“Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on” – George Michael / Wham!

I will not apologize for the following post despite your eyerolls and the potential disdain you might personally harbor for this song! I will snowball fight you and your soul of ice to the death in defense of this holiday classic! If you participate in “Whamageddon” this time of year, let me tempt you to opt out early (and yes if you’re unfamiliar, “Whamageddon” is a real thing dating back 18 years).  “It’s just a funny little thing that a couple of idiots from Denmark did to entertain themselves during Christmas,” one of the founders, Thomas Mertz, told The New York Times.

I posted this video and song back in 2016 shortly before George Michael passed away on Christmas day of the same year. He was only 53. The popularity of this song has endured and even grown in the digital age with its’ hundreds, thousands, (millions?) of covers, and I have listened to my fair share of them. There’s a Trap Remix, a folk style version, an instrumental, and obviously many pop versions. The pop queens in particular especially like it – Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Arianna Grande, Meghan Trainor, Carly Rae Jepson…oh, and Ashley Tisdale anyone? So I think it’s fitting to bring this song up again given that George was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame a little over a month ago.  

Before we get to the song, rewind to just a few nights ago as I was scrolling through Christmas movies on our various streaming platforms… Netflix, Apple, Max, and finally Prime when I came across a 2019 film appropriately titled “Last Christmas.” While it probably didn’t win any Oscars (I only say probably, because who knows with those wonky Oscar voters), my wife and I were pleasantly surprised with it, and will happily endorse it despite its’ flaws. First of all, a George Michael soundtrack (not just “Last Christmas”) accompanies this movie. Secondly, you get some pretty likable leads in Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”) and Henry Golding (“Crazy Rich Asians”). You get a dash of a funny Emma Thompson (who also co-wrote the story with her husband, Greg Wise). And of course, you get some heartfelt moments and a twist that made this a very worthy addition to our annual fest of holiday movie-watching at our household. 

The trailer is below, but honestly it will just spoil most of the movie for you. If you’re like my wife and I and enjoy watching all sorts of Christmas movies this time of year, just do yourself a favor and skip the trailer, suspend the believability (which you should be doing this time of year anyway), and you’ll be more apt to enjoy this George Michael soundtrack movie for what it is – a cheeky bit of heartfelt fun.    

“Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye”

And finally, you didn’t think I was going to end this post without the song did you? I told you, I will always take any liberty I can to promote “Last Christmas.” If it’s been a year (it doesn’t surprise me) or longer since you’ve seen this 80’s masterpiece of music videology then I encourage you to waste, I mean enrich your Christmas 2023 life for the next four minutes and 38 seconds.

The video was filmed over five days in Switzerland in the winter of 1984 in and around a house with no heat. It was model Kathy Hill who recalled how cold the house was and she was the one that got to wear the bright colors and stand out as the villainous ice queen who broke George’s heart a year ealier. She was interviewed several years ago about her memories from the filming including the scene where she and George play about in the snow. She said: “We had to walk up a hill about five times. George slipped down every time. Once he ended up sitting on me, laughing – and that’s the bit they used. It was completely ­natural. We were just laughing our heads off. He couldn’t stand up. It’s my favourite scene.”

When former Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley was asked about the song itself recently, he recounted that “The first time I ever heard it, it was absolutely knockout,” he says. “It sounded for all the world like a Christmas classic,” and added “It’s Christmas distilled if you ask me. It’s the essence of Christmas.”

Please enjoy “the essence of Christmas” with the original “Last Christmas”…

Video commentary: Are we expected to believe that Kathy preferred Andrew to George and his soulful voice and perfectly coiffed blond hair? Did you do something George and refuse to take responsibility? Why do they all have to climb over a fence coming and going like a bunch of school kids trespassing to get to their house? Where’s the driveway or path to the front door? Was this just a poorly designed secluded cabin? And did she possibly re-gift the brooch that George gave her to her new beau, Andrew, who is shown wearing it in the present day? What an ice queen! The video also features Wham’s backup singer duo – Helen “Pepsi” DeMacque and Shirlie Holliman who later formed their own group appropriately called Pepsi and Shirlie. 

A very happy Christmas to all my friends!

sincerely,

the80’s