Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go


"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" is a song by the English duo Wham!, first released as a single in the UK on 14 May 1984. It became their first UK and US number one hit. It was written and produced by George Michael. The single was certified Platinum in the US, which at the time commemorated sales of over two million copies. The music video features Michael and Ridgely wearing oversized message T-shirts created by Katharine Hamnett, starting a craze covered in the 2002 VH1 series I Love the 80s.
The song was ranked number 28 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s.

History

Michael's inspiration for the song was a scribbled note that his partner Andrew Ridgeley had left for his parents, intended to read "wake me up before you go" but with "up" accidentally written twice, so Ridgeley wrote "go" twice on purpose.
In 1984, George Michael had this to say on the development of the song:
The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number four – after much hype from the duo claiming they would go straight in at number one, which was a rare occurrence then – and climbed to the top spot seven days later, staying there for two weeks. The song also went to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, holding the top spot for three weeks.
The UK sleeve was designed by Peter Saville, with photography by Trevor Key.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan. It showcases the band performing for an audience of mostly teenagers at Brixton Academy in South London. The band was wearing Katharine Hamnett t-shirt designs that said "CHOOSE LIFE".

Track listing

It was also released as a CD single in 1999

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position

Year-end charts

Chart Position
UK3
US Billboard Hot 1003

Certifications