“Last Christmas” by Wham!

“Last Christmas” is a 1984 single from English pop duo Wham! Despite the track’s title, this song focuses more on a disappointing romance and the apprehensions the singer has towards his ex-lover than it does the actual Christmas holiday.

CHORUS

Last Christmas does however begin with the holiday backdrop as a setting. The singer, George Michael, is speaking to a failed love. He tells this person that last year during Christmas, he gave her his “heart”. However, his lover wasted little time in disappointing him, as she “gave it away… the very next day”. So this year he has decided to make someone else the center of his affection. He ends the chorus on a somewhat vengeful tone, as he basically says that unlike his former partner, the person he is now dedicating his holiday heart to is “someone special”.

VERSE 1

In the first verse, we find out that Michael has not seen the person he is addressing (his ex) since last Christmas season. As such, he wonders if he would even still recognize her if he were to see her again. Their separation is not just a result of mere chance, as Michael has intentionally ‘kept his distance’. Yet he admits that he is still attracted to his ex, at least physically.

VERSE 2

Here Michael reiterates once again how he had given his ex his love last Christmas. However, in retrospect he feels like a “fool” and as such is reluctant to make such a commitment to her again.

VERSE 3

Michael admits that if he were to spot his ex across a “crowded room”, he would ‘hide’ from her. This shows that he actually experiences some type of fear of the power she has over him. He also says that his ex basically used him as an emotional crutch, whereas he was not able to derive the same level of sympathy in return.

VERSE 4

The wording used in the fourth verse is a bit more ambiguous. However, it seems to once again express Michael’s lover’s physical appeal yet lack of compassion and tendency to hurt him emotionally. Michael concludes by saying he is now in a new relationship and will never fall for the wiles of his old flame again.

Conclusion

In all, this song doesn’t have a really strong relationship with the Yuletide season. It is about a love affair which didn’t work out. The only thing that links this track to the Christmas season is its title, which appears multiple times in the song.

Facts about “Last Christmas”

• George Michael solely wrote and produced “Last Christmas”.
• The song was recorded in August of 1984 and released on December 3rd that same year. It was released as the first single from Wham!’s 1986 album titled Music from the Edge of Heaven.
• “Last Christmas” was officially released as a charity single.
  
• George Michael and Wham! gave away all the proceeds they made from the song to assist victims of the 1983 – 1985 famine in Ethiopia.
• “Last Christmas” was so successful that hit number one in a number of countries, including Sweden. In the United Kingdom, it reached number 2. It did same in the following countries: Ireland, Norway, the Netherlands and Italy. In the United States, it managed to reach number 34 on the Hot 100.
• “Last Christmas” is one of the most revered Christmas songs in the United Kingdom. However, it was only after Michael’s tragic death in 2016 that the song became famous in the United States. It was at this point that it made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100.
• As of 2017, the single had sold close to 2 million copies in the UK alone. However, despite these huge figures, the song failed to reach number 1 in the UK. It’s failure to achieve that feat made it the most commercially successful single in the UK to fail to top the UK Singles Chart.
• Few years after the song was released, Michael was sued for plagiarism. According to the plaintiff, Dick James Music (who sued on behalf of the songwriters), Michael stole the melody of “Last Christmas” from a song of theirs titled “Can’t Smile Without You”. The case was later settled out of court. FYI: American singer Barry Manilow released a version of “Can’t Smile Without You” in 1978. His version went on to become a global hit.
  
• Michael wrote this Christmas classic in his parents’ house in 1984. Andrew Ridgeley (the other half of Wham) revealed this in a 2017 interview with The Mail on Sunday.
• In the music video for “Last Christmas”, Michael has no beard. This would be the last time he would appear in a music video without a beard.

Which artists have covered this song?

Many, many artists have released their versions of this track. Some of the notable artists who have covered this track include the following: Billie Piper, Jimmy Eat World, Ashley Tisdale, Crazy Frog, Hillary Duff, Cascada, Ariana Grande, Carly Rae Jepsen, Gwen Stefani, Rita Ora and Taylor Swift.