George Michael’s No.1 Hit Songs, Ranked!

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George Michael is one of the greatest popstars in history who, both as a solo artist and as half of the duo Wham!, blazed his way through the billboard charts throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Sadly, he passed on Christmas Day in 2016 of natural causes, but he left behind a legacy of incredible music to remember him by. This week, the appropriately named documentary Wham! about his time as half of, well, Wham! hits Netflix. Not to mention, The Singles: Echoes From The Edge Of Heaven, also just dropped (George is the moment!). So, to celebrate, we’re taking a look back at all 10 of his No. 1 Billboard hit songs (US Billboard only, he had 14 on the UK chart) and ranking them.

Is this subjective? Yes. Is it also definitive and decided for all time? Also yes. (Don’t @ us!)

Here are Michael’s No. 1 hits in ascending order.

10. “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” George Michael & Elton John (1992)

This song hit the No. 1 spot on the charts on Feb. 1, 1992 and stayed there for one week.

9. “Praying for Time,” George Michael (1986)

“Praying for Time” reached No. 1 on Oct. 13, 1990, and stayed there for a week.

8. “Monkey,” George Michael (1988)

“Monkey” reached No. 1 on Aug. 27, 1988, for a single week.

7. “I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me),” Aretha Franklin & George Michael

This collab between Michael and Aretha Franklin topped the charts on April 18, 1987, where it stayed for two weeks.

6. “One More Try,” George Michael (1988)

This soulful track hit No. 1 on May 28, 1988, where it remained for three weeks.

5. “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” Wham! (1984)

This absolutely iconic pop hit reached No. 1 on Nov. 17, 1984, where it stayed for three weeks.

4. “Father Figure,” George Michael (1988)

“Father Figure” topped the charts for two weeks after reaching No. 1 on Feb. 27, 1988.

3. “Everything She Wants,” Wham! (1985)

Another total banger from Wham!, “Everything She Wants,” hit No. 1 on May 25, 1985 where is reigned for two weeks.

2. “Faith,” George Michael (1987)

Michael’s longest-running No. 1 song, “Faith” hit the charts on Dec. 12, 1987, where it stayed for four weeks.

1. “Careless Whisper,” Wham! featuring George Michael (1985)

Is this controversial? We don’t care, that jazz solo drowns out any and all dissent. “Careless Whisper” arrived at the No. 1 spot on Feb. 16, 1985, where it rocked our collective worlds for three glorious weeks.

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Rachel Shatto

EIC of PRIDE.com

Rachel Shatto, Editor in Chief of PRIDE.com, is an SF Bay Area-based writer, podcaster, and former editor of Curve magazine, where she honed her passion for writing about social justice and sex (and their frequent intersection). Her work has appeared on Dread Central, Elite Daily, Tecca, and Joystiq. She's a GALECA member and she podcasts regularly about horror on the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network. She can’t live without cats, vintage style, video games, drag queens, or the Oxford comma.

Rachel Shatto, Editor in Chief of PRIDE.com, is an SF Bay Area-based writer, podcaster, and former editor of Curve magazine, where she honed her passion for writing about social justice and sex (and their frequent intersection). Her work has appeared on Dread Central, Elite Daily, Tecca, and Joystiq. She's a GALECA member and she podcasts regularly about horror on the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network. She can’t live without cats, vintage style, video games, drag queens, or the Oxford comma.