#1 Alert!
Gold Record Alert!
Song#: 2268 Date: 03/23/1985
Debut: 60
Peak: 1 (2 weeks)
Weeks: 20
Genre: Pop, Blue-Eyed Soul
Pop Bits: The UK duo's album Make It Big was aptly title since its first two singles both reached #1 on the Pop chart. The week that their second #1, "Careless Whisper," dropped out of the Top 10, this third single debuted on the chart. It would be another across-the-board smash hitting #1 at Pop, #4 AC, #7 Dance, and #12 R&B. It would also be there third in a row to receive a sales certification, which was gold (their previous two #1's hit the platinum mark). Although the album fell out of the #1 spot the week prior to this single's debut on the Pop chart, it would still remain a Top 10 seller for a long while and would eventually be certified 6x platinum.
ReduxReview: Although I think "Careless Whisper" is a classic tune that I rated a 10, I do have to admit that this one is probably my favorite Wham! song. Michael did an outstanding job writing this one and I love the groove, the production, and the build to the great line "my god! I don't even think that I love you!" This is a deceptive tune. There's a lot going on and I don't think it got enough credit back in the day because Wham! got tossed into the boy-band type of thing and got dismissed. Even George Michael in later years mentioned that this was the only Wham! song that he really liked. More critics have dialed into this one in retrospect and that is always good. However, I loved it from the get-go and still do.
ReduxRating: 9/10
Trivia: In the UK, this song was issued as a single near the end of 1984. The flip side song was a new George Michael holiday composition "Last Christmas." Due to the time it was released, that b-side started to get a lot of airplay in addition to the a-side. Eventually it would become a two-sided hit single that would reach #2 on the UK chart. Since "Everything" didn't get released in the US until late March in '85, the b-side was changed to the album track "Like a Baby." Although "Last Christmas" would receive a lot of airplay in the US, it would never get an official single release. It would eventually reach the Pop chart for the first time in January 2017 following the passing of George Michael. It would peak at #41. The song recurs each year on the Christmas Songs chart and has continued to sell in digital form over the years. As of this posting, it is the 10th best-selling holiday song in digital form.
_________________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment