Everything She Wants

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This article is about the Wham! song. For other uses, see Everything She Wants (disambiguation).

"Everything She Wants"
Everything She Wants.jpg
UK 7-inch vinyl variant of the standard artwork
Single by Wham!
from the album Make It Big
A-side"Last Christmas"
B-side
Released3 December 1984
Recorded
Genre
Length
  • 5:01 (album version)
  • 5:10 (short remix version)
  • 6:34 (long remix version)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)George Michael
Producer(s)George Michael
Wham! singles chronology
"Last Christmas"
(1984) 		"Everything She Wants"
(1984) 		"I'm Your Man"
(1985)
Alternative cover
UK 12-inch vinyl variant of the alternative artwork
UK 12-inch vinyl variant of the alternative artwork

"Everything She Wants" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, originally released as a single in 1984 on Epic Records on a double A-side with "Last Christmas". It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo, becoming their third consecutive million-selling number-one hit in the United States.

Origin[]

Writing[]

Like most other Wham! songs from this period, it was written by George Michael. He discussed in the Fall 1985 issue of ASCAP In Action:

“It’s the only song I’ve written that successfully came from a backing track first. I wrote the Linn drum pattern and found a synthesizer program I liked and wrote the backing track in one evening, took it back to the hotel, and wrote the vocal in a hotel room the next morning. Because it was thrown together that way, I never looked at it as a single ‘til everybody started saying it was great”[3]

Michael elaborated on the song's lyrics and the meaning behind them in Dick Clark's Countdown radio show:

“It’s a lyric about a man who is six or eight months into a marriage which obviously isn’t going well. He’s faced with the ‘happy’ news of an arriving baby. So he’s in that situation where he can’t back out. (The song) talks about the situation (in which) many men find themselves, working really hard to support a family… and see it as a kind of trap. It’s a situation I’ve seen. It’s not the kind of thing I usually write about. Our lyrics are usually a lot closer to the kind of pop lightweight lyric we enjoy, but it’s a departure, and I think it worked.”[3]

Recording[]

"Everything She Wants" was recorded in August 1984 at Marcadet Studios in Paris using a 3M 32-track recorder and was most likely finished off at Sarm West’s Studio 2 in London after most of Make It Big had been finished at Studio Miraval in southeastern France over a period of six weeks.[4][5] The song was based around a mono 2-bar LinnDrum loop, which wasn’t intended as the "keeper drum part" initially but it was eventually used for the finished record.[6] Despite being credited as a Wham! track, it's also a departure in the sense that George Michael recorded the track entirely by himself (with engineer Chris Porter in attendance), as opposed to the typical procedure of using session musicians to realise his ideas (which he did for most of the Make It Big record). According to Porter, “I think this was when George started to realise that if he wanted to, he could do everything himself. He could cut out all these other people and their ideas.” This would pave way for Last Christmas, which would be recorded the same month using the same approach.[7] Plus, all the musicians that had participated in the Marcadet sessions had already flown back to the UK by the time Michael came around to recording it, so perhaps there wasn’t any point in hiring any more session musicians.[5]

Michael confirms:

"For the most part I try and play everything [when writing and recording, but] it wasn’t the case in Wham! Apart from [that] “Last Christmas” and “Everything She Wants” are all me."[8]

He added that both songs were all made on one synthesizer, referring to a Roland Juno-60.[8][7]

History[]

Upon release, "Last Christmas" took the majority of the attention and airplay as it was appropriate in early December as Christmas approached. However, the presence of an equally-billed flip side meant that radio stations had something else to play once "Last Christmas" had lost its topicality.

The presence of the Band Aid project meant that the double A-side peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart, although in the process it became the biggest-selling record not to get to number one. However, in the USA, the song did reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and became the third number-one song in a row from 1984's Make It Big album.

Wham! had two more number-one hits in the UK before splitting at their height in 1986.

Although Michael bemoaned much of Wham!'s material as he began his solo career, "Everything She Wants" remained a song of which he was proud, and he continued to perform it in his shows. Furthermore, Michael remarked in an interview (to promote 25 Live tour) that "Everything She Wants" was his favorite Wham! song.[citation needed]

In 1996, the song was performed at the MTV Unplugged concert.

In 1997, the song was remixed and re-released as "Everything She Wants '97" for the greatest hits album The Best of Wham!: If You Were There....

In September 2011 during the Symphonica Tour, at a concert at SAP Arena, Mannheim, Germany, George Michael said that "Understand" featured on Twenty Five[9] was written as a follow-up to "Everything She Wants" with the man in the song realizing that his woman cared a lot more about love than he ever dreamed of.

"Everything She Wants" was featured on the official soundtrack album to Last Christmas released by Sony Music on CD, 2-disc vinyl, and digital formats on 8 November 2019.[10]

Other versions[]

"Everything She Wants" was used as a sample on rapper Foxy Brown's "I Can't" from her second album, Chyna Doll, in 1999.

The a cappella group Naturally 7 sampled "Everything She Wants" on their 2011 song "Life Goes On", an arrangement that was personally approved by Michael.[11]

The song features in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V as part of the radio station Non-Stop-Pop FM. The Egyptian Lover's cover appears on iFruit Radio.

In 2020, Alien Ant Farm recorded a rock remake the song. Its music video, shot during the COVID-19 pandemic, features cameos from artists like Insane Clown Posse, Hyro the Hero, Charlie Benante of Anthrax, CJ Pierce of Drowning Pool, and several others.[12]

Court case[]

The song was mentioned in a landmark 1998 sampling copyright decision in the case of Santrayll v. Burrell.[13] US Federal Court Judge Peter K. Leisure concluded that MC Hammer had sampled music by another rap group (The Legend). The Legend admitted to sampling Wham!'s "Everything She Wants" (among other songs) and not disclosing the sampled works when filing for copyright registration.[citation needed]

Music video[]

The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan, and is footage of a live performance in black and white.[14]

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by George Michael.

7": Epic / QA 4949 (UK)
No.TitleLength
1."Everything She Wants" (Short Remix)5:10
2."Last Christmas" (Original 1984 7" version)4:24
12": Epic / QTA 4949 (UK)
No.TitleLength
1."Everything She Wants" (Long Remix)6:34
2."Last Christmas" (Pudding Mix)6:44
  • Also released in a limited edition with a 1985 calendar (WQTA 4949)
12": Columbia / 44-05180 (USA)
No.TitleLength
1."Everything She Wants" (Long Remix)6:34
2."Like A Baby"4:12
7": Epic / 07-5p-336 (Japan)
No.TitleLength
1."Everything She Wants" (Remix)5:10
2."Like a Baby"4:12
3."Message from Wham!" 
  • Note: Track 1 plays 7" remix but is labelled only as "Remix"

Charts[]

Certifications and sales[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[36] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Silver 200,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[38] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ Classic Tracks: George Michael ‘Faith’ – Producer: George Michael • Engineer: Chris Porter
  2. ^ Mendizibal, Maya (28 December 2016). "George Michael's History on Billboard's R&B Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Bonson, Fred (1992). The Billboard book of number one hits. Billboard books. p. 608. ISBN 978-0823082988.
  4. ^ Classic Tracks: George Michael ‘Faith’ – Producer: George Michael • Engineer: Chris Porter
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "George Michael Wham/solo songs comments & research". 12 January 2021. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Modern Recording & Music June 1985" (PDF).
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Aroesti, Rachel (14 December 2017). "Still saving us from tears: the inside story of Wham!'s Last Christmas". theguardian.com.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Faith: Legacy Edition (George Michael Interview Booklet, Part 3)". gmforever.com.
  9. ^ Disc 3: For the Loyal
  10. ^ "'Last Christmas' Soundtrack Track List: See It Here". Billboard (Magazine). 4 October 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Pop music icon George Michael gives N7 permission to use one of his greatest hit songs". Naturally Seven. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  12. ^ "Alien Ant Farm Deliver Cameo-Filled Video For Wham! Cover". Loudwire.com.
  13. ^ Santrayll v. Burrell, No. 91 Civ. 3166, 1998 US Dist. LEXIS 586.
  14. ^ Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com – Wham! - "Wake me up before you go-go [version 1: concept]"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  15. ^ David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  16. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Wham! – Everything She Wants" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Wham! – Everything She Wants" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  18. ^ Lwin, Nanda. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide (2000). Mississauga, Ont.: Music Data Canada
  19. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Lescharts.com – Wham! – Everything She Wants" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Wham! – Everything She Wants" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  22. ^ "Wham! Chart History". RÚV. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  23. ^ "Charts.nz – Wham! – Everything She Wants". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  24. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Wham! – Everything She Wants". VG-lista. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  25. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  26. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  27. ^ "Wham! Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  28. ^ "Wham! Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  29. ^ "Wham! Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  30. ^ "Wham! Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  31. ^ "Wham! - Awards: AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  32. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  33. ^ "RPM's Top 100 Singles of 1985". RPM. Vol. 43 no. 16. 28 December 1985. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  34. ^ Musicoutfitters.com
  35. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 July 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  36. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Wham! – Everything She Wants". Music Canada.
  37. ^ "British single certifications – Wham – Everything She Wants". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  38. ^ "American single certifications – Wham! – Everything She Wants". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links[]

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