Last Christmas

Song written by George Michael and originally released in 1984 as a single by Wham! on a double A-side with ‘Everything She Wants’.

Wham! version

Wham! had been a dominant force in the UK Singles Chart in 1984 and news that they were planning a Christmas single meant that a battle for the coveted Christmas number one spot in the UK seemed set to be between Wham! and the year’s other big act, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, who had achieved a third number one in early December with ‘The power of love’. The Band Aid project helmed by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, however, produced the number one single ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’. Wham!’s offering peaked at number two for much of the period, although George’s involvement in Band Aid meant that Wham! still had an input. Wham! subsequently topped the monies raised by Band Aid by donating all of their ‘Last Christmas/Everything She Wants’ royalties to the Ethiopian famine appeal. The single went on to sell over a million copies and became the biggest selling single in UK chart history not to reach number one.

Other versions

‘Last Christmas’ was covered by many other artists since its original release, including Whigfield, Billie, Hilary Duff, Crazy Frog, Cascada, Alcazar and All About Eve.

Kim Wilde version

Kim Wilde recorded a version of ‘Last Christmas’ on the deluxe edition of Wilde Winter Songbook in 2015.

Live performances

Kim Wilde performed ‘Last Christmas’ live during her concerts at Knebworth House in December 2014. During the last performance on December 14, she and Ricky also incorporated the first verse of Four Letter Word during the song. They also performed the song during Christmas gigs in December 2015.

Credits

Vocals: Kim Wilde
Keyboards, guitar: Ricky Wilde
Backing vocals: Ricky Wilde, Scarlett Wilde