Sometimes I gotta stretch a bit to find a song to feature. Today is one of those times. Today’s movie is one that I have never seen – Zoolander.
The great Jerry Stiller passed away on this day in 2020 at the age of 92.
In the film he plays Maury Ballstein, the agent of Ben Stiller’s character, Zoolander. Jerry Stiller’s character and Will Ferrell’s character are charged by the fashion industry with finding a model who can be brainwashed into assassinating a world leader.
Today’s song was featured in Zoolander as well as The Wedding Singer, Charlie’s Angels, and Talladega Nights. It is Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go from Wham!
According to song facts.com:
Andrew Ridgeley lived at home with his parents even after Wham! made it big, which isn’t as lame as it sounds: they were on the road all the time, so it was easier than maintaining his own empty household (he and George Michael used a room in the house to make their demos). One day, Ridgeley needed a wake-up call, so he left a note for him mum on his door. He wrote, “Wake me up up,” and realizing he duplicated a word, finished the sentence with “before you go go.”
George Michael got a kick out of it and decided to use it as a song title. Michael put together a song called “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go,” and it became Wham’s first American hit. It was done at Sarm West Studios in London.
According to Chris Porter, who engineered the session, they didn’t work from a demo recording as was standard protocol. George Michael had the song in his head and it was recorded with a live band.
Here is the totally 80’s video:
Since I tied this in with the late Jerry Stiller, I have to wrap with one of the best Seinfeld Bloopers that features him.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 