Wham!

Wham! Where to start? I've mentioned before about my obsessions. Looking at that picture above, really, how could I have been obsessed with them? Oh but I was. Totally and utterly obsessed and I was ridiculed by some in my family for it. When I am ridiculed for my obsessions, it's always nice to see them come good. Take That for example. People laughed at the time but look at them now. I feel like a mother hen who personally discovered them.

With Wham! I feel I did actually discover them. No, I wasn't in A&R at 12 years old but I remember Wham Rap coming out and instantly loving them. I read about them in Number 1 magazine and of course my beloved Smash Hits and by the time they had their massive hit with Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, I was an old hand at the Wham! love. That sounds vaguely rude.

If we are talking about perfect pop (and I am most of the time) then Wham! really were Perfect Pop. Beautifully crafted 3-4 minute songs that still sound fresh today. George Michael is a genius and still number one on my list for invites to my dream dinner party. At the risk of sounding like a stalker, I just know we'd be best friends. (*ahem*)

There is only really one Wham! song I don't like and that's Freedom. I don't know, it just bores me. But other than that, I can happily listen to them all. I couldn't pick a favourite but if you were about to push me off a tall building and made me say one then I'd plump for Club Tropicana. A song that is so happy, it instantly puts me in a good mood when I hear it. I also have very fond memories of yet another birthday party at 12 years old listening to Young Guns (Go For It) and it has a very special video.

Wham! really were the soundtrack to my teenage years (the early days) and just hearing them transports me straight back to school and intense discussions about Andrew's nose job and whether we wanted to be Shirley or Pepsi. I have one real regret in my life and it's not going to The Final concert at Wembley Stadium. It didn't even cross my mind I could have gone! But I still have my Wham! scrapbook with the full report from Smash Hits...

George's solo career is for another day. I am not going to delve into it here but I will say Faith is a masterpiece.

In the meantime, let's all watch Wake Me Up Before You Go Go and wonder at the neon and cheesy goodness. This is pop at its best. Thank you George (and Andrew in your weird tartan and miming of guitar).