This Day in Music - George Michael

George Michael through the years LONDON - JULY 02: Singer George Michael performs on stage at "Live 8 London" in Hyde Park on July 2, 2005 in London, England. The free concert is one of ten simultaneous international gigs including Philadelphia, Berlin, Rome, Paris, Barrie, Tokyo, Cornwall, Moscow and Johannesburg. The concerts precede the G8 summit (July 6-8) to raising awareness for MAKEpovertyHISTORY. (Photo by MJ Kim/Getty Images) (MJ Kim/Getty Images)

August 18, 2026 at 8:08 p.m. UTC

By Kristy Knight

August 18th, 1984

George Michael

On this day in music history, George Michael went to #1 on the UK singles chart with his first solo single, Careless Whisper.

George Michael was the first person to reach #1 as a solo artist and as a member of a band in the same year.

It gave Epic records UK their first UK million $$ seller! The song went on to #1 in almost 25 countries and it sold over six million copies worldwide!

Here in the US, the song went to #1 on the US Billboard charts in February of 1985!