Wham! member George Michael unexpectedly passed away on Dec. 25 at the age of 53. The singer left an enduring musical legacy both as a member of Wham! and as a solo artist.
The biggest hit of his career remains Wham!’s “Careless Whisper,” which sold over six million copies worldwide and topped the charts in 25 countries. The song first hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US on February 16, 1985 and served as a major breakout moment for Michael as a solo artist. It was included on Wham!’s second album Make It Big in 1984 and was released as a George Michael solo single soon after.
Although it’s Michael’s most famous track it was hardly his favorite. He discussed the song rather dismissively later in his career. In his 1991 autobiography BARE Michael said that the song “was not an integral part of my emotional development.”
The track ended up being a major hit and affecting many people, but he didn’t seem to think it had very much meaning. “It disappoints me that you can write a lyric very flippantly—and not a particularly good lyric—and it can mean so much to so many people. That’s disillusioning for a writer,” he wrote in the book.
He reflected a similar sentiment in a 2009 interview with The Big Issue. “I’m still a bit puzzled why it’s made such an impression on people,” he said. “Is it because so many people have cheated on their partners? Is that why they connect with it? I have no idea, but 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.”
This likely stems from the song’s origins. He wrote it as a 17-year-old while he was bored on a bus trip to work. Although he successfully fought to stop an earlier version—produced by Jerry Wexler—from being released, his new version never meant very much to him. The worldwide success seemed to frustrate him since he didn’t believe the song was particularly special.
Regardless of Michael’s personal feelings on the song it remains a critical track in his catalog. The song is largely remembered for its saxophone intro and ubiquitous chorus:
I’m never gonna dance again, guilty feet have got no rhythm
Though it’s easy to pretend, I know you’re not a fool
I should have known better than to cheat a friend
And waste a chance that I’d been given
So I’m never gonna dance again, the way I danced with you
You can read all the lyrics to George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” on Genius now.
