Young Guns (Go For It!)

Album: Fantastic (1983)
Charted: 3
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was the second single released by Wham! The exclamation mark is optional, the brackets are not! Composed solely by George Michael, it was recorded with ABC producer Steve Brown.

    Michael's biographer Rob Jovanovic said the song is about "death by matrimony," which is in fact the last line of the chorus. It was written from experience, describing old school friends marrying and setting down roots while Michael and his bandmate Andrew Ridgeley were still having fun. This was rather presumptuous, as the two were not yet 20 years old when it was released.

    Michael spent much of the next few years struggling with his sexuality, and in April 1998, when he was 35 years old, he came out as gay.
  • "Young Guns (Go For It!)" backed by "Going For It" was released on the Innervision label in September 1982 in both 7-inch and 12-inch singles formats. It topped the charts in Sweden and reached #3 in Canada, #4 in Australia, and #20 in Germany. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2
  • The song was outside the UK Top 40 when the call came for an unexpected Top Of The Pops debut. The producer of the BBC music program, Michael Hurll, had seen Wham! on another show, Saturday Superstore. Michael and Ridgley's performance of "Young Guns" made an immediate impact and the following Monday the distribution center received some 30,000 orders. This sent the song to #24 before eventually peaking at #3.

Comments: 4

  • Kayla from TexasTom from Oregon - it's Michael rapping!
  • Tom from OregonI can't find anywhere where it says who dang the into and middle sections of this song in early rap / hip hop style. It sounds like Whodini.

    Anybody know?
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn March 5, 1983, Wham! performed "Young Guns (Go For It!)" on the ABC-TV Saturday-afternoon program, 'American Bandstand'...
    The song didn't make Billboard's Top 100 chart, but on November 29th, 1982 it peaked at #3* {for 1 week} on the United Kingdom's Singles chart..
    Between 1982 and 1986 the duo had eleven records on the United Kingdom's Singles chart, ten made the Top 10 with five reaching #1, plus two peaked at #2...
    Sadly, George Michael passed away at the young age of 53 on December 25th, 2016...
    May he R.I.P.
    * The week that "Young Guns" peaked at #3, the #2 record that week was "Mirror Man" by the Human League and at #1 was "Beat Surrender" by the Jam...
    And from the 'For What It's Worth' department; their "Club Fantastic Megamix" was their only non-Top 10 record of their eleven charted records, it peaked at #15...
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn March 5th 1983, Wham! performed "Young Guns (Go for It!)" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
    It did not make Billboard's Hot Top 100* chart, but on March 22nd, 1983 it peaked at #1 {for 2 weeks} on the Swedish 'Topplistan' Top Singles chart...
    Just over five months later on August 14th, 1983 the duo would enter the Top 100 for the first time when "Bad Boys" debut at #90...
    Between 1983 and 1986 they had eight Top 100 records; six made the Top 10 with half of them reaching #1, "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" for 3 weeks in 1984, "Careless Whisper" for 3 weeks in 1985, and "Everything She Wants" for 2 weeks in 1985.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"They're Playing My Song

When Dave recorded the first version of the song with his group the Blasters, producer Nick Lowe gave him some life-changing advice.

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

Tanita Tikaram

Tanita TikaramSongwriter Interviews

When she released her first album in 1988, Tanita became a UK singing sensation at age 19. She talks about her darkly sensual voice and quirky songwriting style.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.