Young Guns (Go for It)

"Young Guns (Go for It)" (sometimes written with an exclamation mark as "Young Guns (Go for It!)") was a song by British pop duo Wham! which was released in 1982 on Innervision Records. It was written by George Michael, one half of the duo.

The song was Wham!'s first hit, although it came with some help from the BBC music programme Top of the Pops, which invited Wham! on to the show as a last-minute replacement for another act which had pulled out. Wham! were just outside the Top 40 threshold of the UK Singles Chart at the time, which meant they had not climbed high enough in normal circumstances to get on the show, but they were recruited nonetheless as the highest-placed artists still climbing the charts from outside the 40. "Young Guns (Go for It)" entered the chart at #24 the following week, and eventually peaked at #3 in November 1982.

George wrote the song about a teenage lad's worry that his best friend was getting too committed to a girl when he should have been enjoying his youth and the single life. It featured a middle eight aside in which the girl conversely tried to get her boyfriend to ditch the best friend, prompting a vocal battle, akin to a tug of war, between the girlfriend and the best friend which prompted the "go for it!" aspect of the song, as featured in the title.

On Top of the Pops, George mimed the vocals to his Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley, who "acted" the part of the teenage bridegroom-in-waiting. They were flanked by backing singers Dee C. Lee and Shirlie Holliman.

Track listing

7"

Innervision (UK)

1. "Young Guns (Go for It)" – 3:40
2. "Going for It" – 3:40

12"

Innervision (UK)

1. "Young Guns (Go for It)" [12" version] – 5:10
2. "Going for It" – 3:40

• "Going for It" is an instrumental version of "Young Guns (Go for It)"

Chart performance