“Last Christmas” remains Wham!’s most legendary song — as it returns to the charts every holiday season — and the late George Michael had plenty to think about its staying power.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, the former Wham! manager Simon Napier-Bell reflected on his time with the pop duo from their inception in 1981 to their break-up in 1986 and admitted that Michael thought the success of their 1984 holiday song might become a little “irritating”.
Napier-Bell, 84, explained that the Grammy winner (who died aged 53 on Christmas Day 2016) loved the song itself but was frustrated by how “perfect” it was.
The music manager told the newspaper: “He was always a bit upset about that fact [that] he knew agonizingly that it was the best thing he had ever written.”
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Wham! “Last Christmas” individual artwork. Single Cover Image Courtesy of Epic Kate Middleton pays tribute to John Lennon and George Michael at surprise Christmas carol concert
“George, above all else, really wanted to be remembered as a great songwriter,” Napier-Bell explained. “And I think in the back of his mind … it was quite embarrassing that the song he got was so perfectly Christmassy.”
The executive also took a moment to reflect on how timeless Michael’s Christmas carol is, noting, “It’s a magnificent piece, isn’t it? How can you create a Christmas song that has bells in it, that says ‘Christmas’ every three seconds, and yet has nothing wacky about it?”
He repeated, “It’s remarkable how ‘Last Christmas’ is doing.”
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Although Wham!’s holiday song remains one of their most beloved hits after nearly four decades, the legacy of the band Michael and singer-songwriter/instrumentalist Andrew Ridgeley goes far beyond the song. The group was among the acts that heralded the British Invasion of the 80s, and had three more No. 1 hits on Board Hot 100 (“Careless Whisper,” “Everything She Wants,” and “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”) and was extremely influential in their charitable endeavors.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame posthumously inducted Michael into the organization this fall.
At the ceremony in November, he was honored with an emotional performance by Carrie Underwood, who sang his 1987 song “One More Try”. Additionally, Miguel sang “Careless Whisper” and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine covered “Faith.”
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George Michael and Andrew Ridgely from Wham!
Pete Still/Redferns
His former bandmate, 60, was in attendance and spoke to PEOPLE about Michael’s legacy.
“He’s built a fantastic portfolio of material. He was an incredible artist,” Ridgeley said. “And this honor is fitting.”
The musician also reflected on why it’s “no surprise really” that “Last Christmas” is still as beloved as ever.
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“The first time I heard it, it was absolutely mind-blowing,” he said. “It sounded like a Christmas classic for all the world.”
“It’s Christmas distilled if you ask me. That’s the essence of Christmas,” added the cameraman.
“And so the persistent nature of it, the perennial nature of it is not really a surprise,” he continued. “But it’s a wonderful privilege to be given Wham!, to have one of the all-time Christmas classics – which I think it’s fair to say is likely now.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education