Last Christmas
"Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham! Written and produced by George Michael, it was released on 3 December 1984 via CBS Records internationally and as a double A-side via Epic Records with "Everything She Wants" in several European countries. The song has been covered by many artists since its original release, most notably by Whigfield, Crazy Frog, Billie Piper, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande.
For other uses, see Last Christmas (disambiguation)."Last Christmas"
"Everything She Wants" (various)
-
- "Credit Card Baby" (Japan)
- "Blue (Live in China)" (1985)
3 December 1984
Summer 1984
4:27
George Michael
Upon its initial release in 1984, "Last Christmas" spent five consecutive weeks at number two in the UK Singles Chart—it was held off the top spot at Christmas by Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (on which Michael also performed). After many chart runs in subsequent years, which included three more weeks at number two, and which saw the recording become part of RCA Records' catalogue, the song finally reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on New Year's Day 2021 (chart week ending date 7 January 2021), more than 36 years after its initial release;[4] in doing so, it became the fifth UK number one single for the duo. Prior to it reaching number one, "Last Christmas" had for many years held the record as the highest-selling single never to top the charts by the Official Charts Company (OCC) with 1.9 million copies sold (not including streams). This record is now held by "Moves like Jagger" by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera.[5][6] The song reached number one in the UK after it was streamed 9.2 million times in the last week of 2020 and sold 1,555 downloads, resulting in a total of 40,149 combined sales.[7] Having been the Christmas number two again in 2022, "Last Christmas" finally achieved the accolade of Christmas number one in 2023, 39 years after its initial release.[8] Combining sales and streams, it also became the third biggest song of all time in the UK.[9]
Outside the United Kingdom, the song topped the charts in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Slovenia and Sweden, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in several countries including Australia, Canada and the United States. Wham! donated all of their royalties to relief efforts for the Ethiopian famine.[10] In a UK-wide poll in December 2012, it was voted eighth on the ITV television special The Nation's Favourite Christmas Song[11] and was voted most popular song of the 1980s in Channel 5's Christmas 2020 countdown Britain's Favourite 80's Songs.[12] It was the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century in the UK until it was overtaken by "Fairytale of New York" in 2011.[13]
In other media[edit]
The film Last Christmas (2019) prominently features the music of George Michael, including this song.[209]
The song is featured in the video game Just Dance 2017 as a duet between two dancers, one of whom is dressed as Santa Claus.[210] and in the movie, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever which was played twice.
Plagiarism allegations[edit]
On behalf of the writers of the song "Can't Smile Without You", made popular by Barry Manilow, publishing company Dick James Music sued Michael for plagiarism in the mid-1980s, claiming that "Last Christmas" lifted its melody from the former. The case was dismissed when a musicologist presented 60-odd songs from the past century that had a comparable chord sequence and melody.[3][211]
"Last Christmas"
4 December 1995[212]
4:16
X-Energy
- 11 November 2006 (US radio)
- 21 November 2006 (digital download)[222]
2006
- 3:55
- 3:39 (radio edit)
Mark Hammond
December 2006
2006
4:27
George Michael
21 November 2007
2007
3:27
- Zooland
- Robbins
- All Around the World
George Michael
23 November 2009
16 November 2010 (re-release)
2009
3:37
Columbia
George Michael
4 November 2011
October 2011
19 November 2013
2013
3:24
- Babyface
- The Rascals
20 November 2015
November 2015[265]
3:32
Ben Romans