Wham! was a pop band formed in 1981 by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. It was briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with another band.Michael and Ridgeley met at Bushey Meads School in Watford; England; UK. At first; they performed in a short-lived ska band called The Executive. When this group split; Michael and Ridgeley formed a duo called Wham! and went on to sign with Innervision Records. Soon after a legal victory over Innervision; the group was signed to CBS; Columbia Records in the United States and Canada and Epic Records for the rest of the world. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" is a song by English pop duo Wham! which was released in 1984 and became their first UK number one hit. It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo.Wham! was a pop band formed in 1981 by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. It was briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with another band.Michael and Ridgeley met at Bushey Meads School in Watford; England; UK. At first; they performed in a short-lived ska band called The Executive. When this group split; Michael and Ridgeley formed.