up with, and then we developed it from there. We wrote the lyrics together in a basement in Peckham in London, England.”
In 2023, Forbes reported that the song reached number one on the Billboard charts, selling six million copies around the world. The music video for “Careless Whisper” ultimately reached one billion views on YouTube.
The tune appeared on the Wham! album Make it Big. It was written by Michael about a romantic situation between him and two women.
American Songwriter shared an excerpt from the singer’s autobiography, Bare. In it, he stated, “I remember my sisters used to give me a hard time because they found out and they really liked the first girl. The whole idea of ‘Careless Whisper’ was the first girl finding out about the second – which she never did.”
George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley dissolved Wham! in June 1986, playing their last concert at London’s Wembley Stadium. Michael would continue to have a successful solo career for years thereafter until his death at 53 in 2016.
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