George Michael, Careless Whisper | Throwback Vibez

In the 13th edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Careless Whisper” by Wham! featuring George Michael.   

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez ! Throwback Vibez is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils ! All genres of music are welcome. In the 13^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Careless Whisper” performed by Wham!.

“I’m never gonna dance again / Guilty feet have got no rhythm / Though it’s easy to pretend / I know you’re not a fool.” Uh-oh! The guilt is pronounced on the Wham! – George Michael and Andrew Ridgeway – classic, “Careless Whisper”. In the chorus, the centerpiece, Michael, expounds regretfully, “I should have known better than to cheat a friend / And waste the chance that I’d been given / So, I’m never gonna dance again / The way I danced with you.” Infidelity is always a stellar topic for a song, hence why so many love this song.  But, George, who it is attributed to as a solo single despite being released by Wham!, and written with Ridgeway, is critical of it. Michael asserts (via GM Forever):

“I was 17 years old, and I had not really experienced anything that strong in my life, so it was a bit precocious. …But basically, I see that song as a bunch of images which I threw together to represent the fact that at the time I was seeing one girl and then I started seeing another, and it was just the guilt in between those two periods.”

“Careless Whisper” is the eighth and final track on Wham’s multiplatinum, 1984 album, Make It Big. It runs a ‘glorious’ six-and-a-half minutes in duration. It spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. “Whisper” was certified septuple platinum by the RIAA in 2024.  George may not have been a fan, but everybody else was!

Michael produced the gem, set in a minor key. The sound palette is marvelous. The instrumental highlights include a robust bass line, strings, rhythm guitar, keys (including synthesizer), saxophone, drums, and percussion.  The alto saxophone solo by Steve Gregory is nothing short of iconic.  Speaking of icons, what about those ultra-smooth, boyish vocals of a youthful George Michael? His tone is everything.  He brings the tuneful melodies to life, particularly the chorus.  In the third verse, he continues his regret: “We could have been so good living together / We could have lived this dance forever / but now, who’s gonna dance with me? / Please stay.” The greatness and timeless nature of “Careless Whisper”.  Even though Michael hadn’t experienced much life when it was written or released, he gave listeners an enduring pop/R&B classic.

Wham! // Make It Big // Sony Music Entertainment (UK) Limited // 1984

George Michael, Careless Whisper: Throwback Vibez No. 13 (2025) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Sony Music Entertainment (UK) Limited; AcatXlo, OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]