It’s certainly hard for many people to imagine not having Wham on their Christmas playlist. It is one of the biggest hits in the group’s repertoire, which has been conquering the charts for almost four decades and enjoys unflagging popularity among listeners around the world, especially during Christmas. What is its story?
He created this song in over an hour. It’s the biggest Christmas hit in years
It all started in February 1984. It was then that he visited his family home together with the band’s co-founder, Andrew Ridgeley. While watching TV, he suddenly came up with the idea to create a song. He locked himself in the room where he spent his childhood and began an intense creative process. After over an hour, a lyrical layer was created, telling the story of unhappy love, and the prototype of the melody. – George got up from the sofa we were sitting on, went upstairs and returned in an hour with the skeleton of a Christmas classic – Ridgeley said in an interview for Smooth Radio a few years ago.
Apparently, according to the initial idea, the song was supposed to refer to Easter, not Christmas. However, it is not known what influenced the change in the concept, but one thing is certain – it was good for everyone. The final shape was created at Advision Studios in London in 1984 and in the same year it was released along with the album “Music From the Edge of Heaven”, instantly becoming a hit.
George Michael didn’t get rich off “Last Christmas.” What happened to the money the song made?
The “Last Christmas” phenomenon has not waned for nearly four decades. The song already has over 790 million views on YouTube, and during Christmas it can be heard several times a day on almost every radio station. According to calculations by “The Telegraph” from 2015, which it refers to, a song earns an average of PLN 470,000. pounds per year, which, when converted into zlotys, gives approximately two and a half million. Yet neither Wham! nor George Michael, who not only wrote it but also sang it, made a single pound from it. The reason is simple. “Last Christmas” was released on an album whose funds were initially donated to fight famine in Ethiopia. This tradition has been maintained and each year the money goes to a different charity.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
