Careless Whisper

"Careless Whisper"
Single by George Michael
from the album Make It Big
Released 24 July 1984 (1984-07-24)
Format
Recorded 1984
Genre Pop[1]
Length
  • 6:30 (album version)
  • 5:04 (single version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) George Michael
Wham! singles chronology
"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"
(1984)		 "Careless Whisper"
(1984)		 "Freedom"
(1984)

"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"
(1984)		 "Careless Whisper"
(1984)		 "Freedom"
(1984)
George Michael singles chronology
"Careless Whisper"
(1984) Careless Whisper1984		 "A Different Corner"
(1986) A Different Corner1986
Music video
"Careless Whisper" on YouTube

"Careless Whisper" is a song by English singer-songwriter George Michael (sometimes credited to "Wham! featuring George Michael" in Japan, Canada and the United States). It was released on 24 July 1984, by Epic Records in the United Kingdom, Japan and other countries, and by Columbia Records in North America. The song was George Michael's first solo single, although he was still performing in Wham! at the time (the song is included on Wham!'s album Make It Big).

The song features a prominent saxophone riff, and has been covered by a number of artists since its first release. It was released as a single and became a huge commercial success on both sides of the Atlantic and on both sides of the Pacific. It reached number one in nearly 25 countries, selling about six million copies worldwide – two million of them in the United States.[2]

Background

Unlike most of the other Wham! singles (except "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" and "Club Tropicana"), it was co-written by band mate Andrew Ridgeley. The two had written it together as developing artists three years earlier in Watford, England.[3]

The song went through at least two rounds of production. The first was during a trip Michael made to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where he went to work with producer Jerry Wexler at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Michael was unhappy with the version that was originally produced and decided to re-record and produce the song himself, this time coming up with the version that was finally released. The version Wexler produced, was released later in the year, as a (4:41) B-side "Special Version" on 12" in the UK and Japan.

The record label Innervision were going to put out the Jerry Wexler version of "Careless Whisper" after the Club Fantastic Megamix as far back as 1983. Dick Leahy stated in George Michael's autobiography[4] that while he could not stop the release of the Club Fantastic Megamix, he could stop the release of this single on the basis that as a publisher they "have the right to grant the first license of the recording of a tune of which he controls the copyright".[4] He was unable to do anything about the Club Fantastic Megamix because it was already released material. He said: "We knew how big that song could be so it was necessary to upset a few people to stop it."[4]

The officially released single, a mid-tempo sentimental ballad with a saxophone solo by Steve Gregory, was issued in August 1984, entering the UK Singles Chart at number 12. Within two weeks, it was at number one, ending a nine-week run at the top for "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. It stayed at number one for three weeks, going on to become the fifth best-selling single of 1984 in the United Kingdom; it was outsold only by the two Frankie Goes to Hollywood tracks "Two Tribes" and "Relax," Stevie Wonder with "I Just Called to Say I Love You," and Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" The song also topped the charts in 25 other countries, including the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in February 1985 under the credit "Wham! featuring George Michael." Spending three weeks at the top in America, the song was later named Billboard's number-one song of 1985.

On the subject of his personal opinion of the song, Michael said in 1991 that it "was not an integral part of my emotional development"[5] which he found sad because of the song meaning so much to so many people. He went on to say: "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."[5]

Music video

The official music video (which uses the shorter single version) shows the guilt felt by a man (portrayed by Michael) over an affair, and his acknowledgement that his partner (Lisa Stahl) is going to find out. It was filmed on location in Miami, Florida, in 1984 and features such locales as Coconut Grove and Watson Island. The final part of the video shows Michael leaning out of a balcony at the last floor of Miami's Grove Towers.[6][7] The Wexler production of the song has a rarer music video using some of the same footage as the official release, as well as a brief appearance by Andrew Ridgeley playing a taxi driver.

Track listing

All tracks written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.

7": Epic / A 4603 (UK)
No.TitleLength
1."Careless Whisper" (Single Edit)5:04
2."Careless Whisper" (Instrumental)5:02
12": Epic / TA4603 (UK)
No.TitleLength
1."Careless Whisper" (Extended Mix)6:31
2."Careless Whisper" (Instrumental)5:02
12": Columbia / 44-05170 (US)
No.TitleLength
1."Careless Whisper" (Extended Mix)6:20
2."Careless Whisper" (Instrumental)4:52
12": Columbia Promotional / AS-1980 (US)
No.TitleLength
1."Careless Whisper"4:50
2."Careless Whisper"4:50
12" maxi: Epic / QTA 4603 (UK) – Special Edition
No.TitleLength
1."Careless Whisper" (Extended Mix)6:31
2."Careless Whisper" (Jerry Wexler Special Version)5:34
3."Careless Whisper" (Condensed Instrumental Version)4:52

Credits and personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1984) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[8] 1
Austrian Singles Chart[9] 2
Dutch Top 40 Singles Chart[10] 1
French SNEP Singles Chart[11] 3
Germany Singles Chart[12] 3
Irish Singles Chart[13] 1
Italian Singles Chart[14] 1
Japanese Oricon Singles Chart[15] 4
Japanese Oricon International Chart[16] 1
New Zealand Singles Chart[17] 3
Norwegian Singles Chart[18] 2
South African Singles Chart[19] 1
Swedish Singles Chart[20] 2
Swiss Singles Chart[21] 1
UK Singles Chart[22] 1
Chart (1985) Peak
position
Canadian The Record[23] 2
Canadian RPM Top Singles 1
US Billboard Hot 100[24] 1
US Hot Black Singles 8
US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[24] 1
Chart (2016–17) Peak
position
France (SNEP)[25] 7
Hungary (Mahasz)[26] 10
Ireland (IRMA)[27] 73
Israel (Media Forest)[28] 4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[29] 34
Portugal (AFP)[30] 52

Year-end charts

Chart (1984) Position
Australia[31] 4
New Zealand[32] 10
UK[33] 5
Chart (1985) Position
Canada 2
US Billboard Hot 100[34] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[35] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[36] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[37] Silver 585,000[38]
Italy (FIMI)[39] Gold 25,000*
Japan (RIAJ) 204,000[40]
Netherlands (NVPI)[41] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] Platinum 1,500,000[43]
United States (RIAA)[44] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Cover versions

"Careless Whisper" has been covered by many other artists. A selection of those are presented here in chronological order:

In other media

Kamasi Washington & El Debarge Paid Tribute to George Michael At The 2017 BET Awards By Performing Careless Whisper".[53]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Greenwald, Ted (1992). Rock and Roll: The Music, Musicians, and the Mania. Mallard Press. p. 31.
  2. ↑ "George Michael: 50 years in numbers". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  3. ↑ The Complete Guide to the Music of George Michael & Wham! L Ellis… - 1998 - Music Sales Group
  4. 1 2 3 Bare by George Michael and Tony Parsons, Penguin Books, 1991. Page 112 ISBN 0-14-013235-X
  5. 1 2 Bare by George Michael and Tony Parsons, Penguin Books, 1991. Page 166 ISBN 0-14-013235-X
  6. ↑ "Google Maps".
  7. ↑ georgemichaelVEVO (2009-10-25), George Michael - Careless Whisper (Official Video), retrieved 2017-06-06
  8. ↑ "Australian Top 50 Chart Week Ending 23rd September, 1984". ARIA. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "Careless Whisper", Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at Archived 4 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved 11 December 2007)
  10. ↑ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 36, 1984". Retrieved 27 February 2008.
  11. ↑ "Careless Whisper", French SNEP Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved 11 December 2007)
  12. ↑ German Singles Chart Charts-surfer.de Archived 17 June 2009 at WebCite (Retrieved 30 July 2008)
  13. ↑ Irish Singles Chart Irishcharts.ie Archived 3 June 2009 at WebCite (Retrieved 17 April 2008)
  14. ↑ Hit parade Italia (Retrieved 31 May 2008)
  15. ↑ Japanese Oricon Year-end Singles Chart of 1985 Archived 22 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved 1 August 2008)
  16. ↑ List of number-one singles on the Japanese Oricon International Chart (1968-2000) Archived 21 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  18. ↑ "Careless Whisper", Norwegian Singles Chart Norwegiancharts.com Archived 13 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved 11 December 2007)
  19. ↑ "Careless Whisper", South African Chart (Retrieved 11 December 2007)
  20. ↑ "Careless Whisper", Swedish Singles Chart Swedishcharts.com (Retrieved 11 December 2007)
  21. ↑ "Careless Whisper", Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch Archived 22 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved 11 December 2007)
  22. ↑ "Careless Whisper", UK Singles Chart BBC.co.uk (Retrieved 11 December 2007)
  23. ↑ Lwin, Nanda. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide (2000). Mississauga, Ont.: Music Data Canada
  24. 1 2 Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved 11 December 2007)
  25. ↑ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés - SNEP (Week 52, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  26. ↑ http://zene.slagerlistak.hu/single-track-top-40-lista/2016/52
  27. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 52, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  28. ↑ "Media Forest weekly chart (year 2016 week 52)". Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  29. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 53, 2016" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  30. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – George Michael – Careless Whisper". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  31. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  32. ↑ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  33. ↑ "Top 100 1984 - UK Music Charts". Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  34. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1985/Top 100 Songs of 1985". Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  35. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  36. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Wham – Careless Whisper". Music Canada. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  37. ↑ "French single certifications – George Michael – Careless Whisper" (in French). InfoDisc. Select GEORGE MICHAEL and click OK
  38. ↑ "Les Singles en Argent :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  39. ↑ "Italian single certifications – George Michael – Careless Whisper" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  40. ↑ "List of best-selling international singles in Japan". JP&KIYO. 2002.
  41. ↑ "Dutch single certifications – George Michael – Careless Whisper" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  42. ↑ "British single certifications – George Michael – Careless Whisper". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Careless Whisper in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  43. ↑ "George Michael on the charts". Music Week. Intent Media. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  44. ↑ "American single certifications – Wham – Careless Whisper". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 27 June 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  45. ↑ http://www.earth-corp.co.jp/HIDEKI/music/music1980.shtml
  46. ↑ http://news.stnn.cc/ent/2016/1227/386334.shtml
  47. ↑ "Joyride overview". Allmusic.com.
  48. ↑ "Pan Pipes - Careless Whisper". allmusic.com. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  49. ↑ "Del - Go All Night". allmusic.com. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  50. ↑ "Edward Valentine - Careless Whisper - Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  51. ↑ "Release “Music and Lyrics” by Various Artists". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  52. ↑ "One 'Deadpool' Soundtrack Song Stands Out By Perfectly Capturing The Spirit Of The Character". Bustle. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  53. ↑ "Watch Kamasi Washington & El DeBarge Cover George Michael At The BET Awards". Stereogum. Retrieved 11 July 2017.

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