When it was first released, “Last Christmas” was bested on the UK charts by Band Aid’s “ Do They Know It’s Christmas,” an all-star charity single benefiting Ethiopian famine relief. George Michael sang on the song that kept “Last Christmas” at #2 in 1984. On January 1, 2021-36 years after its original release-"Last Christmas" finally nabbed the top spot. But in the decades since its release, "Last Christmas" has charted around the holiday season on several occasions. It stalled at #2, and for more than 35 years it had the distinction of being the highest-selling UK single of all time to not reach #1. Unfortunately, “Last Christmas” didn’t give Wham! that honor-at least not at first.
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“Last Christmas” didn’t reach #1 on the UK charts until 2021.Īs the movie Love Actually reminds us, scoring a Christmas #1 in the UK is a really big deal. “It was a laborious process, because he was literally playing the keyboards with two or three fingers.” Michael even jangled those sweet sleigh bells himself. “George wasn’t a musician,” engineer Chris Porter said. In addition to writing and producing the song, Michael insisted on playing the Roland Juno-60 synth in the studio.
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George Michael wrote and produced the song-but that’s not all.īy the time Wham! recorded “Last Christmas” in August (yes, August) of 1984, Michael had taken full control of the group. Rather, the song is about a failed romance that just happens to have begun on December 25, when Michael gave someone his heart, and ended on December 26, when this ungrateful person “gave it away.” 3. There’s nothing in “Last Christmas” about Santa, reindeer, trees, snow, or anything we typically associate with the holiday.
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“Last Christmas” isn’t really a Christmas song. “Adding a lyric which told the tale of betrayed love was a masterstroke and, as he did so often, he touched hearts." 2. “George had performed musical alchemy, distilling the essence of Christmas into music,” Ridgeley said.
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While they were watching TV, Michael suddenly dashed upstairs to his childhood bedroom and composed the modern Xmas classic in about an hour. “Last Christmas” was born one day in 1984 when George Michael and his Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley were visiting Michael’s parents. George Michael wrote "Last Christmas" in his childhood bedroom. Read on for 10 fascinating facts about this seasonal synth-pop favorite. “Last Christmas” is such a uniquely beloved song that it inspired a 2019 film of the same name, and an internet game that people play each holiday season-but that's just a small part of the “Last Christmas” story.
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One that keeps on giving is “Last Christmas,” the 1984 holiday classic by Wham!, Michael's pop duo with Andrew Ridgeley. Over the course of his illustrious career, George Michael gave the world many gifts.