Remembering George Michael
It was on this day (6/25) in 1963 that Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou was born. He quickly evolved to become the pop icon pop icon known as George Michael, selling millions of records with Andrew Ridgeley in Wham!, and his later work as a solo artist would add to that count.
George Michael’s partnership with Ridgeley and the development of his artistry and on-stage charisma are chronicled in the recent Netflix documentary, named for the band. It only took a handful of years for the two best friends and songwriting partners to become superstars.
Wham! Official Trailer
George Michael stepped away from Wham! to pursue a solo career, spurred by the success of his single “Careless Whisper.” The 1984 hit (co-written by Ridgeley) has been covered by Brian McKnight, Julio Iglesias, and plenty TikTok users co-opting sax solo. Seether also did a take on this song, but the reason they chose it might surprise you.
In this MMaRchive Session from 2014, Shaun Morgan explained that the cover came from an inside joke: he and Dale Stewart used to play the song back and forth to each other via voicemail, because “who can deny that sax solo?” When their former label needed a single for Valentine’s Day, Seether recorded their own version of “Careless Whisper” in jest. The band’s team took it seriously, though, and put a ton of promotion behind it. It’s the mark of a well-written pop song!
Brent Porche will play the cover on his show on WMMR this afternoon. Watch the 8-bit video below, complete with Wham! Easter eggs.
Seether covers George Michael’s ‘Careless Whisper’
We lost George Michael on Christmas Day in 2016. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year. Andrew Ridgeley was on hand to give a speech on Michael’s behalf, calling his voice “his greatest gift.”
Andrew Ridgeley at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
