“Last Christmas” – Wham!
You knew this one was coming. Much like Mariah, “Last Christmas” is a staple for any holiday playlist, so why not go with the original?
“Last Christmas” was written and produced by George Michael for Wham!, and has gone down as one of the best Christmas songs of all time. The true marker of a successful holiday tune is how it survives over the years, and this one has gotten consistent airplay ever since its 1984 release. It has been covered by a whole slew of artists, like Ariana Grande, Gwen Stefani, Cascada, Carly Rae Jepsen, Hilary Duff, and Joe McElderry. If that’s not the sign of a classic, I don’t know what is!
Michael had the idea for “Last Christmas” when he and his Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley were visiting Michael’s parents on a Sunday afternoon. He snuck off upstairs for a bit, and came back an hour later, excited about a song he came up with. The two immediately went to work on the chorus, and “Last Christmas” was born.
It’s sad to mention, but the song now has a bit of a darker connotation to it ever since 2016. George Michael passed away on Christmas Day, so that was in fact his last Christmas. It seems fitting that one of the songs that will carry on his legacy is a Christmas song, seeing as how he loved Christmas so much, and that will forever be the day the world lost a legend.