Michael's inspiration for the song was a scribbled note that his Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley had left for his parents, intended to read "wake me up before you go" but with "up" accidentally written twice, so Ridgeley wrote "go" twice on purpose.
It became band's first UK and US number one hit.
The single was certified Platinum in the US, which at the time commemorated sales of over two million copies.
The song was written and produced by George Michael.
In 2015, the song was voted by the British public as the nation's 13th favorite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV.