| "Careless Whisper" | ||||
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 UK 7″ vinyl picture sleeve (also used for various international releases) | ||||
| Single by George Michael | ||||
| from the album Make It Big | ||||
| Released | 20 July 1984[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1981–1984 | |||
| Studio | Sarm West (London) | |||
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| George Michael singles chronology | ||||
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| Wham! singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Careless Whisper" on YouTube | ||||
"Careless Whisper" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter George Michael. Released as the second single from Wham!'s second studio album Make It Big (1984), it was written by Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, with Michael producing the song. Although the song was released as part of Make It Big, the single release is credited to either Wham! featuring George Michael (in North America and several other countries) or solely to George Michael (in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and some nations in Europe).
The song has been covered by a number of artists since its release, including Brian McKnight, Seether, Roger Williams, Kenny G and Julio Iglesias, among others. A contemporary pop song with R&B and soul influences, it features a prominent saxophone riff composed by Michael and played by Steve Gregory. It became a commercial success, topping record charts in at least ten countries and selling about 6 million copies worldwide—2 million of them in the United States.[6] The song later achieved popularity on social media, mainly due to the saxophone riff being used in many movies and as a popular internet meme.[7] With sales of over 11 million copies worldwide it is one of the best selling songs of all time.
- ^ "BPI". Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- ^ Greenwald, Ted (1992). Rock and Roll: The Music, Musicians, and the Mania. Mallard Press. p. 31.
- ^ Molanphy, Chris (6 May 2016). "Keanu and the Remarkable Chart History of George Michael, "Black" Music Star". Slate. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ "Top 40 New Wave Albums". Ultimate Classic Rock. 19 October 2021. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (21 September 2020). "The Number Ones: Wham! Featuring George Michael's "Careless Whisper". Stereogum. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
Michael clearly does his best to capture the sound of American quiet-storm soul...
- ^ "George Michael: 50 years in numbers". The Daily Telegraph. 25 June 2013. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ Suciu, Peter. "Shhh! George Michael's 1984 Hit 'Careless Whisper' Has Just Racked Up A Billion Views On YouTube". Forbes. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.