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One of the most popular songs each December is Wham!’s “Last Christmas.” Wham!’s George Michael had complex feelings about the song. Everybody else just seems to like it.

George Michael felt Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ was too good

Simon Napier-Bell was Wham!’s manager. During a 2023 interview with The Daily Telegraph, Napier-Bell discussed Michael’s issue with “Last Christmas.” “He was always slightly upset by the fact [that] he naggingly knew it was the best thing he ever wrote,” he recalled.

Napier-Bell remembered Michael’s greatest wish, “George, above all, really wanted to be remembered as a great songwriter,” Napier-Bell said. “And I think at the bottom of his mind… it was rather annoying that the song he got so perfect was a Christmas song.”

Michael was onto something. Christmas music is ubiquitous, but it doesn’t inspire the same level of critical respect as pop, rock, soul, R&B, rap, and most other genres of music. When critics say that Meghan Trainor’s hits sound like Christmas music, they’re saying that it sounds retrograde and toothless. Part of why “Last Christmas” is so good is that it combined the classic Phil Spector Christmas sound with new wave, which was on the cutting edge at the time.

Why George Michael wasn’t able to donate proceeds from the song to charity

Michael initially wanted to donate the proceeds from “Last Christmas” to victims of a famine in Ethiopia, but Napier-Bell said he couldn’t do that. “He could give his royalties to Ethiopia, but he couldn’t be telling the record company they weren’t going to keep their share,” Napier-Bell said. “Then you’ve got to pay management commission, and half of [the income belongs to Wham! ‘s Andrew Ridgeley],” he explained.

According to rumor, Michael announced that “Last Christmas” would be a charity single, knowing that his record label would never allow that to happen, so he could make the label seem greedy. “I don’t think he did,” Napier-Bell said. “He was just a little bit naive and didn’t really think it through.”

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‘Last Christmas’ was a phenomenon

“Last Christmas” eventually became Wham! ‘s longest-charting hit in the United States. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 41 weeks. It peaked in 2017, decades after its release. “Last Christmas” appeared on the album Music from the Edge of Heaven. That record climbed to No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 28 weeks.

The Official Charts Company reports that “Last Christmas” was even more significant in the United Kingdom. The track was No. 1 there for seven weeks. Altogether, it has charted for 126 weeks. “Last Christmas” seems to be the most significant modern Yuletide song in the U.K., the same way that Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is the most significant modern Yuletide song in the U.S.

The tune is such a seasonal favorite on the radio that many people know every note of it. If you are familiar with one Wham! song, it’s “Last Christmas.” The song was also a clear influence on the Jonas Brothers’ hit “Leave Before You Love Me.” In addition, Michael’s music inspired a romantic comedy called Last Christmas. The fact that the movie is called Last Christmas and not Careless Whisper makes it clear that “Last Christmas” has become Michael’s signature song.

“Last Christmas” is the rare song that’s so good that its quality was a little bit of a problem.

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