Friday, October 12, 2018

"I'm Your Man" by Wham!

Top 10 Alert!
Song#:  2555
Date:  11/30/1985
Debut:  55
Peak:  3
Weeks:  18
Genre:  Pop, Blue-Eyed Soul



Pop Bits:  Wham's 1984 album Make It Big certainly did that. Boasting four Top 3 hits including three #1's, the multi-platinum LP made stars of the duo. To keep their streak of hits going, this new song was recorded and issued out as a single. It was met with open arms and the track soon became Wham's fifth Top 3 single in a row. It also got to #13 AC, #42 Dance, and #55 R&B. It would be their fourth #1 in their UK homeland.

ReduxReview:  I liked Wham, but by this point I was tiring of their pseudo-Motown tunes. It all seems just a bit too cutesy to me when this one came out. Yes, it was on-brand for them and resulted in another Top 10, but in the long run, this ended up being one of their lesser hits. I basically shrugged my shoulders at it and hoped that they would come up with something different the next time around. Who knew at the time that in just under two years, Wham would be a thing of the past and George Michael would be ridin' high with the vastly superior Faith.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  In addition to working with Wham, George Michael lent his talents out to other artists as well. He was featured on the Elton John hits "Wrap Her Up" while providing background vocals on John's "Nikita" as well. He'd later team up with Aretha Franklin for the big 1987 hit "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)." One artist he helped out was making a bid for a comeback. Former teen idol David Cassidy hadn't had a significant hit since the mid-70s. Nine years after his last album, Cassidy got signed to Arista Records and recorded his 1985 album Romance, which would be for the European market. Michael, who had cited Cassidy as an early influence, helped out by providing the backing vocals for the track "The Last Kiss." The song was issued out as a single and it did well in various countries including the UK where it peaked at #6. The tune was actually a remake of a song originally done by Cliff Richard in 1981 for his album Wired for Sound. Richard's version was titled "Young Love" and was a more upbeat track. Cassidy's version was a ballad that featured lyric changes.

_________________________________________________________________________________

No comments:

Post a Comment