I love listening to Andrew talk about his career and friendship with George. He seems like a great guy. A few years back, the kpop group SHINee covered Last Christmas, and Andrew praised their version and later expressed condolences when Jonghyun passed.
@@josukeavocado I was a huge Shawol at thr time, I remember seeing Andrew’s tweets and from there I learned more about Wham! and became a big fan of him and George too :)
00:58 idk if anyone else was wondering about this, but apparently the “choose life” shirts are related to AIDS activism, not pro-“life.” it had a different meaning in a different time and place
Andrew was the friend any successful person can wish for! He never in life or death talked George down! Stayed a loyal friend who was supportive of George and made George push his limits
Andrew was smart, he knew George was the powerhouse, and he leaned into the writing, and didn't care being the proverbial second banana, knowing George would eventually go solo.. They milked WHAM! as they knew fans, mostly young girls, would eventually move on.. And they did.. It was perfect planning from a business pov.. I read George wrote Careless Whisper alone, Andrew helped refine it, and George gave him half songwriting credit.. Knowing he'd be comfortable for life from residuals…Andrew did have a solo album that was not very good, so they knew their lanes, and stuck to them..
@ George wrote Careless Whisper as a teen, but Andrew punched it up, hence his songwriting credit on the song, and he lucked out being their biggest hit..
@@edreid7872Who really believes he “punched up” that song, or any other? If he had such talent, why was it never utilized on any other songs? George was the only one needed for Wham!
@ Why would George keep him around if he didn't contribute something to the duo.. He obviously had something to do with their extremely successful career.. Even if it was only 10% and half of their pretty boy image..If that were the case, George could have been a solo artist from day one..WHAM could have been a one-man act.. Why wasn't it?..🤔
You should have also mentioned backing singers Pepsi and Shirley. Pepsi was a later addition but Shirley was Andrew's ex-girlfriend and one of George's closest friends. The story of Wham is really the story of 3 best friends!
Andrew didn’t contribute to the writing of “Careless Whisper”… that was all George, though George gave him co-writing credit on it, as well as many other songs he wrote solo. That was because he wanted to make sure that of the songs were hits, Andrew would be able to eat off the publishing forever.
@@whoopicoushion I’d always heard that George wrote it solo but I’m open to accepting that this could be bad intel. That being said, I’d hardly say the bass is a “major” part of the song. The sax riff? The bass? Nah… it’s pretty standard bass accompaniment.
@@whoopicoushion The specific part of the instrumental that is famous is the sax riff. If I were to strip away all the instrumentation and played you only the bass track, you wouldn’t even be able to recognize the song at all just from the bass.
They were in a band duo that's how it works. As long they are together. That said it was Andrew idea to get George into professional music let's not forget and it was his best friend
I love that you covered Wham, as I was a huge fan as a little girl, and later, also of George's solo career! Andrew was so confident, gracious, and humble at the same time to let George be the star and take all those unfair shots from the media for being more in the background and deferring to the more talented songwriter. George said many times that he wouldn't be the star he was without Andrew, and truly, the fact that George looked cool at all was due to Andrew. George was absolutely more musically talented, but Andrew brought the general spirit, style, and charismatic flair, which was also *really* important to their success! Thanks for diving deep enough to give a full picture of these 80s icons. ❤
Andrew was initially The Businessman of Wham and was the one between the Two who visualized being a Pop Star before George. And also if you think abour it George didnt have anyone he could confide into when you're That Young and Becoming a Pop star. Andrew just being a Real One has paid off for Him.
I remember wearing a “Choose Life” wham t-shirt to maybe Disneyland or some place like it, when I was 12 or 13 and getting mean, sarcastic remarks from adults I walked by. I just liked Wham, had no idea what it meant at that age. Looked it up and seems like a good message, against drugs and suicide apparently. Maybe people thought it was pro-life? The reaction of people from a random crowd really affected me at that age. Adored Wham, and was just rewatching his studio rehearsal for “Do they know it’s Christmas” song, and he’s amazing! RIP.
Andrew really supported his friend. He got extensive payback, but he didnt let a false inflated sense of ego get in the way of allowing his friend to shine his light
OMG .... Honest just made a video on Wham! This has to be a sign that the George Michael documentary is coming soon & I could NOT be more excited ... Aye Let's Go! 😁💚 I love the story of Wham! I think it's so great that George & Andrew were kind of like brothers & Andrew always looked out for George & encouraged him to go solo because w/ Andrew doing that We would have never gotten George Michael the solo artist & would have never gotten hit songs or albums from him. And it goes to show that Andrew & George were truly best friends
@@skylarlovelol Hahaha 😆 Yes there was BUT what I meant was a video similar to a documentary made by Honest on George Michael solo career , impact on the music industry & Honest personal thoughts on George Michael as an artist.
Anybody else born in 2000+ and wish they could live in the 80s era cause I wish I woke up one day and lived there for a few years to see how fun it was back then fr
Fun fact...Andrew actually did his own solo Album, although the style was nothing like Wham. Most certainly not a pop sounding record either. It was more like a rock sound.
I bought Andrew’s album “Son of Albert” on CD when it was first released in 1990. George does backing vocals on the track “Red Dress” on it, which was the second single from the album. “Shake” was the first single and only music video that I recall.
seeing a lot of comments claiming andrew was given writing credit on 'careless whisper' because george was a good friend. this is false. andrew wrote the bass of the song, which is even more noticeable on the original careless whisper released on 'make it big'. hope this clarifies and clears up this rumor
In 1986, after Wham! made a farewell and dissolve, George Michael pursued a solo career which was successful in the late '80s and '90s while Andrew Ridgeley worked outside of the music industry.
absolutely love Wham! I wish they got more recognition for their other music besides “ Wake Me Up Before You Go Go”…. they have other absolute certified bangers like Everything She Wants, Bad Boys, Young Guns, Freedom, and ofc Last Christmas obviously ❤❤
Великолепная была группа Whem ,прекрасные ребята ,особенно Джордж Майкл с волшебным голосом ,греческий ангел !❤❤❤Будущий знаменитый певец ,мировая Суперзвезда !❤❤❤
RIP George 💖 This may be an unpopular opinion, but I find George's solo music more interesting than Wham's (I do like a couple of their songs though). Great how he and Andrew looked after each other, as true friends do.
…don’t leave off the third integral part of the group, Shirlie Holliman together with DC Lee started it all. Then Pepsi DeMacque took over and was popularly known as Pepsi & Shirlie.
Andrew Ridgely famously did not write any part of Careless Whisper. He is credited as a writer on the song because George knew he was moving on and wanted to give Andrew a retirement plan.
Yeah it formed organically and because of George’s obvious talent and growth as an adult that he would ultimately go solo. I think they did the right think and stayed positive and still best mates. I’m sure it wasn’t easy at first for George to go solo since he always had Andrew there but it had to be done or else it would always be bubble gum pop as they say
Good example of the importance of healthy confidence and self-image. When you have it, like it seems Andrew did, you don't have the same *need* for recognition from others, i.e. stardom. You're free to focus on loving and supporting your friend, and feel good that way. George was more talented, but also more introvert and insecure. Did he ever reach a healthy level of confidence? One can hope, but his drug use and untimely death might suggest otherwise.
An old joke: What’s the difference between a Wham! record and a George Michael record? You can’t hear Andrew Ridgely doing nothing on a George Michael record.
@@MikeCee7David Austin was a friend of George and Andrew, helped George with writing some songs and George wrote some stuff for David, too, who also sang.
Just curious. Andrew Ridgeley does not look very English or European for that matter. He resembles a very stunningly handsome South Asian or Middle Eastern dude with an awesome 80s hairdo. Can someone please enlighten me, if my guess is correct?
I believe one of his parents is from Gibraltar. He does look rather South Asian at times. George's family was Greek Cypriot, and his name was Yorgios or something like that, and only later he anglicized it to George. Wham reflected a very multicultural aspect of 80s Britain. Never found Andrew even remotely good looking, even as a kid. I always thought he had dopey looking eyes. George was better looking, but I always thought his eyebrows were too heavy and close together and his eyes squinty. But I can see how he would appeal to certain gay men, especially with his golden Mediterranean tan (in pasty and pale 80s Britain).
Andrew gave George the drive to write better songs. The Faith album was successful only because the song were written while the 2 were still having mutual connections. After that George went completely solo he lost the pilot light from Andrew that he had so many years. While he did made a number of solo hits, the albums were not as successful as the Faith album. Andrew is the behind-the-scene guy for Wham! It will be 8 years since we lost George (or Yog) in 2024.
I think George and Andrew had a positive and friendly relationship and supported one another. But you know how people can be peeing them against one another😬
Andrew Ridgely had integrity and got out of the business when he realized he didn’t have much talent… Unlike Another Andrew who continued playing the role of pretender for almost 4 decades and who is primarily remembered for standing behind an unplugged keyboard and clapping for no apparent reasons…
Andrew seems like a great friend
The best for George
He still is, even to this day
I love listening to Andrew talk about his career and friendship with George. He seems like a great guy. A few years back, the kpop group SHINee covered Last Christmas, and Andrew praised their version and later expressed condolences when Jonghyun passed.
Omg what!?, I’m a huge fan of both, How come I’ve never heard of this 😧
@@josukeavocado I was a huge Shawol at thr time, I remember seeing Andrew’s tweets and from there I learned more about Wham! and became a big fan of him and George too :)
Everyone should have a friend like Andrew. God bless him.
It takes two to have a friendship!
Amen! 💯
It should be illegal to be as hot as Andrew Ridgeley is or was. My god.
seriously!!!!!
My thoughts perfectly!
It should also be illegal to be as hot as George Michael was
@@donjai9366 literally, like I can't help but admire his beauty
@@donjai9366Yeah, they were both good looking, but George's eyes...
80s music is the best.
The best decade for pop music, and honestly, pop culture in general
absolutely agree
I love 80's pop music. I have an 80's pop playlist on my Spotify account
Absolutely agreed
For me it's 70s rock albums
00:58 idk if anyone else was wondering about this, but apparently the “choose life” shirts are related to AIDS activism, not pro-“life.”
it had a different meaning in a different time and place
I didn't know that. That's definitely a Fun Fact 😁
…I still have one I bought in Japan
@@skymuffn Cool 😎
Thanks for this comment! I was confused when I saw those shirts
Yup. I wanted to buy one but I know that today a lot of people won’t get the reference:(
Andrew was the friend any successful person can wish for! He never in life or death talked George down! Stayed a loyal friend who was supportive of George and made George push his limits
Andrew was smart, he knew George was the powerhouse, and he leaned into the writing, and didn't care being the proverbial second banana, knowing George would eventually go solo.. They milked WHAM! as they knew fans, mostly young girls, would eventually move on.. And they did.. It was perfect planning from a business pov.. I read George wrote Careless Whisper alone, Andrew helped refine it, and George gave him half songwriting credit.. Knowing he'd be comfortable for life from residuals…Andrew did have a solo album that was not very good, so they knew their lanes, and stuck to them..
Andrew's songwriting in Wham! was minimal. George sang, produced and wrote more or less everything. Andrew's role was to enable and support George.
@ George wrote Careless Whisper as a teen, but Andrew punched it up, hence his songwriting credit on the song, and he lucked out being their biggest hit..
@@edreid7872Who really believes he “punched up” that song, or any other? If he had such talent, why was it never utilized on any other songs? George was the only one needed for Wham!
@ Why would George keep him around if he didn't contribute something to the duo.. He obviously had something to do with their extremely successful career.. Even if it was only 10% and half of their pretty boy image..If that were the case, George could have been a solo artist from day one..WHAM could have been a one-man act.. Why wasn't it?..🤔
I would like to know exactly what the co writing was. One thing is for sure, you have to be a genius to write a song that beautiful.
You should have also mentioned backing singers Pepsi and Shirley. Pepsi was a later addition but Shirley was Andrew's ex-girlfriend and one of George's closest friends. The story of Wham is really the story of 3 best friends!
Don't forget David Austin and Deon Estus
Deon Estus who sang Heaven Help Me??????@@everettsager4654
Young Andrew looks a little lot like young Sylvester Stallone
Yep!
80's was no joke. You really had to have it back then.
Andrew didn’t contribute to the writing of “Careless Whisper”… that was all George, though George gave him co-writing credit on it, as well as many other songs he wrote solo. That was because he wanted to make sure that of the songs were hits, Andrew would be able to eat off the publishing forever.
Awe ... That's so sweet , selfless , and thoughtful. 🥺
no, this is false, andrew wrote the bass which is a major part of the song
@@whoopicoushion I’d always heard that George wrote it solo but I’m open to accepting that this could be bad intel. That being said, I’d hardly say the bass is a “major” part of the song. The sax riff? The bass? Nah… it’s pretty standard bass accompaniment.
@@oronbaba the instrumental is kinda what makes the song famous, so yeah its major
@@whoopicoushion The specific part of the instrumental that is famous is the sax riff. If I were to strip away all the instrumentation and played you only the bass track, you wouldn’t even be able to recognize the song at all just from the bass.
Can we appreciate how wholesome their friendship is.
George was very generous to Andrew, giving him equal credit on some massive hits. He will always live well.
They were in a band duo that's how it works. As long they are together. That said it was Andrew idea to get George into professional music let's not forget and it was his best friend
@@theancientsancients1769 Correct, so nothing I said was untrue.
@@theancientsancients1769It does not work that way with all duos.
george michael was such an icon. so talented and special, may he rip 💘
I love that you covered Wham, as I was a huge fan as a little girl, and later, also of George's solo career! Andrew was so confident, gracious, and humble at the same time to let George be the star and take all those unfair shots from the media for being more in the background and deferring to the more talented songwriter. George said many times that he wouldn't be the star he was without Andrew, and truly, the fact that George looked cool at all was due to Andrew. George was absolutely more musically talented, but Andrew brought the general spirit, style, and charismatic flair, which was also *really* important to their success! Thanks for diving deep enough to give a full picture of these 80s icons. ❤
Andrew was George's childhood friend and supporter before being 1/2 of Wham. He is probably the most influential character in George's life.
They had beautiful friendship
this was nice, great to see Andrew get some love for once
I was shocked to see two videos uploaded
Andy is the best friend any one wants to have.he took care of yog all his life.love both.miss yog.❤
Andrew was initially The Businessman of Wham and was the one between the Two who visualized being a Pop Star before George. And also if you think abour it George didnt have anyone he could confide into when you're That Young and Becoming a Pop star. Andrew just being a Real One has paid off for Him.
I remember wearing a “Choose Life” wham t-shirt to maybe Disneyland or some place like it, when I was 12 or 13 and getting mean, sarcastic remarks from adults I walked by. I just liked Wham, had no idea what it meant at that age. Looked it up and seems like a good message, against drugs and suicide apparently. Maybe people thought it was pro-life? The reaction of people from a random crowd really affected me at that age. Adored Wham, and was just rewatching his studio rehearsal for “Do they know it’s Christmas” song, and he’s amazing! RIP.
Andrew really supported his friend. He got extensive payback, but he didnt let a false inflated sense of ego get in the way of allowing his friend to shine his light
Well done Andrew. Kept his eye on the prize.
OMG .... Honest just made a video on Wham! This has to be a sign that the George Michael documentary is coming soon & I could NOT be more excited ... Aye Let's Go! 😁💚 I love the story of Wham! I think it's so great that George & Andrew were kind of like brothers & Andrew always looked out for George & encouraged him to go solo because w/ Andrew doing that We would have never gotten George Michael the solo artist & would have never gotten hit songs or albums from him. And it goes to show that Andrew & George were truly best friends
exactly! i thought the same thing
Wasn't there already a documentary about wham on Netflix??
@@skylarlovelol Hahaha 😆 Yes there was BUT what I meant was a video similar to a documentary made by Honest on George Michael solo career , impact on the music industry & Honest personal thoughts on George Michael as an artist.
Andrew was a such an amazing friend
the documentary on netflix is very lovely, wham became very iconic in a very short time.
Anybody else born in 2000+ and wish they could live in the 80s era cause I wish I woke up one day and lived there for a few years to see how fun it was back then fr
It was fun, full of cold war dread but also full of hope, optimism and belief in making it better for us and for all.
Andrew Co Wrote some of their best songs, what more does he need. He is also a very good rhythm guitar player and has a great look. It works.
This is a wonderful video! Good for those guys, what a friendship!
last christmas is my religion
What a wholesome friendship!
Love the Wham appreciation 🥺
They have to do movie about them
They did documentary about them & it's on Netflix
Fun fact...Andrew actually did his own solo Album, although the style was nothing like Wham. Most certainly not a pop sounding record either. It was more like a rock sound.
I bought Andrew’s album “Son of Albert” on CD when it was first released in 1990. George does backing vocals on the track “Red Dress” on it, which was the second single from the album. “Shake” was the first single and only music video that I recall.
George gave half writing credit to Andrew for careless whisper as a thank you for encouraging him to sing and write
And because Andrew wrote some of the music.
seeing a lot of comments claiming andrew was given writing credit on 'careless whisper' because george was a good friend. this is false. andrew wrote the bass of the song, which is even more noticeable on the original careless whisper released on 'make it big'. hope this clarifies and clears up this rumor
I love the songs on "Make it big".
Without Andrew, there may have been no George. We thankyou for your service.
In 1986, after Wham! made a farewell and dissolve, George Michael pursued a solo career which was successful in the late '80s and '90s while Andrew Ridgeley worked outside of the music industry.
andrew ridgeley they could never make me hate you!
absolutely love Wham! I wish they got more recognition for their other music besides “ Wake Me Up Before You Go Go”…. they have other absolute certified bangers like Everything She Wants, Bad Boys, Young Guns, Freedom, and ofc Last Christmas obviously ❤❤
Everything she wants is my favorite song from them 😍
I am obsessed with Everything She Wants. I randomly discovered it in 2020 during covid and it became my most played song that year!
Are you going to edit this one too? Saying “omg I never gotten this amount of likes before. Thank you 😍😌🙏🙏🙏”
another killer video. You excel at 80s stuff
Andrew is living his best life in Cornwall. Says it all.
Looking at this, it's amazing to me that people didn't realize that George Michael was gay.
Thks for this video. I didn't know much about the band's story
George used to give away a ton of money to charity, and kept it all secret. It all came out after he died
I heard Andrew did some backing vocals on the first album ?
Wham was EVERYTHING to me when I was a kid. The 80s is the best era of music, not up for debate!
"CARELESS WHISPER" is my favorite song
Великолепная была группа Whem ,прекрасные ребята ,особенно Джордж Майкл с волшебным голосом ,греческий ангел !❤❤❤Будущий знаменитый певец ,мировая Суперзвезда !❤❤❤
Melodic rock is my fav 80s genre, new wave after
He's cooking
RIP George 💖 This may be an unpopular opinion, but I find George's solo music more interesting than Wham's (I do like a couple of their songs though). Great how he and Andrew looked after each other, as true friends do.
…don’t leave off the third integral part of the group, Shirlie Holliman together with DC Lee started it all. Then Pepsi DeMacque took over and was popularly known as Pepsi & Shirlie.
Andrew was basically the coach and George was the player in the "game"...
Damiano David from Måneskin looks so much like young Andrew to me
Careless Whisper was actually George’s solo debut
In the US, it was billed as "Wham featuring George Michael" - the record label wasn't sure GM had enough name recognition yet.
Andrew is a good one - and he married one of the Bananarama girls, he's doing alright 😊
I love George, but Andrew makes me feel some type of way......
Andrew Ridgely famously did not write any part of Careless Whisper. He is credited as a writer on the song because George knew he was moving on and wanted to give Andrew a retirement plan.
Sigh. That's not true. They wrote it together.
Yeah it formed organically and because of George’s obvious talent and growth as an adult that he would ultimately go solo. I think they did the right think and stayed positive and still best mates. I’m sure it wasn’t easy at first for George to go solo since he always had Andrew there but it had to be done or else it would always be bubble gum pop as they say
THIS IS SO COOL AND INFORMATIVE
This would be the perfect plot for an anime.
Andrew was very handsome!
Short Answer: The same reason Tito never sung lead in The Jackson 5/The Jacksons: NOBODY paid to see him.
No one come to see you Otis… 😅 energy
Good example of the importance of healthy confidence and self-image. When you have it, like it seems Andrew did, you don't have the same *need* for recognition from others, i.e. stardom. You're free to focus on loving and supporting your friend, and feel good that way.
George was more talented, but also more introvert and insecure. Did he ever reach a healthy level of confidence? One can hope, but his drug use and untimely death might suggest otherwise.
Andy the best friend forever ❤❤❤❤
An old joke: What’s the difference between a Wham! record and a George Michael record? You can’t hear Andrew Ridgely doing nothing on a George Michael record.
Andrew is a true gentleman.
George is one of the greatest artist ever
The guy on the left is Dion Estes
No Andrew, no George. It's that simple. George would've gone to work at his father's coffee shop and that would have been the end of it.
luv George Michael, RIP
Without George Michael Ridgeley would have been a nobody. When Wham split Ridgeley disappeared.
Awesome 🤩
Who’s the dude on the left at 3:17
David Austin
@@Missfrankiecat Who’s David Austin? Is this someone that all of us who knew Wham from the 80s, should know who this guy is?
@@MikeCee7David Austin was a friend of George and Andrew, helped George with writing some songs and George wrote some stuff for David, too, who also sang.
Dion Estes
@@josephhettiger2711That's not Deon Estes. It's David Austin
1:09 What did he do actually? 😂
He didn't do jack in Wham except show his pretty face
you don't wanna hear his singing voice if you're only into pop, trust me
Sounds like Andrew was well grounded
Damn dude this is a whole ai fever dream. Do u know anything you didn't learn from the inter n et?
I actually enjoy Andrew's solo album a lot. It's rocky, upbeat, and a fun listen.
Just curious. Andrew Ridgeley does not look very English or European for that matter. He resembles a very stunningly handsome South Asian or Middle Eastern dude with an awesome 80s hairdo. Can someone please enlighten me, if my guess is correct?
I believe one of his parents is from Gibraltar.
He does look rather South Asian at times.
George's family was Greek Cypriot, and his name was Yorgios or something like that, and only later he anglicized it to George.
Wham reflected a very multicultural aspect of 80s Britain.
Never found Andrew even remotely good looking, even as a kid. I always thought he had dopey looking eyes. George was better looking, but I always thought his eyebrows were too heavy and close together and his eyes squinty. But I can see how he would appeal to certain gay men, especially with his golden Mediterranean tan (in pasty and pale 80s Britain).
This was good. But “Faith” was not George Michael’s solo debut record; “Careless Whisper” was. No mention of “Son of Albert”?
Faith was his first solo album . Careless whisper was on a wham album, make it big
@@KarimMarei Right and right, but "Careless Whisper" was George Michael's first solo record, in this case a single.
Son of Albert - best not mentioned LOL 😂
@@SY-ok2dq Best not to act like music is worthless garbage just because it is not to your taste.
Because George Michael was the star
Make a video on Zayn
Any one else waiting for him to drop the billie video?!
George Michael forever 🖤
He was a great guitarist...would have been better had it had strings
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Andrew gave George the drive to write better songs.
The Faith album was successful only because the song were written while the 2 were still having mutual connections.
After that George went completely solo he lost the pilot light from Andrew that he had so many years.
While he did made a number of solo hits, the albums were not as successful as the Faith album.
Andrew is the behind-the-scene guy for Wham!
It will be 8 years since we lost George (or Yog) in 2024.
I think George and Andrew had a positive and friendly relationship and supported one another. But you know how people can be peeing them against one another😬
He launched a album Albert'son ir Son of Albert and he sings excelente..he Is more rocker
Why does this guy have an annoying affection on the end of all his sentences? I could only take 30 seconds
andrews still alive , george signed the wrong contract
All very nice and all, but I still have no clue what Andrew exactly contributed musically.
Andrew Ridgely had integrity and got out of the business when he realized he didn’t have much talent…
Unlike Another Andrew who continued playing the role of pretender for almost 4 decades and who is primarily remembered for standing behind an unplugged keyboard and clapping for no apparent reasons…
poplar music?? 🌲
George was in school with Andrew, George said stay with me and I make u a millionaire