Last Christmas

1984

Wham

Back in the 80s, a talented British singer/songwriter by the name of George Michael conspired with a group of musicians, and that conspiracy led to the formation of a little group called 'Wham'...a group that those who were around back then may remember as being...er...moderately successful.

They pretty much owned the British Pop charts during the 90s and racked up an impressive string of Top 10 hits in the US as well. Annnnd...the one I'm featuring in this post isn't among them because didn't chart in the US even though it's become a modern classic that's won a permanent place on the Christmas playlists. That's right, 'Wham's modern Christmas classic 'Last Christmas never cracked a chart in The U.S. Why?? I mean it's an awesome song, and everyone loves it...and it didn't chart???

Yep...never charted. Because it never saw the inside of a record store (Remember those?) because for some reason it was never released as a single in the US.

Oh, it became a Christmas favorite over here almost from the instant it appeared and it's been covered by just about every artist that's warbled a note since it's appearance during Christmas of 1984, and it's heard so much during any given December that it's stuck in everyones head until mid-January,...but on our side of the pond it was only released as a promotional 7 inch single that got massive airplay on that Christmas of '84...but was never released commercially.

It did however, get Barry Manilow's attention and not in a particularly good way. In his mind it sounded just like 'Can't Smile Without You, and hr had his lawyers inform Wham's lawyers of this perceived similarity. Wham ended up settling out of court, and the songs first years proceeds went to the Band-Aid project so everyone ended up winning on that deal (A part of me almost wonders if it was a promotional deal of some kind because...well listen to the two songs. I know I'm no musician, and no expert in the nuances of music, but I can't hear a any similarity in the two melodies...and the melody was the disputed point)

It's actually a beak-up song with a Christmas theme of course, but one with a happy ending when the singer finds that someone special...and it's got that happy, energetic up-tempo beat that you can't help bu move something to It pops up regularly in the US when the Easy listening and Oldies stations switch over to Christmas music (I heard this one and the next one I'm covering today in the space of about 40 minutes this morning). and all of us have been seen mouthing along with the lyrics, and probably bead-bopping a bit (Extra points if you do a little side to side head- bop on 'Spe-cial' in the chorus)

And it's been covered by pretty much everyone...especially the younger artists, more than a few of whom have really nailed it! It's become a holiday favorite over the last 29 years, and it's here to stay. And yep...it's another one our grand kids'll be listening to...along with their kids and grandkids!

So Enjoy!...Wham's little Christmas break-up tune with a happy ending...Last Christmas.

There are s many covers of 'Last Christmas...a lot of them legitimately awesome...that it was hard to pick just a few. I decided to concentrate on some of the newer and younger talent that'll carry these modern favorites into the next generation.

One of the best covers of this song out there, IMHO, is by the German pop group Cascada. They haven't been around but about 10 years, but they have really made a name for themselves in that decade or so, especially on the other side of the Pond...they are legitimately and deservedly loved in Europe. The group's a class act, and they nailed Last Christmas when they covered it.

The lovely Country Pop Queen of break-up songs, Taylor Swift, also covered 'Last Christmas and put her own little spin on it. As always, Tay was classy and lovely when she covered it...and as always she nailed it to the wall.

Remember 'High School Musical, and Sharpey, portrayed flawlessly by a lovely and talented young lady named Ashley Tisdale? Well the very same Ashley Tisdale...'The Tis' to her fans...covered 'Last Christmas' a couple of years back, and nailed it to the wall (And, like the original, BTW, this was never released as a single, but does show up on the radio).

Before her gig on Nickelodeon's 'Victorious' rising super-star songstress Ariana Grande was one of the stars of the hit Broadway musical '13'. This very lovely and talented young lady really nailed 'Last Christmas when she covered it, and made it her own when she did by making a few changes in the lyrics.