Last Christmas

From LoveToKnow Christmas

“Last Christmas” is a holiday tune by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, members of the 1980s pop group Wham! An unexpected smash hit in the United Kingdom and around the world, “Last Christmas” is a song that many other singers want to sing -- and listeners never tire of hearing it, no matter how it’s presented.

The Wonder of Wham!

Michael and Ridgeley, two school chums from Watford, England, weren’t together on the music scene for long, but Wham! left a distinct impression. With their extreme good looks and catchy hooks, the barely-over-18 duo enjoyed worldwide fame almost immediately after their debut album, “Fantastic”.

In just five years, the duo created many Top 10 hits, including:

  • “Wham! Rap”
  • “Bad Boys”
  • “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
  • “Careless Whisper”
  • “I’m Your Man”
  • “Everything She Wants”

Their second album, “Make It Big”, reached number one in both the U.K. and the U.S.

Lead songwriter and singer Michael was also part of Bob Geldof’s Ethiopian famine relief movement Band Aid in 1984. A cadre of U.K.-based singers lent their voices to the powerful song “Do They Know It’s Christmas”, still a holiday favorite more than 20 years later.

Together But Separate

While Michael and Ridegley remain close friends to this day, it became apparent that Michael was the musical heavyweight of the pair, and the band split up in 1986. Michael has enjoyed a relatively successful solo career and produced many hit songs in the past 20 years, including the chart-topping CD, “A Different Corner”, in late 2005. A greatest hits CD and DVD collection, “Twenty Five”, is currently available internationally, and is set to release in the U.S. in 2007.

Ridgeley made a couple of attempts at music, but then retired from it in the early 1990s. An avid surfer, he became a business partner in a company that manufactures surfing products and restored a 15th-century home in Cornwall.

It’s rumored that the two will meet and play some Wham! favorites at some point on Michael’s 2006-07 world tour.

“Last Christmas” Appeals to Singers and Fans Alike

During the height of the Wham! frenzy, it seemed only natural to do a holiday tune that fans could enjoy for years to come. “Last Christmas” is about someone dealing with the sadness of a failed relationship, and that message apparently resonated with anyone feeling alone during the season. The lyrics state that since the lover didn’t want the singer’s heart last Christmas, the singer will now give it to someone more important, more special.

Hear a snippet of their version here.

The song first appeared coupled with the single release of “Everything She Wants”, and later, the group put it on their last full-album release in the U.S., “Music From the Edge of Heaven” (1986). It was the only Christmas song Wham! or George Michael produced.

Many other singers have performed “Last Christmas” in the two decades since its release.

  • British songbird and “Dr. Who” star Billie Piper
  • American pop rock band Jimmy Eat World
  • Hilary Duff
  • Disney’s Cheetah Girls

Newcomer Ashley Tisdale will have the most recent rendition of "Last Christmas" coming out in 2006.

In 2005, China’s Twelve Girl Band released an instrumental version of “Last Christmas” with an unusual Asian flair. There’s even a reggae cover of it!

So if you’re a fan of “Last Christmas”, you’ll be happy to know that any one of these selections can be downloaded or ordered on individual artist or Christmas song compilation discs.

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