George Michael‘s estate has announced a re-release of ‘Careless Whisper’ to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
- READ MORE: George Michael Obituary: 1963-2016
Upon its release in 1984, ‘Careless Whisper’ was an instant hit, topping the charts in 25 countries. The iconic song is now certified seven times Platinum in the United States and has sold over 1.5 million copies in the United Kingdom alone.
Now, a new EP from George Michael Entertainment and Sony Music will celebrate four decades of the hit. Available both on digital and physical formats, the EP includes a previously unreleased live recording of the song, performed at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in 2008. The performance was his first in the city after a 17-year hiatus.
‘Careless Whisper EP’ will also feature newly mastered versions of the original single, alongside an extended mix and instrumental. It will be released October 18, and you can pre-order it here.
A representative for George Michael Entertainment said: “As we celebrate 40 years of ‘Careless Whisper’, we are proud to share something truly special with George’s millions of fans around the world.
“This EP is a heartfelt ‘thank you’ from us to you for your unwavering support and love. We are truly grateful. Thank you.”
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The track was written by Michael and his Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley when they were 17 years old. Alongside the announcement, Michael’s official social media account shared a clip of him discussing the smash hit’s origin.
“I remember saying to Andrew one day when we were walking home from school, we were bunking off, and I remember we’d written ‘Careless Whisper’. We’d finished it about a week before in a basement flat in Peckham.”
He continued: “I remember saying to Andrew ‘I’ve no idea who will do it, whether it’ll be us or not, but this is a hit. This is a Number One record for someone.’”
“It’s interesting, I had an absolute confidence then and it took about three or four albums before I realised that maybe I was as good a singer as I was a writer.”
Michael died on Christmas Day 2016, aged 53. Back in December, Wham!’s song ‘Last Christmas’ reached the Number One spot on the UK singles chart for the first time – 39 years after it was first released.
Last year, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where Miguel, Adam Levine, and Carrie Underwood paid tribute to him by performing covers of his biggest hits — including ‘Careless Whisper’ which was taken on by Miguel.
Earlier this year, the Royal Mint issued a new coin in tribute to the late singer as part of their Music Legends series, which commemorates iconic British performers.
In other George Michael news, last November one of the singer’s jackets was listed among more than 200 pieces of music memorabilia going to auction, alongside a leather jacket worn by Michael Jackson and a hairpiece that belonged to Amy Winehouse.
The La Rocka! jacket worn by the late singer in the music video ‘I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)’, alongside Aretha Franklin, sold for £93,750 including the buyer’s premium.
NME spoke to Ridgeley in June ahead of the Netflix Wham! documentary, where he discussed the impact of Michael’s death: “With George’s death, I became far more aware of how strong the affection for Wham! is, the place it holds in people’s imagination, and fondness towards the band,” he said.
“Therefore, it seemed natural to address the Wham! legacy. The documentary sets our success in the context of our friendship and how that defined Wham!. It’s our authentic friendship that marked us out as unique. George is fondly remembered by everyone who knew him, and I’m pretty sure he would have liked and approved of the choices we’ve made. The good thing is it’s narrated purely in George’s voice, using archive interviews, and my own, which makes it feel intimate.”
NME called the film “a ray of sunshine through dark clouds”, in a four-star review. “This feature-length documentary makes for affecting viewing because it tells the duo’s incredible success story through the lens of their rock-solid friendship. In the process, it shows that Ridgeley was a lot more than a lucky hanger-on.”