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While reflecting on those that have passed away in the music
industry, I found myself reminiscing greatly on George Michael. George Michael
died on Christmas of 2016 and in his later years had been know for songs off of
his album Faith, which
released in 1987, or even from his album Listen
Without Prejudice Volume 1, which had released in the 90s. However,
many people seem to forget that some of George Michael's most popular songs,
such as "Wake Me up Before You Go-Go" and "Careless
Whisper", actually come from Wham!'s
album Make It Big.
Back in 1981, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley had come together
to form an English musical duo called Wham! after
the breakup of their first band, The
Executive. Together, the two made three distinct albums in the course of
six years and managed to become one of the biggest Pop bands in the 80's from
the release of their second album, Make It Big. Their coordinating
looks, extravagant outfits, and hair lead them to become the total embodiment
of the 80s and well as the heartthrobs of teen girls across the United States
and United Kingdom.
So, without further delay, here is the album that kicked off
George Michael's career and has made his memory endure.
"Wake Me up Before You Go-Go"
This is indubitably one
of the biggest hits from this album. With it's consistently cheery beat and
catchy lyrics, it is easy for anyone to revel in the song and get the chorus
stuck in their head. The song begins by introducing the sounds of a funky
keyboard and a deep voice and then counters it with the pulse of a tambourine.
The introduction ultimately downplays what is to come in the song until the
piano blares and the beat of the song picks up. The piano and tambourine
continue to carry the song and allow it to build until the pause of instrumentation
and addition of drums create a dramatic entry to the song's chorus. The song
continues with this back and forth of building and lowering. While formulaic,
this makes the song flow effortlessly and undeniably adds a sense of pleasance
for anyone listening. A trumpet is introduced and carries on the tune until the
chorus is brought back in and repeated to close out the song. A slow fade out
prevents and abrupt ending in the song and supports the continuation of the
song in any listener's head. This fun and lively song can surely lift anyone's
spirit and create and intense desire to dance which must be the reason it
became so widely known and loved in the 80s.
"Everything She Wants"
Yet again the funky
keyboard is the star of the show. This song manages to maintain the upbeat tone
of the album while bringing more weighty lyrics. The chorus of "Somebody
tell me/Won't you tell me/Why I work so hard for you?/All to give you
money" definitely struck a chord with some listeners and made the artists
seem more relatable from the idea that they too had gone through relationship
struggles. Despite not being the most popular from the album, this song should
still not be overlooked on account of the groovy beats and melodies that it
holds.
“Heartbeat”
I can't imagine this song
being intended for anything other than an 80's middle school dance. While
still a catchy song, the intense keyboard introduction and swinging beat takes
you back to the 80s, the only time that this song could have been considered
cool and innovative. This track continues to take the album in a more serious
direction by trimming down on the amount of exultant tones and introducing
lyrics that more people could have connected with. In this case, the lyrics
would have primarily connected with teens at the time who are dreaming of their
perfect man thinking the same things this song was claiming: "You know
that I long to be by your side/ We could even be together/ Tonight". Although
this is not my favorite from the album, I can understand that there was
definitely an audience for this particular type of song.
“Like A Baby”
I would have never
expected such a song to be on this album. The track continues to slow down the
pace of the album by being mostly instrumental. The easy pace of the keyboard
and smooth tones of the guitar create an extremely calm and relaxing sound for
this track. If something like this were constantly playing in the background of
my everyday life, I wouldn't mind it.
“Freedom”
This song begins the
revival of the cheerful and lively beats in this album. The keyboard and use of
some form of brass instrument work together to create an amazing tune to bop
to. Then, unlike most lyrics tend to do to the instrumentation in a song, the
lyrics build upon the beat by creating a catchy bridge and chorus that you
can't stop from singing along to. Despite the instrumentation and chorus of the
song being great, the actual meaning of the lyrics make the song even better by
actually making sense and having some meaning. The lyrics "I don't want
nobody baby/ Part time love just brings me down/ I don't want your freedom/
Girl, all I want right now is you" would make any girl fall in love with
whomever is singing to her. Having great music, lyrics, and being catchy would
obviously make for any song to be a hit.
“If You Were There”
Continuing the cheerful
incline in the album is the track "If You Were There". Despite there
not being an extreme amount of variance in the instrumentals of this song, the
vocals of George Michael gracefully maximizes and minimizes the intensity
throughout the song. Again, this song had not been the most popular at the
time; however, the effortless melody created by the keyboard, piano, and drums
is extremely pleasant and once again could lift anyone's spirits.
“Credit Card Baby”
There is no other way to
describe this song than cheery and bouncy. The point of this track is to tell
of a relationship gone wrong. In this case, the girl is not as sweet as
everyone perceives her and is constantly taking money from the singer. The
lyrics "You can have my credit card baby/ But keep your red hot fingers
off my heart lady" not only are somewhat satirical and amusing, but also
create a rhythm that are too easy to sing along to and get stuck in your head.
Despite not being one of the most talked about songs on the track, I can see
how the lyrics and the wonderful beat of this song could have resonated with
people at the time of the album's release.
“Careless Whisper”
The album then finishes
off with this classic. After all of the energetic tunes from this album, this
track takes a step back and focuses on the cadence that the keyboard and drums
work together to create. This beautiful melody works together with the lyrics
to build up to the introduction of the saxophone which creates a passionate
tone. This chorus has become one of the most well known parts of this song. The
smooth rhythm of the keyboard and drums are brought back and continue to carry
you throughout the song until the chorus is again repeated. The singer's
intensity gradually builds until the song finishes off with a fade. While
generally simple, this song is the definition of sensual. I can only imagine
how unique and interesting this song had been at the time of its release.
Because of the individuality and identity that this song has, I believe that it
will continue to be recognized and adored even as years pass.
While I can't imagine that this album would be nearly as
successful today as it was back then, I do see how the amazing instrumentation
and relatable lyrics allowed this album and the band Wham! to make it big, as
their album name suggests. With classics like "Wake me up Before You
Go-Go" and "Careless Whisper" as well as distinct tracks like
"Everything She Wants" and "Credit Card Baby", this album
made a name for itself at the time and will continue to be relevant and apart
of music history for as long as I can see.
R.I.P George Michael
