Wham! Was started in 1981 by school friends George Michael and Andrew Ridgely from Bushley, London, helping to spark the pop revival of the mid-‘80s. The duo originally performed as a part of the ska-based group The Executive, starting out in 1979. When The Executive dissolved the two friends immediately launched themselves into the studio and began recording demos and writing songs. A recording contract was soon signed with the independent label Innervision, and "Wham Rap!" was released shortly afterward. It was an instant hit, gaining them a recording contract with Epic. In order to get away from Innervision they had to leave a large portion of their royalties behind them.

The duo was a huge success with Epic, however, their single "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go," became a hit worldwide. The song peaked at number one on The Billboard Hot 100, and that was only the start of the band's success. Their first album with Epic was Make It Big, which reached number one on The Billboard 200 in 1984 and number 20 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in 1985, and that was only in the US. Following that they released Music From The Edge Of Heaven, which came to number 10 on Billboard. During that time they had a string of hit singles, "Everything She Wants" reached number one and "Freedom" and "I'm Your Man" both peaked at number 3 to mark a few of their triumphs.

The group disbanded in 1985, supposedly due to a decision by their manager Simon Napier-Bell to sell a share of his management to a South African entertainment conglomeration. The duo split out of protest against the political practices that were going on in South Africa at that time.