George Michael thinks Wham! Top of Pops their career-starting performances were “terrible”.
The singer, who died on Christmas Day 2016, is the focus of a new Netflix documentary alongside former bandmate Andrew Ridgeley.
titled Rub!The one-off special features archived interviews and footage documenting the band’s rise to the top of the charts during the 1980s.
At one stage in the documentary, Michael and Ridgeley are heard discussing the release of “Young Guns (Go for It),” which sold well upon its initial release in November 1982. , reaching only 42nd place in the rankings. Michael described it as “possibly the worst week of my life”.
However, their careers were saved when they received a last-minute call to star in the drama Top of PopsThe former primetime chart program features performances by the biggest music artists of the moment.
Michael described it as a “surprise miracle phone call”, Ridgely explained that they were called in as a backup because “another artist dropped out”.
While the performance featured dancer Shirlie Kemp (née Holliman), credited with launching Wham!’s career, Michael admits that “it looks horrible when you look at it now” .
He added: “But at the time, the way we presented ourselves was considered quite creative and new. There is a certain energy through difficulty. It works in a strange way; everyone remembers it at that time.
Michael says they came up with the exercise themselves in his mother’s house, saying, “No choreographer would come up with that damn thing.”
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“We had almost no clothes on – I think we had two outfits that rotated between us,” Ridgeley recalls. It’s pretty amateurish, but we look original. We look different.
‘Young Guns’ Appearance on Wham’s ‘Top of the Pops’!
(Netflix)
Their appearance on the charts worked; The single rose to number one, peaking at number three.
Next year, Wham! released the songs “Bad Boys” and “Club Tropicana”, with “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” following in 1984. They became one of the most successful pop bands of the 1980s.
Rub! available to stream on Netflix. Find independencetwo star rating here.
