The Best of Wham!: If You Were There...

The Best of Wham!: If You Were There...
The Best of Wham!: If You Were There...
Greatest hits album by Wham!
Released	24 November 1997
Recorded	1982–1997
Length	70:24
Label	Epic
Producer	George Michael; Andrew Ridgeley; Steve Brown;
Wham! chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]

The Best of Wham!: If You Were There... is the second UK-released compilation to summarise the career of English pop duo Wham!. It was released on 24 November 1997, and peaked at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart. The end of the album features a hidden track that was first heard on their debut album, Fantastic.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"If You Were There" (from Make It Big, 1984)	The Isley Brothers	George Michael	3:43
2.	"I'm Your Man" (Non-album single: 1985, also from Music from the Edge of Heaven, 1986)	Michael	Michael	4:06
3.	"Everything She Wants" (from Make It Big, 1984)	Michael	Michael	6:30
4.	"Club Tropicana" (from Fantastic, 1983)	Michael Andrew Ridgeley	Steve Brown Michael	4:30
5.	"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" (from Make It Big, 1984)	Michael	Michael	3:51
6.	"Like a Baby" (from Make It Big, 1984)	Michael	Michael	4:16
7.	"Freedom" (from Make It Big, 1984)	Michael	Michael	5:20
8.	"The Edge of Heaven" (from Music from the Edge of Heaven, 1986)	Michael	Michael	4:37
9.	"Wham Rap!" (from Fantastic, 1983)	Michael Ridgeley	Bob Carter	6:46
10.	"Young Guns (Go for It!)" (from Fantastic, 1983)	Michael	Brown Michael	3:41
11.	"Last Christmas" (from Music from the Edge of Heaven, 1986)	Michael	Michael	6:48
12.	"Where Did Your Heart Go?" (from Music from the Edge of Heaven, 1986)	Don Was Dave Was	Michael	5:42
13.	"Everything She Wants '97"	Michael	Michael Jon Douglas	6:01
14.	"I'm Your Man '96"	Michael	Michael Douglas	4:32
Total length:				70:24

Notes

"Everything She Wants '97" is a remix of the original song
"I'm Your Man '96" is a re-recording of the original song

Video

Released on VHS, VCD and DVD.

"Wham Rap!" (Michael, Ridgeley) – 3:15
"Club Tropicana" (Michael, Ridgeley) – 4:31
"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" – 3:45
"Last Christmas" – 4:20
"The Edge of Heaven" – 4:25
"Where Did Your Heart Go?" (Was, Was) – 5:10
"I'm Your Man" – 5:40
"Everything She Wants" – 6:30
"Freedom" – 6:32

Charts

Weekly charts

Initial chart performance for *The Best of Wham!: If You Were There...*
Chart (1997–98)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[3]	29
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[4]	23
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[5]	5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[6]	6
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[7]	18
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[8]	35
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[9]	40
Italian Albums (FIMI)^[10]	12
Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)^[11]	14
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[12]	30
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[13]	29
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[14]	28
UK Albums (OCC)^[15]	4

Chart performance for *The Best of Wham!: If You Were There...* upon George Michael's death
Chart (1997–98)	Peak position
Dutch Midprice Albums (MegaCharts)^[7]	44
French Albums (SNEP)^[16]	97
Italian Albums (FIMI)^[17]	81

Year-end charts

1997 year-end chart performance for *The Best of Wham!: If You Were There...*
Chart (1997)	Position
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)^[18]	22
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)^[19]	24

1998 year-end chart performance for *The Best of Wham!: If You Were There...*
Chart (1998)	Position
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)^[20]	52
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)^[21]	42

Certifications

Certifications for album
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[22]	Gold	35,000^{^}
Belgium (BRMA)^[23]	Platinum	50,000^*
Japan (RIAJ)^[24]	Gold	100,000^{^}
Netherlands (NVPI)^[25]	Platinum	100,000^{^}
Poland (ZPAV)^[26]	Gold	50,000^*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)^[27]	Gold	50,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[28]	2× Platinum	600,000^{^}
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Certifications for DVD/Video
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[29]	Gold	25,000^*
^* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References

^ "BPI".
^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review: The Best of Wham!: If You Were There.... AllMusic. Retrieved on 18 July 2010.
^ "Australiancharts.com – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There...". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Austriancharts.at – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There..." (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Ultratop.be – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There..." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Ultratop.be – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There..." (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Dutchcharts.nl – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There..." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Wham!: If You Were There - The Best Of" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There..." (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "History" (in Italian). FIMI. Retrieved 10 June 2022. Set "Ricerca per" on "Titolo", then search "IF YOU WERE THERE. THE BEST OF WHAM!" and click "Classifiche".
^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 10 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Wham!".
^ "ザ・ベスト／ワム!-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック" [Highest position and charting weeks of If You Were There: The Best by Wham!]. oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
^ "Charts.nz – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There...". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There...". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Wham! | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Lescharts.com – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There...". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Italiancharts.com – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There...". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "Jaaroverzichten 1997". Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
^ "Rapports annuels 1997". Ultratop (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
^ "Jaaroverzichten 1998". Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
^ "Rapports annuels 1998". Ultratop (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
^ "RIAJ > The Record > March 1999 > Certified Awards (January 1999)" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
^ "Dutch album certifications" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Select 2000 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 1998 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 26 November 2024.
^ "Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1996–1999". Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano.
^ "British album certifications – Wham! – If You Were There - Best Of". British Phonographic Industry.
^ "British video certifications – Wham – The Best of". British Phonographic Industry.

[1] "BPI".

[Erlewine-2] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review: The Best of Wham!: If You Were There.... AllMusic. Retrieved on 18 July 2010.

[ac_Australia_Wham!-3] "Australiancharts.com – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There...". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[ac_Austria_Wham!-4] "Austriancharts.at – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There..." (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[ac_Flanders_Wham!-5] "Ultratop.be – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There..." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[ac_Wallonia_Wham!-6] "Ultratop.be – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There..." (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[NLD-7] "Dutchcharts.nl – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There..." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[ac_Finland_Wham!-8] "Wham!: If You Were There - The Best Of" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[ac_Germany_Wham!-9] "Offiziellecharts.de – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There..." (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[10] "History" (in Italian). FIMI. Retrieved 10 June 2022. Set "Ricerca per" on "Titolo", then search "IF YOU WERE THERE. THE BEST OF WHAM!" and click "Classifiche".

[11] "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 10 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Wham!".

[Jachart-12] "ザ・ベスト／ワム!-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック" [Highest position and charting weeks of If You Were There: The Best by Wham!]. oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved 18 December 2013.

[ac_New_Zealand_Wham!-13] "Charts.nz – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There...". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[ac_Switzerland_Wham!-14] "Swisscharts.com – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There...". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[ac_UK_Wham!-15] "Wham! | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[ac_France_Wham!-16] "Lescharts.com – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There...". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[ac_Italy_Wham!-17] "Italiancharts.com – Wham! – The Best Of Wham! - If You Were There...". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[18] "Jaaroverzichten 1997". Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2014.

[19] "Rapports annuels 1997". Ultratop (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2014.

[20] "Jaaroverzichten 1998". Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2014.

[21] "Rapports annuels 1998". Ultratop (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2014.

[AustraliaalbumCertRef-22] "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.

[BelgiumWhamThe_Best_of_Wham!:_If_You_Were_There...albumCertRef-23] "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 May 2019.

[24] "RIAJ > The Record > March 1999 > Certified Awards (January 1999)" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2014.

[NetherlandsalbumCertRef-25] "Dutch album certifications" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Select 2000 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".

[PolandWham!The_Best_of_Wham!:_If_You_Were_There...albumCertRef-26] "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 1998 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 26 November 2024.

[Spanish_certifications_1996-1999-27] "Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1996–1999". Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano.

[United_KingdomWham!If_You_Were_There_-_Best_OfalbumCertRef-28] "British album certifications – Wham! – If You Were There - Best Of". British Phonographic Industry.

[United_KingdomWhamThe_Best_ofvideoCertRef-29] "British video certifications – Wham – The Best of". British Phonographic Industry.

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v t e Wham!
George Michael Andrew Ridgeley
Studio albums	Fantastic Make It Big Music from the Edge of Heaven
Compilations	The Final The Best of Wham!: If You Were There... The Singles: Echoes from the Edge of Heaven
Singles	"Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" "Young Guns (Go for It!)" "Bad Boys" "Club Tropicana" "Club Fantastic Megamix" "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" "Careless Whisper" "Freedom" "Everything She Wants" "Last Christmas" "I'm Your Man" "The Edge of Heaven" "Where Did Your Heart Go?"
Concerts and tours	Club Fantastic The Big Tour Whamamerica! The Final
Filmography	Wham! in China: Foreign Skies Wham!
Related articles	Discography Deon Estus Dee C. Lee Pepsi & Shirlie Tommy Eyre Whamageddon Last Christmas soundtrack
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