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Hub AI
Careless Whisper AI simulator
(@Careless Whisper_simulator)
Hub AI
Careless Whisper AI simulator
(@Careless Whisper_simulator)
Careless Whisper
"Careless Whisper" is a song by the English singer-songwriter George Michael, released as the second single from Wham!'s second album, Make It Big (1984). It was produced by Michael and written by Michael and his Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley. The single was credited to Michael as part of his transition to a solo career.
A contemporary pop song with R&B and soul influences, "Careless Whisper" features a prominent saxophone riff composed by Michael and played by Steve Gregory. Michael composed it as a teenager and recorded several versions, auditioning several saxophone players, before he was satisfied.
"Careless Whisper" topped the charts in the UK, US, and several other countries. It is one of the best-selling songs of all time, selling over eleven million copies, including two million in the US. The song achieved popularity on social media, mainly due to the saxophone riff being used in many movies and as a popular internet meme. The song has been covered by acts including Brian McKnight, Seether, Roger Williams, Kenny G and Julio Iglesias.
Michael wrote "Careless Whisper" on a bus at the age of 17, while he was travelling to his job as a DJ at a restaurant near Bushey, Hertfordshire. He worked on the song "in his head" for three months. Michael wrote in his autobiography, Bare, that he based the lyrics on events from his childhood. He said the lyrics were inspired by his experience of infidelity, imagining a situation in which his partner discovered him. He wrote, "'Careless Whisper' was us dancing, because we danced a lot, and the idea was – we are dancing... but she knows... and it's finished."
Andrew Ridgeley, Michael's bandmate in the pop group Wham!, wrote the chord sequence on the Fender Telecaster he received for his 18th birthday, with Michael singing the saxophone line. The pair worked on the song at Michael's family home in Radlett, and the basement flat in Peckham, where Ridgeley was living.
Michael and Ridgeley recorded the first demo on a Portastudio with a local producer, Paul Mex, in Ridgeley's family home in 1981 for £20. It featured a Doctor Rhythm drum machine, an acoustic guitar played by Ridgeley, and a bass guitar played by Dave West. Michael's vocal was recorded with a microphone attached to a broom handle. They recorded it quickly in a single take, as they had spent most of the session recording a demo for their song "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)".
On 24 March 1982, Michael recorded a more complete demo, including a backing band, at Halligan Band Centre, Holloway, London. According to the Wham! manager, Simon Napier-Bell, the saxophone part was recorded by a hobbyist friend of Michael's who lived nearby. Michael wrote that hearing "Careless Whisper" recorded with a band was "one of the most incredible moments of my life ... that day I finally believed we had number-one material". On Michael's final night working as a DJ, he played the "Careless Whisper" demo. He wrote in his memoir: "They had never heard it before and... the floor filled. I remember thinking — that's a good sign."
"Careless Whisper" was not included on the first Wham! album, Fantastic, in 1983. That year, Michael recorded a version with the producer Jerry Wexler at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. Wexler booked Tom Scott to perform the saxophone part, but Michael was not satisfied with his performance. Michael would hum the part to him repeatedly, asking for adjustments. Napier-Bell recalled: "After two hours, he was still there while everyone in the studio shuddered with embarrassment."
Careless Whisper
"Careless Whisper" is a song by the English singer-songwriter George Michael, released as the second single from Wham!'s second album, Make It Big (1984). It was produced by Michael and written by Michael and his Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley. The single was credited to Michael as part of his transition to a solo career.
A contemporary pop song with R&B and soul influences, "Careless Whisper" features a prominent saxophone riff composed by Michael and played by Steve Gregory. Michael composed it as a teenager and recorded several versions, auditioning several saxophone players, before he was satisfied.
"Careless Whisper" topped the charts in the UK, US, and several other countries. It is one of the best-selling songs of all time, selling over eleven million copies, including two million in the US. The song achieved popularity on social media, mainly due to the saxophone riff being used in many movies and as a popular internet meme. The song has been covered by acts including Brian McKnight, Seether, Roger Williams, Kenny G and Julio Iglesias.
Michael wrote "Careless Whisper" on a bus at the age of 17, while he was travelling to his job as a DJ at a restaurant near Bushey, Hertfordshire. He worked on the song "in his head" for three months. Michael wrote in his autobiography, Bare, that he based the lyrics on events from his childhood. He said the lyrics were inspired by his experience of infidelity, imagining a situation in which his partner discovered him. He wrote, "'Careless Whisper' was us dancing, because we danced a lot, and the idea was – we are dancing... but she knows... and it's finished."
Andrew Ridgeley, Michael's bandmate in the pop group Wham!, wrote the chord sequence on the Fender Telecaster he received for his 18th birthday, with Michael singing the saxophone line. The pair worked on the song at Michael's family home in Radlett, and the basement flat in Peckham, where Ridgeley was living.
Michael and Ridgeley recorded the first demo on a Portastudio with a local producer, Paul Mex, in Ridgeley's family home in 1981 for £20. It featured a Doctor Rhythm drum machine, an acoustic guitar played by Ridgeley, and a bass guitar played by Dave West. Michael's vocal was recorded with a microphone attached to a broom handle. They recorded it quickly in a single take, as they had spent most of the session recording a demo for their song "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)".
On 24 March 1982, Michael recorded a more complete demo, including a backing band, at Halligan Band Centre, Holloway, London. According to the Wham! manager, Simon Napier-Bell, the saxophone part was recorded by a hobbyist friend of Michael's who lived nearby. Michael wrote that hearing "Careless Whisper" recorded with a band was "one of the most incredible moments of my life ... that day I finally believed we had number-one material". On Michael's final night working as a DJ, he played the "Careless Whisper" demo. He wrote in his memoir: "They had never heard it before and... the floor filled. I remember thinking — that's a good sign."
"Careless Whisper" was not included on the first Wham! album, Fantastic, in 1983. That year, Michael recorded a version with the producer Jerry Wexler at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. Wexler booked Tom Scott to perform the saxophone part, but Michael was not satisfied with his performance. Michael would hum the part to him repeatedly, asking for adjustments. Napier-Bell recalled: "After two hours, he was still there while everyone in the studio shuddered with embarrassment."
