
The song was Wham!'s first hit, although it came with some help from the BBC music programme Top Of The Pops, which invited Wham! on to the show as a last-minute replacement for another act which had pulled out. Wham! were just outside the Top 40 threshold of the UK singles chart at the time, which meant they had not climbed high enough in normal circumstances to get on the show, but they were recruited nonetheless as the highest-placed artists still climbing the charts from outside the 40.
Wham!, who opened the show, were complete unknowns when they were introduced, and became a national phenomenon immediately after, as much for George's appearance and the choreography as for the song itself. 'Young Guns (Go for It)' entered the chart at number 24 the following week, and eventually peaked at number 3 in November 1982.
George wrote the song about a teenage lad's worry that his best friend was getting too committed to a girl when he should have been enjoying his youth and the single life. It featured a middle eight aside in which the girl conversely tried to get her boyfriend to ditch the best friend, prompting a vocal battle, akin to a tug of war, between the girlfriend and the best friend which prompted the "go for it!" aspect of the song, as featured in the title.
On Top Of The Pops, Wham!'s highly-choreographed and energetic performance - made possible because artists mimed to their recordings - became one of the most memorable in the show's long history. George mimed the vocals to his Wham! partner Andrew Ridgely, who "acted" the part of the teenage bridegroom-in-waiting. They were flanked by backing singers Dee C. Lee and Shirlie Holliman.
The song was the first of four socially and politically motivated hits from Wham!'s debut album Fantastic!. They went on to dominate the UK charts and have four number 1 hits, before splitting at their height in 1986.
One of the most talked about lines in the song is the spoken line "Caution pays". Since the line is played at a lower speed than originally recorded, it has been mistakenly thought that the line is "Abortion pays".
Click the link below to download the following:
Video
1st TOTP Performance
Single Version
12 inch UK Version
12 inch Mix
Album Version
Lionel Vinyl's Fake Sucker Mix
Going For It - B-Side Instrumental Version
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=2ccb7d0cd98a6267aaca48175a79d1c358d9fe4e56b1d194caac1253afcba3d6
Wham - Young Guns (Go For It) - Video
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