Careless Whisper

Updated on Nov 15, 2023

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Recorded 1983–84 Label Epic Columbia		Genre Pop
Released 24 July 1984 (1984-07-24) Format 3" CD 7" 12" cassette CD Length 6:30 (album version) 5:04 (single version)

"Careless Whisper" is a song by English singer-songwriter George Michael (sometimes credited to "Wham! featuring George Michael" in Japan, Canada and the United States). It was released on 24 July 1984, by Epic Records in the United Kingdom, Japan and other countries, and by Columbia Records in North America. The song was George Michael's first solo single, although he was still performing in Wham! at the time (the song is included on Wham!'s album Make It Big).

The song features a prominent saxophone riff, and has been covered by a number of artists since its first release. It was released as a single and became a huge commercial success on both sides of the Atlantic and on both sides of the Pacific. It reached number one in nearly 25 countries, selling about six million copies worldwide – two million of them in the United States.

Background

Unlike most of the other Wham! singles (except "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" and "Club Tropicana"), it was co-written by Andrew Ridgeley, the other member of the duo. The two had written it together as developing artists three years earlier in Watford, England.

The song went through at least two rounds of production. The first was during a trip Michael made to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where he went to work with producer Jerry Wexler at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Michael was unhappy with the version that was originally produced and decided to re-record and produce the song himself, this time coming up with the version that was finally released. The version Wexler produced did, was released later in the year, as a (4:41) B-side "Special Version" on 12" in the UK and Japan.

The record label Innervision were going to put out the Jerry Wexler version of "Careless Whisper" after the Club Fantastic Megamix as far back as 1983. Dick Leahy stated in George Michael's autobiography that while he couldn't stop the release of the Club Fantastic Megamix, he could stop the release of this single on the basis that as a publisher they "have the right to grant the first license of the recording of a tune of which he controls the copyright". He couldn't do anything about the Club Fantastic Megamix because it was already released material. He said: "We knew how big that song could be so it was necessary to upset a few people to stop it."

The officially released single, a mid-tempo sentimental ballad with a saxophone solo by Steve Gregory, was issued in August 1984, entering the UK Singles Chart at number 12. Within two weeks, it was at number one, ending a nine-week run at the top for "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. It stayed at number one for three weeks, going on to become the fifth best-selling single of 1984 in the United Kingdom; it was outsold only by the two Frankie Goes to Hollywood tracks "Two Tribes" and "Relax," Stevie Wonder with "I Just Called to Say I Love You," and Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" The song also topped the charts in 25 other countries, including the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in February 1985 under the credit "Wham! featuring George Michael." Spending three weeks at the top in America, the song was later named Billboard's number-one song of 1985.

On the subject of his personal opinion of the song, Michael said in 1991 that it "was not an integral part of my emotional development" which he found sad because of the song meaning so much to so many people. He went on to say: "It disappoints me that you can write a lyric very flippantly—and not a particularly good lyric—and it can mean so much to so many people. That's disillusioning for a writer."

Music video

The music video (which uses the shorter single version) shows the guilt felt by a man (portrayed by Michael) over an affair, and his acknowledgement that his partner (Lisa Stahl) is going to find out. It was filmed on location in Miami, Florida, in 1984 and features such locales as Coconut Grove and Watson Island. The final part of the video shows Michael leaning out of a balcony at the last floor of Miami's Grove Towers.

Track listing

All tracks written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.

Note: The Extended Mix is identical to the album version from Make It Big.

Credits and personnel

Vocals – George Michael

Saxophone – Steve Gregory

Bass – Deon Estus

Drums – Trevor Morrell

Electric piano – Anne Dudley

Guitar – Hugh Burns

Keyboards – Chris Cameron, Andy Richards

Percussion – Danny Cummings

Photography – Tony McGee

Producer and arranger – George Michael

Composer – Andrew Ridgeley, George Michael

Cover versions

"Careless Whisper" has been covered by many other artists. A selection of those are presented here in chronological order:

Gloria Gaynor on her The Power of Gloria Gaynor album (1986).

Instrumental group Pieces of a Dream on their Joyride album (1986).

The Shadows on their Simply Shadows album (1987).

Dave Koz featuring Montell Jordan from 1999's The Dance.

Sarah Washington on a dance version that peaked at number 45 on the UK Singles Chart (1993).

Bananarama on their 2001 album Exotica.

Pan Pipes on their Play More Great Love Songs album (2003).

Kenny G featuring Brian McKnight on the album At Last...The Duets Album (2004).

2Play in a dancehall version (2004).

Del on his Go All Night album (2007).

Irish singer Edward J. Valentine released a version that reached number 47 for one week on the Irish Singles Chart in 2008.

Seether on their album Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces (2007).

Carlos Mojica on his album Crime Payz (2010).

Brian McKnight on his Just Me album (2011).

References

Careless Whisper Wikipedia

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