<p id=”par-1_29″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/music/”>WHAM!</a> released “<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/george-michael-michael-resented-whams-last-christmas.html/”>Last Christmas</a>” 40 years ago. The classic holiday tune has become standard listening during the joyful season, but the meaning behind it is anything but happy. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-andrew-ridgeley-said-that-last-christmas-was-a-song-of-betrayed-love”>Andrew Ridgeley said that ‘Last Christmas’ was a song of ‘betrayed love’</h2>
<p id=”par-2_38″>In an interview with <a href=”https://www.smoothradio.com/features/the-story-of/last-christmas-wham-lyrics-meaning-video/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Smooth Radio</a>, WHAM! co-founder Andrew Ridgeley recalled the moment his best friend <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/1-jonas-brothers-song-ripped-off-whams-last-christmas.html/”>George Michael wrote </a>“Last Christmas.” He called the song, which is widely played during the holiday season, a song of “betrayed love.”</p>
<p id=”par-3_67″>Ridgeley explained that the song was written when he and Michael were visiting Michael’s parents. “We’d had a bite to eat and were sitting together relaxing with the television on in the background when, almost unnoticed, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/george-michael-the-1-stunning-part-of-his-life-he-fought-to-hide.html/”>George disappeared</a> upstairs for an hour or so. When he came back down, such was his excitement, it was as if he had discovered gold which, in a sense, he had.”</p>
<p id=”par-4_63″>“We went to his old room, the room in which we had spent hours as kids recording pastiches of radio shows and jingles, the room where he kept a keyboard and something on which to record his sparks of inspiration, and he played me the introduction and the beguiling, wistful chorus melody to ‘Last Christmas.’ It was a moment of wonder,” Ridgeley continued.</p>
<p id=”par-5_36″>“George had performed musical alchemy, distilling the essence of Christmas into music,” Ridgeley concluded. “Adding a lyric that told the tale of betrayed love was a masterstroke and, as he did so often, he touched hearts.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-last-christmas-has-subsequently-been-covered-by-dozens-of-artists”>‘Last Christmas’ has subsequently been covered by dozens of artists</h2>
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<iframe title=”Wham! – Last Christmas (Official Video)” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/E8gmARGvPlI?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-6_35″>Since its initial release, the holiday classic tune has been given tweaks by dozens of artists. The covers range from straightforward copies of the song to reimagined versions of the George Michael and WHAM! masterpiece.</p>
<p id=”par-7_34″> Taylor Swift covered the song Last Christmas for her Christmas EP <em>Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection</em>. Ariana Grande released her cover via her <em>Christmas Kisses</em> EP released in December 2013.</p>
<p id=”par-8_33″>Gwen Stefani covered “Last Christmas” on her album <em>You Make It Feel Like Christmas</em> released on October 6, 2017. The song was also covered by Hillary Duff, Jimmy Eat World, and Billie Piper.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-wham-last-christmas-celebrates-40th-anniversary-with-new-ep”>WHAM! ‘Last Christmas’ celebrates 40th anniversary with new EP</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/george-michael-andrew-ridgeley.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of WHAM!” class=”wp-image-3752269″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of WHAM! | Sony Music Entertainment</figcaption></figure>
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‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ 2024: Band Aid Song Gets 40th Anniversary Remix, But Should This Holiday Classic Be Reworked? </a>
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<p id=”par-9_31″>“Last Christmas” was originally released by<strong> </strong>WHAM! in December 1984. The six-time multi-platinum classic peaked at number 1<strong> </strong>in sixteen countries. It is officially the fourth highest-selling single of all time in the UK. </p>
<p id=”par-10_42″>The tune has claimed the top spot multiple times over the last four decades and has amassed 5 billion combined streams. To celebrate this achievement, George Michael Entertainment and Sony Music announced the release of the <em>Last Christmas 40th Anniversary EP</em>. </p>
<p id=”par-11_43″>This release features the song’s original 7” and 12” versions plus George Michael’s 2006 performance of “Last Christmas” at London’s Wembley Arena. The EP is available via a limited edition 12” Snowflake white vinyl, 12” picture disc, 12” zoetrope picture disc, CD, and digital download beginning Dec. 13, 2024.</p>
<p id=”par-12_9″>George Michael died on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2016.</p>