Make It Big

Make It Big is the second studio album by English pop duo Wham!, released in 1984. In comparison to their earlier work, Wham! (George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley) had more control over the album's production and Michael would also be credited as a producer.

The album was a commercial success, hitting number one in both the US and the UK and spawning four singles, all reaching the top three in the US and the UK. Make It Big was certified 4× platinum in the US during the time of its release, and has since been certified 6× platinum in the US. In March 2024, Make It Big was reissued on vinyl for the first time in 30 years.

The music video for single "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" had the duo in shirts that read Choose Life. It would be the first of several hits from the album. The second single "Careless Whisper" is technically a Wham! song as it appears on the Wham! album Make It Big. However, when released as a single, it was credited either to Wham! featuring George Michael (in North America and several other countries) or solely to George Michael (in the United Kingdom and some European countries) as it became apparent, that at some point in the near future, Michael would be embarking on a solo career. The music video for third single "Freedom" featured the duo while performing a concert in China; incidentally Wham! would become the first Western popular music act to tour China. The fourth single "Everything She Wants" was released as a double A-side with "Last Christmas"; "Last Christmas" would later appear on Music from the Edge of Heaven, an album released only in North America and Japan.

Background and production

Make It Big was mostly written and recorded at Studio Miraval in Southern France over a course of six weeks, beginning in early July 1984. This allowed George Michael to escape press attention and work peacefully. According to Andrew Ridgeley, the decision to record in the south of France was made largely due to tax reasons, as well as it being the ideal place for them to spend the summer due to the hot weather. Plus, it was one and a half hours away from London, and Michael "had to keep going back to do things for 'Careless Whisper'". Like "Careless Whisper" and "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", most of the songs were recorded with a live rhythm section.

The main album credits attribute it as having been mixed at Good Earth Studios in London and Marcadet Studios in Paris. However, engineer Chris Porter later revealed that most of the album was mixed at Sarm West's Studio 2 (where "Careless Whisper" and "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" were recorded), with some mixing already completed at Studio Miraval. Some additional recordings were done at Advision Studios, including parts of "Careless Whisper".

Critical reception

Make It Big, Wham!'s second album, would see the duo score hit singles in the United States. Their first album Fantastic was a hit in the UK but failed to make an impact in the US. Make It Big received some positive reviews. Christopher Connelly from Rolling Stone wrote that the "music is an unabashed rehash of Motown", adding, "Make It Big is an almost flawless pop record, a record that does exactly what it wants to and has a great deal of fun doing it." Billboard described the album as "a one-two punch", while Cash Box described its sound as "less tense, more tuneful". In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic writes, "They succeeded on a grander scale than they ever could have imagined, conquering the world and elsewhere with this effervescent set of giddy new wave pop-soul."

Tour

Wham! embarked on a world tour to promote the album in December 1984, opening at Whitley Bay's Ice Rink, before going on to dates in Japan, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and China, ending in April 1985 at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Canton.

Track listing

All tracks are written by George Michael, except where noted.

Personnel

Credits adapted from LP liner notes

Wham!

• George Michael – lead vocals, backing vocals; Roland Juno-60 (2), LinnDrum (2), keyboards (3)
• Andrew Ridgeley – electric guitars, backing vocals; acoustic guitar (8)

Additional musicians

• Tommy Eyre – keyboards (1, 4–7)
• Andy Richards – keyboards (8)
• Anne Dudley – additional keyboards
• Tom Herries – additional keyboards
• Hugh Burns – electric and acoustic guitars
• Deon Estus – bass guitar
• Trevor Murrell – drums; LinnDrum (1)
• Danny Cummings – percussion
• David Baptiste – alto saxophone
• Steve Gregory – tenor saxophone (8)
• Colin Graham – trumpet
• Paul Spong – trumpet
• Pepsi & Shirlie – backing vocals

Production

• George Michael – producer, arrangements
• Chris Porter – engineer
• Paul Gomersall – assistant engineer
• P/S/A – design
• Tony McGee – photography

Charts

Certifications and sales