"Last Christmas" by Wham!

Throughout the nearly 500 articles here on YesterYear Retro, I've mentioned a handful of times that I'm not really a "music person." Yes, I have songs I like to listen to or can sing along with, but I wouldn't say I'm a "fan" of anything.  

I have preferences, just like anyone, but I won't know details beyond some names that sang a few really famous songs.  

Some kids have posters of rock stars or rappers on their walls.  I was never that kid.  Growing up, I decided I liked the music I heard on the Wonder Years or the radio in the car with my Dad.  

An older soul from the start, I just liked the oldies, I guess.  I've read your taste in music just stops when you're about 21.  That seems right to me.  As much as I like to listen to "classic rock" music from the 80s and 90s, I sometimes throw on alt-rock from the 2002-2004ish era with popular bands from when I was in college, like Jimmy Eat World or The Killers.  

What does any of this have to do with Christmas, you ask?

As much as I'm not into regular music throughout the year, I absolutely LOVE Christmas music.

I'll play everything from classical orchestras to Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole to more modern stuff, but again, my tastes seem to end around 2004.  

Last Christmas, no pun intended, I read that each generation has its own Christmas "anthem." A song that was popular when they were young, most consider their favorite and defines that age group's ideal Christmas.  

Technically, being born in 1984 makes me a Millennial, although I prefer the term "Centennial."  I am part of the group of older Millenials who grew up in the analog era and came of age during the transition to a digital world.  To my generation, "All I Want For Christmas" by Mariah Carey was overwhelmingly considered our "Christmas anthem." I'll agree to that.  I can rock out to this song with the best of them, even though it's not my favorite Christmas song.  

I've also seen on Reddit that younger Millenials believe that "Jingle Bell Rock" defines their age group, mostly because of the hit movie Mean Girls, which features a famous dance scene set to the tune.  Eh.

Several websites list Gen Z's favorite Christmas song as "My First Christmas" by SpongeBob SquarePants.  I've never heard the song, but then again, SpongeBob was after my time.  I'll gladly just take their word for it.  

My daughter, who is part of Gen Alpha, would quickly tell you her favorite Christmas song is Kelly Clarkson's "Underneath the Tree." She'll even ask "Hey Google" to play it all year round because she loves it so much.  I haven't polled the other kids in her class, but since it's that important to her, and a pretty catchy song at that, I'm ready to label it as Gen Alpha's song.

In 2023, we spent the better part of the winter in Orlando, Florida.  I spent seven weeks at my company's training facility there, and since it started before Thanksgiving and ended around New Year's, we thought it best if the whole family was down there.  It eliminated a lot of stress on my end.  I didn't have to travel back and forth on my days off or worry about getting home (or making it back to class) for the holidays.  

Plus, it was all just a vacation for them since we're Disney World Annual Passholders.  

It was pretty much a vacation for me as well.  We spent a lot of time together.  Most days, my training was only four hours long, and we had the rest of the day to ourselves.  Some weeks, I had three or four days off in a row.  

One of the benefits of being a pass holder is that we can come and go from the parks as we please.  No tickets, reservations, or "park hopper" are required.  Heck, there isn't even a fee to park. 

We'd drop into the Magic Kingdom for an hour or two, and when the lines got long, we'd go home.  Some nights, we'd go to Epcot just for dinner and a ride or two before returning to our Air BnB.  

It was awesome.  

There were probably less than five days that we didn't go to a Disney park.  We went to several holiday parties and even had lunch with my friend and training partner at Epcot on Christmas day.  

One evening in particular, a random weekday in mid-December will be remembered for the rest of our lives.

I had been in class all morning, and when they came to pick me up around 3PM, they asked what I wanted to do.  They had spent the morning at the Magic Kingdom, so I said, "Let's go to the Animal Kingdom for dinner."  

Dino-Land decked out in Christmas lights.

For those unfamiliar with Disney and its parks, the Animal Kingdom does not have much to do for little children, especially for kids who don't like fast-moving simulators or roller coasters.  However, it's a nice, relaxing park with some real-life animals and a fun section just for kids called "Dino-Land."  

Before we arrived in Florida, we had heard Dino-Land was scheduled to close in exchange for an Indiana Jones ride and an Enancto Land.  It was our favorite place in the park and the ONLY thing our daughter looked forward to besides a particular drink in Pandora.  The Dino area had a dinosaur spinning ride, carnival games, several character meet and greets, and a fun, child-like atmosphere.  It certainly feels like "old Disney," which is a good thing, to be honest.  

"New" Disney just feels... cheap.

With rumors of it soon closing, we savored every minute.  Our daughter laughed, played, and twirled around until her heart was content, doubling over with that heart-warming, tear-to-your-eye giggle most little girls have.  All the while, the carnival area was blasting some really amazing, upbeat, and happy Christmas music.  

When she heard her favorite song, Kelly Clarkson's "Underneath the Tree," she sang at the top of her lungs like we were the only ones in the park.  

My wife and I still talk about that moment, and I hope the images of her having the time of her life never leave my memory bank.

It turns out Dino Land won't close until January 2025, so we've been able to experience it a few times since, but our trip that ended a few weeks ago was our last.  It was hard to say goodbye to a place where we have so many memories of our daughter having the time of her life.

Bet you didn't think you'd get a Disney World story with a Wham article, huh?

Back to Christmas music and each generation, though.

In those same articles about generational music, I read that while Boomers prefer Bing Crosby, Generation X has its own preferred Christmas song that they feel defines the generation.  It just so happens to also be one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time.  

And that song?  "Last Christmas" by Wham!

I've always really loved the song—not because of any great lost romance story I have, but because it's an AMAZING music video, and the song itself is just so dang catchy.  To me, the music video could be a cinema-quality film!  

Despite how often it mentions the holiday, the song has very little to do with Christmas.  It's mainly about a failed relationship and facing the lost love a year later.  The group celebrates Christmas in the video, but aside from the repeated phrase "Last Christmas" and the upbeat synthy music, the song is full of sorrowful lyrics about love and loss. 

Andrew Ridgeley, the "other guy" in Wham!, revealed the song came about when visiting George Michael's parents.  They had been watching television and chatting after dinner when George disappeared.  When he returned an hour or two later, Ridgeley recalls George being so excited he could hardly contain himself.  George Michael began to play on the old family piano and immediately laid out the melody of his newest creation:  Last Christmas.

"George had performed musical alchemy, distilling the essence of Christmas into music.  Adding a lyric which told the tale of betrayed love was a masterstroke and, as he did so often, he touched hearts," said Ridgeley in an interview with Rolling Stone.

George Micahel was just 21 years old when he created this hit song, took control of the entire production, and had a considerable say in making the music video.

Recorded in the summer of 1984 in London, England, George Micahel wrote, performed, produced, and played every single instrument on the track.  With a drum machine, a synthesizer, and sleigh bells, they recorded the song in a studio that Michael demanded to be "plastered in Christmas decorations" to set the mood.  The only other people in the studio besides Michael and Ridgeley were the engineer and two assistants.   

The group Wham!, formed in 1981, released "Last Christmas" on December 3, 1984.  It immediately spent five consecutive weeks at number two on the UK Singles Chart.  

"Last Christmas" was not released commercially in the United States as a single until November 2014, when it was made available on 12" vinyl as a Record Store Day exclusive.  Since then, the song has regularly entered the Billboard Holiday Songs Charts.  

In 2021, it hit 9.2 million streams and 1,555 downloads.  

On November 21, 1984, the band, friends and family members, backup singers Pepsi and Shirlie, and Shirlie's boyfriend Martin Kemp were all flown to a Swiss resort called Saas-Fee.  A model and actress, Kathy Hill, plays the icy ex-girlfriend. 

Kathy Hill told Rolling Stone that she remembers the shoot as a "boozy affair" with a very relaxed atmosphere.  "I wouldn't normally drink on a shoot, but during that scene at the dinner table, it was all getting a bit silly," she said.  

She also said that she and Michael got along wonderfully.  "He had an amazing sense of humor.  There's a scene when we're walking up the hill, and every time we went up, he just fell down, so every time, I burst into laughter.  That shot where we're rolling around and he ends up sitting on me, I'm genuinely laughing my head off.  It was great."

Just like he dominated the studio recording process, George took the reigns on the video.  Kathy Hill noted that he didn't drink as much as the rest of the group and frequently disappeared to go over instructions with the director, Andrew Morahan.  

This is shortly before Wham! would break apart, and Michael was planning for a future solo career.  

The iconic music video follows George and Andrew as they join their girlfriends and several other couples at a ski resort over the Christmas holiday.  Andrew is dating a girl, played by model Kathy Hill, who we quickly figure out had previously dated George.  The song is directed at her, and a flashback shows Michael giving her a jeweled brooch.  When flashed forward to the present day, is currently being worn by Andrew! 

She re-gifted it!

During the flashback, after receiving the gift from George, she wears it "right-side up." When Andrew is wearing it during the present day, it's "upside-down." Symbolism!

Several times during the video, Michael projects that he is lost in deep thought, suggesting he has conflicting emotions while he steals glances at his ex.  When he drops an ornament from the tree, and it lands at the feet of his ex-girlfriend, the two share a knowing look at each other.  

By the end of the video, everyone leaves the cottage and heads off for some skiing.  When they emerge from the cable car, everyone has paired off, and George is with his new girlfriend, played by actress Debbie Killingback.

Immediately after the film shoot finished, George Michael headed directly to the recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas" as part of "Band-Aid," featuring stars like Sting, Bono, Boy George, and Phil Collins.  

The music video was initially recorded on 35mm film in 1984.  It was re-released on December 13, 2019, in the splendor of 4K Ultra HD resolution, which you can watch below.

The video marked the last filmed appearance of a clean-shaven George Michael as he grew a beard for the group's next video, "Everything She Wants." He'd keep the beard for the remainder of his career.

In 1984, Wham! already had two number-one singles on the UK singles chart during 1984, and news that they were planning a Christmas song meant the battle for the coveted top Christmas spot seemed to be between Wham!  and the other big British act that year, Frankie Goes to Hollywood.  When Bob Geldof and Midge Ure produced Band-Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Wham!  's song was blocked from going any further than the number 2 spot.  

Ironically enough, George Michael performed in the Band-Aid project and was able to claim participation in the number one and two songs that Christmas.  

To show their dedication the the "Band-Aid" cause, Wham! donated all royalties from "Last Christmas" to help end the famine in Ethiopia.  The donation exceeded £250,000 British Pounds, or equivalent to £1.2 million British Pounds today in 2024.  

In 2017, the song reached number 2 on the American charts after fans of George Michael began a campaign to make it the number one Christmas song in tribute to him after his death.  Perhaps poetically, he passed on Christmas Day 2016. 

Thanks to heavy streaming and downloads during the final week of 2020, the song finally reached number one for the first week of 2021, lasting only a week at the top of the charts.  It then repeated the feat during the next Christmas in 2022!

It's been estimated that there have been over 500 covers of the song, which, according to Wikipedia, will create over 32 hours of audio if you string them together.  The list of cover acts includes some A-list talent, including Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, The Backstreet Boys, Coldplay, Carly Rae Jepsen, and many more.  

George Michael once said about the song: "Remorse is a strong feeling.  And this song is all about that, coupled with the hope of a better future and more love received..." 

Ultimately, Last Christmas isn't just about the lies we tell ourselves to cope with rejection.  It's about the nostalgia of the holidays, thoughts of the past, and looking ahead to the future.  It has become an annual classic in the United States, the United Kingdom, and around the world.