The Brokenhearted Meaning Behind “Last Christmas” by Wham!

George Michael wrote “Last Christmas” in his childhood bedroom while bandmate Andrew Ridgeley watched television downstairs.

Wham! was a duo, but Michael had taken control. He’d taken on the music business and survived a legal dispute with his former record label en route to Wham!’s greatest commercial success. Meanwhile, the inevitability of going solo awaited him.

It took another Christmas song featuring Michael to keep his own from the top spot on the charts. However, if the 1984 chart positioning between two Christmas hits was a battle, “Last Christmas” ultimately won the war.

Bittersweet Christmas

Don’t be fooled by the bouncy synths. Lyrically, “Last Christmas” describes a busted relationship and how the wintry holiday became an anniversary of sadness. Michael sings bitterly and remains obsessed and crushed by his ex. The opening verse begins tenderly and ends with spite.

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day, you gave it away
This year, to save me from tears
I’ll give it to someone special

Michael wonders if his former partner still sees him. He wants to be noticed. Everyone does. Moreover, the one broken up with doesn’t suddenly lose affection for the other.

He asks, “Do you recognize me?” But he means more than whether he’s identified. You see someone differently in and out of love. Yes, a year passed, but Michael hasn’t quite moved on.

Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye
Tell me, baby, do you recognize me?
Well, it’s been a year, it doesn’t surprise me

A Holiday Classic

Released on December 3, 1984, “Last Christmas” endures as one of the most successful Christmas songs in history. For five weeks, it remained at No. 2 on the UK singles chart. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by the supergroup Band Aid kept it out of the top spot. (Michael also appears on the Band Aid single with Bono, Boy George, Sting, Simon Le Bon, and others.)

Michael, then 21 years old, wrote, produced, and performed every instrument on “Last Christmas.”  He recorded the music using a LinnDrum, Roland Juno-60 synthesizer, and sleigh bells. The dichotomy between the cheerful track and the singer’s despair creates tension. And the chord progression doesn’t change from the verse to the chorus. But the arrangement works, keeping the listeners’ emphasis on Michael.

Wham! donated all royalties from “Last Christmas” to fund famine relief in Ethiopia, the same charity Bob Geldof and Midge Ure had raised awareness for with Band Aid. It has continued to chart in the decades since its original release. In 2023, after 39 years of flirting with the top spot, it finally reached No. 1.

A Familiar Tune

Pop music trades in familiarity. Many hit singles share chords and melodies with what came before them. Think of it as sampling before sampling was a thing.

But what if it’s too close to the original? Publisher Dick James Music brought a lawsuit against Michael, accusing the singer of lifting his tune from “Can’t Smile Without You.” Barry Manilow had a hit with “Can’t Smile Without You” in 1978, and the two do sound similar.

However, Michael’s engineer, Chris Porter, told The Guardian the suit was dismissed when a musicologist presented more than 60 songs with similar chord progressions and melodies.  

Why I Work So Hard For You

Working meticulously, Michael constructed his song like a nursery rhyme. There’s an innocence to it, and the rudimentary instrumental performances give it a childlike vibe.

Often wearing shorts, Wham! exuded neon-’80s spirit with the bubbly pop of “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” But remember another hit by the duo—“Everything She Wants.” Epic Records released it as a double A-side with “Last Christmas.” This is Wham! doing dark R&B where Michael had reached the end of his patience as he sings: I don’t know what the hell you want from me.

That exasperation remains on “Last Christmas.” And his sharp delivery feels like what led to the what-the-hell line in “Everything She Wants.” In a way, it’s the perfect companion piece to his brokenhearted Christmas anthem.

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