Make It Big

This article is about the album by Wham!. For the song sung by the Beach Boys, see Make It Big (song). For the film, see Make It Big (film).

Make It Big
Studio album by
Wham!
Released22 October 1984 (1984-10-22) (US)[1]
5 November 1984 (1984-11-05) (UK)[2]
Recorded1984
Studio
Genre
Length38:02
Label
ProducerGeorge Michael
Wham! chronology
Fantastic
(1983) 		Make It Big
(1984) 		Music from the Edge of Heaven
(1986)
Alternative cover
Album cover in North America
Singles from Make It Big
  1. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"
    Released: 14 May 1984
  2. "Careless Whisper"
    Released: 23 July 1984
  3. "Freedom"
    Released: 1 October 1984
  4. "Everything She Wants"
    Released: 3 December 1984
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Robert ChristgauB[6]
Rolling Stone[7]

Make It Big is the second studio album by English pop duo Wham!, released in 1984. In comparison to their earlier work, Wham! (George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley) had more control over the album's production and Michael would also be credited as a producer. The album was a commercial success, hitting number one in both the US and the UK and spawning four singles, all reaching the top three in the US and the UK. Make It Big was certified 4× platinum in the US during the time of its release, and has since been certified 6× platinum in the US.[8] In March 2024, Make It Big was reissued on vinyl for the first time in 30 years.[9]

The music video for single "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" had the duo in shirts that read Choose Life. It would be the first of several hits from the album. The second single "Careless Whisper" is technically a Wham! song as it appears on the Wham! album Make It Big. However, when released as a single, it was credited either to Wham! featuring George Michael (in North America and several other countries) or solely to George Michael (in the United Kingdom and some European countries) as it became apparent, that at some point in the near future, Michael would be embarking on a solo career. The music video for third single "Freedom" featured the duo while performing a concert in China; incidentally Wham! would become the first Western popular music act to tour China. The fourth single "Everything She Wants" was released as a double A-side with "Last Christmas"; "Last Christmas" would later appear on Music from the Edge of Heaven, an album released only in North America and Japan.

  1. ^ "FMQB" (PDF). p. 30.
  2. ^ "BPI".
  3. ^ "Classic Tracks: George Michael 'Faith'". Sound on Sound.
  4. ^ "Top 40 New Wave Albums". Ultimate Classic Rock. 31 May 2023.
  5. ^ AllMusic review
  6. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Wham!".
  7. ^ "Wham!: Make It Big : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. 20 February 2009. Archived from the original on 20 February 2009.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ RIAA Certification for Make It Big
  9. ^ "Make It Big 12" vinyl sleeve-jacket". Retrieved 20 February 2024.