Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

Not to be confused with Wake Me Up (Girls Aloud song).

I just wanted to make a really energetic pop record that had all the best elements of Fifties and Sixties records, combined with our attitude and our approach, which is obviously more uptempo and a lot younger than some of those records. It's one of those tracks that gets rid of a lot of your own personal influences; it reminds me of so many different records that I couldn't actually nail them down. I'd done a demo at home that just had a bass line and a vocal on it. Usually, I write the record in my head; I know what all the parts are going to be and I sing them to all our musicians. And it was great. ... We actually did it as a rehearsal. We used a LinnDrum because the drummer was late, and it was such a good track that we kept it. ^[7]

It was recorded within two days at Sarm West Studio 2 in London, with a live rhythm section. ^[2] The song, according to Michael, had been done in one take without any drop-ins (overdubs) at all – production-wise, he noted that the two options to him were "either to be like Trevor Horn and go for stunning sounds on your own, or just get a great sound on each instrument and go for a live take". ^[8] The UK sleeve was designed by Peter Saville, with photography by Trevor Key. ^[9]

Reception

Upon its release, the song received a mixed reception from contemporary critics. Smash Hits' Dave Rimmer deemed it "An absolutely dreadful comeback in which George and Andy ditch everything they do well in favour of a feeble foray into Shakin' Stevens country.(...) Awful.". ^[10] While Cash Box said that "the Motown groove and patent vocals of 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go' are perfect CHR material which is executed expertly by this British duo." ^[11] The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number four and climbed to the top spot seven days later, staying there for two weeks. The song also went to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, holding the top spot for three weeks.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan. ^[12] It showcases the band performing for an audience of mostly teenagers at Brixton Academy in South London. ^[13] The band wore Katharine Hamnett T-shirt designs that said "CHOOSE LIFE". ^[14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by George Michael

"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"
Standard artwork by Peter Saville and Trevor Key
Single by Wham!
from the album Make It Big
B-side	"A Ray of Sunshine"
Released	14 May 1984
Studio	Sarm West (London) [1] [2]
Genre	Bubblegum pop [3]
Length	3:50
Label	Columbia Epic
Songwriter(s)	George Michael
Producer(s)	George Michael
Wham! singles chronology
"Club Fantastic Megamix" (1983) "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" (1984) "Careless Whisper" (1984)
Music video
"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" on YouTube

7-inch: Epic / A 4440 (UK)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"	3:51
2.	"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" (instrumental)	4:03

Note:

• The US 7-inch single (Columbia 04552) has identical track listing.
• Also released as a CD single in 1999

12-inch: Epic / TA 4440 (UK)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"	3:51
2.	"A Ray of Sunshine" (specially recorded for The Tube )	4:58
3.	"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" (instrumental)	4:03

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" Chart (1984–1985) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report) [15] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [16] 6 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [17] 1 Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders) [18] 1 Canada ( The Record ) [19] 2 Canada Adult Contemporary ( RPM ) [20] 1 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [21] 1 Denmark (Hitlisten) [22] 6 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [23] 1 Finland Jukebox (Suomen virallinen lista) [24] 10 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [24] 3 France (SNEP) [25] 17 Guatemala (UPI) [26] 4 Hungary (Single Top 40) [27] 20 Iceland (RÚV) [28] 1 Ireland (IRMA) [29] 1 Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [30] 24 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [31] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [32] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [33] 2 Norway (VG-lista) [34] 1 Paraguay (UPI) [35] 1 South Africa (Springbok Radio) [36] 9 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [37] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [38] 2 UK Singles (OCC) [39] 1 US Billboard Hot 100 [40] 1 US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [41] 4 US Dance Club Songs ( Billboard ) [42] 27 US Cash Box [43] 1 US Contemporary Hit Radio ( Radio & Records ) [44] 1 West Germany (GfK) [45] 2 2025 chart performance for "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" Chart (2025) Peak position Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100) [46] 63

Year-end charts 1984 year-end chart performance for "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" Chart (1984) Position Australia (Kent Music Report) [47] [48] 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [49] 4 Canada (RPM Top 100 Singles) [50] 6 Israel [51] 8 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [52] 9 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [53] 17 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [54] 23 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [55] 8 UK Singles (OCC) [56] 11 US Cash Box [57] 19 West Germany (Official German Charts) [58] 23 1985 year-end chart performance for "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" Chart (1985) Position US Billboard Hot 100 [59] 3

Certifications

Certifications for "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [60]	2× Platinum	140,000‡
Canada (Music Canada) [61]	Platinum	100,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [62]	2× Platinum	180,000‡
Germany (BVMI) [63]	Gold	250,000‡
Italy (FIMI) [64]	Platinum	50,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI) [65]	Gold	75,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [66] 1984 release	Gold	500,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [67] 2006 release	3× Platinum	1,800,000‡
United States (RIAA) [68]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1984

References

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External links

• Song review from AllMusic