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One of the most interesting pieces of Wham! , director Chris SmithThe documentary about the four years of the pop duo of the same name featuring British musicians and childhood friends George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, concerns “Careless Whisper” (1984) – a song that became one of Michael’s most remembered tracks in the decades that followed. .
As the story goes, to record Careless Whisper, 20-year-old Michael went to Memphis to work under producer Jerry Wexler, the famous producer who recorded the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Michael wasn’t happy with the outcome and had the cheek to say a lot.
In Smith’s film, one hears Wexler’s version of Careless Whisper, a version that has the same melody but lacks the edginess and comfort of the version re-recorded a year later and released with that winning blend of melancholy and romance. People embraced it. But what’s worth noting and appreciating, besides Michael’s chutzpah, is that one can hear two very different tracks of soul music—the genre that has roots in African-American gospel and rhythm and blues—from musicians from two very different time zones. Well, they were both white and had very different ideas.
The rest of the time, in this unspoken hour-and-a-half documentary, created primarily on the editing table with archival footage, photos, details from scrapbooks Ridgeley’s mother kept with Michael and Ridgeley’s voiceovers, one can’t help but It discovers many related things. The context of the band in terms of the political and musical history of the time and the why and how of many things including the most popular tunes brought in such as Wham! Bam i’m a man and he woke me up and last christmas among others, is pretty much missing. Oddly enough, a movie that claims to be a music documentary doesn’t delve into the actual tunes of the band.
One of the few times one gets drawn in is when Ridgley’s role in the band is discussed. At 12, at Bushy Meads School in Hertfordshire, England, Ridgeley became friends with Georgios Kyriakos Panayiotou, of Greek descent, whom he called Yog, formed a band with him and let the music flow. The two played the Top of the Pops show when their catchy music, colorful shorts, and youthful vibe attracted a lot of attention. Ridgeley continued to support his friend through thick and thin which meant hiding Michael’s deepest fears from the world, including his struggles with homosexuality (Michael is heard saying, “I suddenly thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m a huge star and I’m gay’). Four years later From being together, Ridgeley decided to drop out of Wham! so his best friend could pursue his ambitious career. Anyway, of the two, Michael turned out to be a better songwriter. Fame was an ‘addiction’ for Michael, and he’s heard saying in the movie, ” Because I was so insecure, it was totally addictive.”
Ridgley’s story in Michael’s story is a good one. And wham! Don’t share that. But it leaves out a lot about the actual process of creating music for the band and the future that followed — including Ridgeley’s solo album, his current life, Michael’s upcoming struggles with substance abuse, and his subsequent death from heart failure at 53 in 2016. Even if Smith wanted to stay for the time Present, the film does answer one basic question: What made Wham! The dance goes down in people’s hearts?
Wham!
exit: Chris Smith
ejaculate: George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley
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