Everything She Wants
Encyclopedia
"Everything She Wants" is a song by British
pop duo Wham!
, released in 1984 on Epic Records
on a double A-side with "Last Christmas
". It was written by George Michael
, one half of the duo.
A five-minute song (there also exists a six-and-a-half-minutes-long version with an added bridge), "Everything She Wants" is written from the angle of a man rapidly approaching desperation at the material demands of his partner
which seem to be coming to a head, despite the amount of work he does to keep her happy. In a twist, the second verse takes the story a step further by revealing that the woman is pregnant but the man cannot find any happiness in the announcement because of the extra pressure a baby will put upon him.
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 the summit of the Billboard Hot 100
, and became the third number-one song in a row from 1984's Make It Big album.
Wham! would go on to have 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" is his favourite Wham!
song.
The song was remixed and re-released as "Everything She Wants '97" for the greatest hits album If You Were There
in 1997.
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. In essence, Hammer argued that because The Legend admitted to sampling (i.e. "Everything She Wants"), this constituted a knowing failure to advise the Copyright Office of facts that might have led to the rejection of the copyright application. Meaning: no copyright protection, no lawsuit for infringement against Hammer. The court disagreed and found that: (1) it was possible that a jury might find that the failure to disclose the samples was not deliberate and (2) the samples played such a minor role in The Legend's song that the unauthorized use of samples "could not possibly have led the Copyright Office to reject the copyright applications."
, which named each episode after an 80s hit song, named an episode after this song.
Rapper Foxy Brown sampled "Everything She Wants" on the single "I Can't
" from her number one album Chyna Doll.
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....
, released in 1984 on Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
on a double A-side with "Last Christmas
Last Christmas
"Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, released on Epic Records in 1984, on a double A-side with "Everything She Wants". It was written by George Michael, one half of the duo...
". It was written by 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...
, one half of the duo.
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.A five-minute song (there also exists a six-and-a-half-minutes-long version with an added bridge), "Everything She Wants" is written from the angle of a man rapidly approaching desperation at the material demands of his partner
Significant other
Significant other is colloquially used as a gender-blind term for a person's partner in an intimate relationship without disclosing or presuming anything about marital status, relationship status, or sexual orientation, as it is vague enough to avoid offense by using a term that an individual...
which seem to be coming to a head, despite the amount of work he does to keep her happy. In a twist, the second verse takes the story a step further by revealing that the woman is pregnant but the man cannot find any happiness in the announcement because of the extra pressure a baby will put upon him.
The presence of the Band Aid
Band Aid (band)
Band Aid was a charity supergroup featuring British and Irish musicians and recording artists. It was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year. The single...
project meant that the double A-side peaked at number two 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 ...
, although in the process it became the biggest selling record not to get to number one. However, in the USA, the song did reach the summit of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and became the third number-one song in a row from 1984's Make It Big album.
Wham! would go on to have 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
25 Live
25 Live was a concert tour by English singer / songwriter George Michael. The tour was the most commercially successful tour of 2006–2007 in Europe. The tour has grossed over $200 million, with positive reviews from music critics. The 106 tour shows were performed in 41 countries and seen by 2...
tour) that "Everything She Wants" is his favourite 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....
song.
The song was remixed and re-released as "Everything She Wants '97" for the greatest hits album If You Were There
If You Were There (The Best of Wham)
-DVD:# "Wham Rap!" - 3:15 # "Club Tropicana" - 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?" - 5:10 # "I'm Your Man" - 5:40 # "Everything She Wants" - 6:30...
in 1997.
Court Case
The song was also mentioned in a landmark 1998 sampling copyright decision in the case of Santrayll v. Burrell. Federal Court Judge Peter K. Leisure concluded that MC HammerMC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...
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. In essence, Hammer argued that because The Legend admitted to sampling (i.e. "Everything She Wants"), this constituted a knowing failure to advise the Copyright Office of facts that might have led to the rejection of the copyright application. Meaning: no copyright protection, no lawsuit for infringement against Hammer. The court disagreed and found that: (1) it was possible that a jury might find that the failure to disclose the samples was not deliberate and (2) the samples played such a minor role in The Legend's song that the unauthorized use of samples "could not possibly have led the Copyright Office to reject the copyright applications."
Legacy
The popular Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next GenerationDegrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
, which named each episode after an 80s hit song, named an episode after this song.
Rapper Foxy Brown sampled "Everything She Wants" on the single "I Can't
I Can't
"I Can't" is the second single from American female hip-hop artist Foxy Brown's second album Chyna Doll.-Single information:"I Can't" was released On March 2,1999 in the United States. The single was unsuccessful, receiving little airplay on urban radio stations and little video rotation on MTV,...
" from her number one album Chyna Doll.
7": Epic / QA 4949 (UK)
- "Everything She Wants (7" Remix)" – 5:31
- "Last Christmas" – 4:24
12": Epic / QTA 4949 (UK)
- "Everything She Wants (12" Remix)" – 6:34
- "Last Christmas (Pudding Mix)" – 6:44
- also released in a limited edition with a 1985 calendar (WQTA 4949)
7": Epic / 07-5p-336 (Japan)
- "Everything She Wants (Remix)"
- "Like a Baby"
- "Message From Wham!"
- Track 1 plays 7" remix but is labeled only as "Remix"
Chart performance
| Chart (1984/5) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria | 5 |
| France | 21 |
| Norway | 4 |
| Australia | 7 |
| UK | 2 |
| US | 1 |