Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)
Encyclopedia
"Wham Rap!"' is a 1982 song by British
pop duo Wham!
on Innervision Records
. It was written by Wham! members George Michael
and Andrew Ridgeley
.
The song, which had been tentatively released in June 1982 when Wham! were unknowns and failed to make any impact, was re-issued in January 1983 after the duo had achieved their breakthrough with "Young Guns (Go For It!)
".
Although rap
was still an underground and almost exclusively American
phenomenon in the early 1980s, as the title implies, Michael rapped a number of verses about the joys of living every day to the fullest, which meant that being gainfully employed was not an option, and 'having fun with the boys down the (welfare) line'. The chorus asked the question "Do you enjoy what you do?", which brought about the bracketed section of the title. The video depicted Michael and Ridgeley in their leather jackets, combining their moody image with a bright, effervescent choreography
.
"Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" – the full version of which was almost seven minutes long – reached #8 in the UK singles chart
, the second of four hits from Wham!'s debut album Fantastic. The duo would go on to enjoy four UK #1 hits before splitting at their height in 1986. On the flip side of their farewell single "The Edge of Heaven
" was an updated version of the song, entitled "Wham! Rap '86."
The song was explicitly political and slightly revolutionary. It flew in the face of the conventional British left-wing
who were talking about the 'Right to work' at the time.
12": Innervision (UK)
12": Innervision (UK)
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pop duo Wham!
WHAM!
Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
on Innervision Records
Innervision Records
Innervision Records was an independent record label distributed by CBS Records. The label was established around 1981 by Mark Dean and Shamsi Ahmed which included Wham! on their artist roster, who scored four top-ten hits while signed to Innervision...
. It was written by Wham! members George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
and Andrew Ridgeley
Andrew Ridgeley
Andrew John Ridgeley is an English former pop singer-songwriter, guitarist and environmentalist. Andrew was a member of the 1980s pop music duo Wham!.-Early life:...
.
The song, which had been tentatively released in June 1982 when Wham! were unknowns and failed to make any impact, was re-issued in January 1983 after the duo had achieved their breakthrough with "Young Guns (Go For It!)
Young Guns (Go for It)
"Young Guns " was a song by British pop duo Wham! which was released in 1982 on Innervision Records...
".
Although rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
was still an underground and almost exclusively American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
phenomenon in the early 1980s, as the title implies, Michael rapped a number of verses about the joys of living every day to the fullest, which meant that being gainfully employed was not an option, and 'having fun with the boys down the (welfare) line'. The chorus asked the question "Do you enjoy what you do?", which brought about the bracketed section of the title. The video depicted Michael and Ridgeley in their leather jackets, combining their moody image with a bright, effervescent choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
.
"Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" – the full version of which was almost seven minutes long – reached #8 in the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, the second of four hits from Wham!'s debut album Fantastic. The duo would go on to enjoy four UK #1 hits before splitting at their height in 1986. On the flip side of their farewell single "The Edge of Heaven
The Edge of Heaven
"The Edge of Heaven" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, released on Epic Records in 1986. It was written by George Michael, one half of the duo, and was promoted in advance as Wham!'s farewell single.-History:...
" was an updated version of the song, entitled "Wham! Rap '86."
The song was explicitly political and slightly revolutionary. It flew in the face of the conventional British left-wing
British left
The biggest organisation on the British left is the Labour Party with over 100,000 members.The Communist Party of Great Britain had a peak membership of 56,000 in 1945...
who were talking about the 'Right to work' at the time.
1982 release
7": Innervision (UK)- "Wham Rap! [7" version]" (3:30)
- "Wham Rap! [Club Mix]" (4:02)
12": Innervision (UK)
- "Wham Rap! [Unsocial Mix]" (6:36) *
- "Wham Rap! [Social Mix]" (6:46)
- Due to an error in labeling, the "Unsocial Mix" is listed as the single's A side despite Michael specifically referring to it as the B side in the song's lyrics: "Hey, everybody, now listen to me / 'Cause of radio bulls**t this is side B."
1983 reissue
7": Innervision (UK)- "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) [Special U.S. Remix Part 1]" (3:30)
- "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) [Special U.S. Re-Mix Part 2]" (3:03)
- Part 1 aka "Special US Re-mix"
- Part 2 aka "Special Club Re-Mix"
12": Innervision (UK)
- "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) [Special US Re-mix]" (6:43)
- "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) [Special Club Re-mix]" (3:34)
Chart performance
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 9 |
| UK | 8 |