George Michael would be beside himself with joy, says pal Andrew ...
IT was in his childhood bedroom in north west London in 1984 where George Michael had the brainwave to create one of the most enduring Christmas songs ever.
Now, 39 years on, and seven years after his tragic death on December 25 aged just 53, his wish has finally come true — Last Christmas is the festive No1.
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The news of his pop duo Wham!’s success was announced yesterday, nearly four decades after the song was originally held off the top spot by Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? on its debut in 1984.
It was one of George’s greatest disappointments, but now his former bandmate Andrew Ridgeley has spoken of his joy at the news.
The singer, who fondly used the nickname Yog for George, told the Official Charts company: “George would be beside himself after all of these years to finally obtain Christmas No1.
It’s mission accomplished.
“Yog and I perceived music largely in the sense of the Official Charts. We always contextualised our success by our chart success.
“It was a huge disappointment to us both when it didn’t reach No1 because in our opinion, it was nailed on. Had it not been for Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? it probably would have been No1.
“It’ll mean a lot to Wham!’s legacy, it’s the crowning glory.
“Last Christmas was conceived as a Christmas No1. Lofty ambitions, but Yog set lofty ambitions for himself as a songwriter.
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“Our fans will have a real sense of achievement and pride in the fact it’s become a Christmas No1.”
Nothing cheesyThe bittersweet song about being left heartbroken during the festive season surged in popularity following George’s death in 2016 and hit No1 for the first time in January 2021.
It returned to the top spot twice in 2022 and has spent the past fortnight at No1.
Before 2021 it had held the title of the highest-selling single never to have topped the Official Charts.
But despite its chart triumphs since then, it had still never claimed the coveted title of Christmas No1 until now.
On its staying power, Andrew said: “It’s a transcendental song. Because of its nature and subject matter it has the advantage of being ever-present at this time of year.
“Did we ever think it would have such longevity? Probably not. At the time, I don’t think we necessarily foresaw its endurance or thought it would become a staple of Christmas.
“Had we been asked, that would have been the intention, but I don’t think it was necessarily planned that it would be a piece of work lasting a lifetime and beyond.
“It’s wonderful to have had the support of our fans worldwide in the bid for this Christmas No1, especially as it’s been an enduring, decades-long effort for everyone involved.
“I’m deeply grateful for the support that’s been shown for the song year after year. We’ve done it.”
The band’s former manager Simon Napier-Bell said George always believed Last Christmas was the best song he ever wrote, which was why he was especially disappointed about its failure to claim the festive top spot.
He said: “It’s extraordinary how Last Christmas stands up. If it was made this week, would you make it any differently?
“He was always slightly upset by the fact he naggingly knew it was the best thing he ever wrote.
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“George, above all, really wanted to be remembered as a great songwriter. And I think at the bottom of his mind it was rather annoying that the song he got so perfect was a Christmas song.
“How can you create a Christmas song that has bells in it, which says ‘Christmas’ every three seconds, and yet has nothing cheesy about it?”
The video for the single, which has been viewed 857million times on YouTube, was shot in a Swiss ski resort and featured model Kathy Hill playing the role of Andrew’s girlfriend, who has previously broken George’s heart.
Over the years, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande are among superstars who have covered the song in tribute, proving it stands the test of time.
Andrew and George spoke about making the song in their Netflix documentary Wham!, which was released in June.
Andrew said: “George needed success as a songwriter for personal affirmation.
“One Sunday at his mum and dad’s house there was a football match on TV. Yog just sat bolt upright and said, ‘I’ve got to go upstairs, I’ve got an idea’.”
George continued: “I went downstairs and I said to Andrew, ‘I’ve done it’. I said, ‘We’re going to have four No1s this year and we’re going to have a Christmas No1’. I played it to him and he went, ‘F*** yeah. Yeah’.
“We knew we had a No1 on our hands. The release was for the second week of December.”
On being beaten by Do They Know It’s Christmas?, the charity single raising money for famine relief in Ethiopia — which George also appeared on — he continued: “That was what was so ironic about Do They Know It’s Christmas?
“Everyone else was just thinking how fantastic it is, it’s going to be great, it’s going to be No1 and it’s going to be this and that. “I had all those same feelings about it but I just had this little bastard ego thing that I just had to keep squashing that was going, ‘S**t, s**t, s**t.’
“Because this little ego inside me had this master plan for four No1 singles this year and everything was ready.”
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But after seeing the devastation in Africa which Band Aid was raising money for, George decided he would also give his royalties from Last Christmas to famine relief, which his profits still support.
Ex-manager Simon said: “He could give his royalties to Ethiopia, but he couldn’t be telling the record company they weren’t going to keep their share.
“Then you’ve got to pay management commission, and half of it is Andrew’s.”
Last Christmas is now the ninth best-selling single in British music history with 1.9million copies sold, not including streams, while Band Aid’s track is the second biggest seller, at more than 3.8million.
Mark Hoyle, alias YouTuber Lad-Baby, has claimed the Christmas No1 for the past five years running with his novelty sausage roll-themed singles in aid of food bank charity The Trussell Trust.
But this year he announced he would not be releasing a Christmas single, leaving the way open for other artists.
Last Christmas has managed to reach No1 despite millions of people attempting to avoid it throughout December as part of a viral game dubbed Whamageddon.
Players aim to get to Christmas Day without hearing the record — despite its ubiquity in shops and public places across Britain.
The battle for Christmas No1 saw Wham! fight off competition from last year’s Eurovision sensation Sam Ryder, with original song You’re Christmas To Me.
Last night it ended up nearly 6,000 sales behind Last Christmas, even though Sam spent the week playing 30 shows across the country to promote his song.
Last Christmas was streamed 13.3 million times in just the past seven days, making it the most-streamed Christmas No1 ever during Christmas week.
Congratulating Sam, Andrew said: “It must be thrilling for him to have released a new work and have it go straight in at No2. It’s a catchy record with great energy.
“He’s a fantastic character. I don’t think there’s anyone who has quite as much energy as Sam Ryder.
“I wish him well and who knows, his track might become a Christmas classic as well.”
Sam added: “Christmas No2, isn’t that bonkers? When we wrote this song, in the blazing month of August, we didn’t expect it to be even considered to chart.
“But here we are, in a Mariah Carey and Wham! sandwich, and we’re the filling. I’m stoked.”
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