Baby, I’m Your Man!: Netflix’s ‘Wham!’ Documentary

“I’m Your Man.” That’s the song that broke me. Growing up in the ‘80s in a small, very conservative town, straight guys like me weren’t supposed to be into Wham! You were supposed to be into metal bands, particularly Motley Crue (who ironically wore far more makeup than George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley ever did, but I digress). So, I kept my fondness for Wham! quiet. 

When the duo broke in the states with “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go,” I tried to hate it. In a way, the song is a little annoying, but good god, the hook is massive, and before long, I found my resistance to be futile. Then came “Careless Whisper,” which I like to refer to as the greatest Sade song that Sade never recorded. It’s a staggering piece of songwriting and production. The lyric, “Guilty feet I’ve got no rhythm,” leaves me slack jawed to this day.

Still, I kept my love for their music on the down low. Then, one hot summer day, as I was driving home from high school, “I’m Your Man” came on the radio. I then did what I usually did, which was to roll up the windows and sing along at the top of my lungs. But here’s the thing: that day it was hot. Real hot. And my car had no working air conditioning. So I was left with two choices: roll up the window and change the station, or keep singing along in my own flop sweat. I picked neither. I went through door number three, which was to roll down the window, turn the radio up even louder, and keep singing.

“Fuck it,” I thought. “I love Wham!”

So, it was with no small measure of enthusiasm that I greeted Netflix’s new documentary on the duo, the simply titled, Wham! It gives me great pleasure to share that for 92 minutes of running time, the film delivers on taking you behind the charts and showing you how the duo was formed, their awkward journey to fame, and their bittersweet end. Much of the joy that can be found in their music is apparent here.

While Wham! may not go as deep as the fabulous George Michael documentary Freedom, that seems appropriate when telling the story of two young boys who met when they were 11 and 12 and ascended to remarkable pop music heights less than a decade later. Wham!, the documentary, is about that rocket ride—and what a ride it was.

Director Chris Smith (perhaps best known for Fyre and American Movie) uses Ridgeley’s mother’s incredibly completist scrapbooks as a framing device to mark the time and the duo’s ascent. One of the loveliest aspects of the film is how gracefully it restores Ridgeley’s reputation and significance—particularly in their early years. George was a shy boy and Andrew was an extrovert. When George (then known by his birth name, Georgios Panayiotou) was first introduced at his new school, the teacher asked his fellow students who would look after the new kid, Andrew raised his hand.

From there, the two became inseparable. And while George’s songwriting talent soon sped past Andrew’s, you do hear an early demo of Ridgeley’s opening notes of “Careless Whisper.” Beyond Ridgeley’s musical contributions to their records (which did become less and less as Wham! began to find fame), he was also integral in creating the band’s style, and, more importantly, allowing the very shy George (or “Yog” as Andrew affectionately dubbed him) open up and discover himself. Discoveries that didn’t just include George’s growth into one of the greatest pop stars of his era, but also coming to terms with his sexuality.

George came out to Andrew (who was very hetero) first, and found immediate acceptance. What we come to learn is that Andrew wasn’t just tagging along, hitching his wagon to someone else’s star—he was the one who provided Georgios Panayiotou with the stable platform that allowed George Michael to exist.

It might be hard to imagine now, but it’s amazing to think of how close Wham! came to not making it big. Their early demos were rejected endlessly, and after they did get signed their first two singles (“Wham Rap” and “Young Guns”) failed to make the UK top 40. On the verge of being dropped, the duo were invited to perform on Britain’s version of American Bandstand, Top of the Pops, after another act dropped out. The duo mimed their way through the song in a fashion that may look silly now, but it resonated with viewers, and soon their two singles were re-released and both songs hit the top ten. Follow up singles “Bad Boys” and “Club Tropicana” followed suit. Still, while a huge success in their homeland, America didn’t catch on until George wrote a song based on a miswritten note Andrew left for him that said, “Wake me up up before you go go.” George found immediate inspiration in Andrew’s awkward words and, well, America woke up to Wham!

From there, the film shows how George became the driving artistic force of the duo and how Andrew gracefully accepted and even encouraged George’s move to a solo career. There’s a great bit of footage late in the film of George performing “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” with Elton John at Live Aid in 1985. Elton was a huge early fan of Wham! (long before it was cool), and as you see Elton beaming with delight as he gives his own song over to George in its entirety that George was ready to go out on his own.

The seeds of George’s growth can be seen taking root earlier in the film when he goes to the famous Muscle Shoals studio to record Careless Whisper with the legendary record producer Jerry Wexler. Wexler had recorded with all-timers like Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. While at Shoals, George was overly deferential to Wexler, but that initial recording of Careless sounded thin, and more like a half-decent demo than a complete song. As you watch George rework the song on his own, what becomes clear is that not only was George a great singer and songwriter, but also a tremendous producer in his own right. For the remainder of his career, the producer of all George Michael records would be George Michael.

As George’s star brightened and Andrew’s dimmed, the duo decided to go out in style with a farewell concert at Wembley Stadium (the same venue where George performed with Elton at Live Aid). The footage may be a little murky, but the ebullience on display is palpable. It’s a beautiful way to end a fine film about friendship, fame, and the pure joy of pop music.

The film is so alive and bursting with good cheer that while watching, I would often forget, if only for a little while, that George is gone. Wham! does such a wonderful job of reminding you why he mattered, and more importantly, why he still does.

As the closing credits rolled, “I’m Your Man” can be heard playing over top. If you’re wondering if I sang along from my couch in a full-throated fashion, well, yes, yes I did. Because, fuck it, I love Wham! And if you watch this documentary, I think you’ll understand why.