Last Christmas


"Last Christmas" is a song by the English duo Wham!, released on 3 December 1984 via CBS Records internationally and as a double A-side via Epic Records with "Everything She Wants" in multiple European countries. It was written, performed and produced by the Wham! member George Michael. He wrote it in February 1984 about a Christmastime breakup and recorded it that August.
On release, "Last Christmas" spent five consecutive weeks at number two on the UK singles chart. It was beaten to Christmas number one by the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid, on which Michael also performed. Wham! donated their royalties to relief efforts for the Ethiopian famine.
For several decades, "Last Christmas" was the highest-selling UK single never to reach number one. It has entered the UK singles chart every year since 2007, reached number one for the first time on New Year's Day 2021, and became Christmas number one in 2023. Combining sales and streams, it also became the third-best selling UK single, with 5.34 million sales, including streams. In 2024, it became the first song to become Christmas number one for consecutive years. "Last Christmas" has also topped the charts in 14 other European countries. In December 2025, it reached number one on the Billboard Global 200.
In the UK, "Last Christmas" was voted eighth on the 2012 ITV television special The Nation's Favourite Christmas Song and voted the most popular 1980s song in Channel 5's Christmas 2020 countdown Britain's Favourite '80s Songs. It has been covered by artists including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Whigfield, Crazy Frog, Jimmy Eat World and Billie Piper.

Composition

"Last Christmas" describes a Christmastime break-up. The engineer, Chris Porter, said the upbeat rhythm track contrasted against the sadness of unrequited love. The same chord progression and melody is used for both the verse and chorus, with no middle eight.

Production

The Wham! member George Michael wrote "Last Christmas" in his childhood bedroom in February 1984, when he and the other member, Andrew Ridgeley, were visiting his parents. Michael played Ridgeley the introduction and chorus melody, which Ridgeley later called "a moment of wonder".
Wham! recorded "Last Christmas" in August 1984, at Advision Studios, London, with Michael having covered the studio in Christmas decorations "to set the mood". Michael produced the song and wrote and performed every part, using a LinnDrum drum machine, a Roland Juno-60 synthesiser and sleigh bells. Though Michael had no musical training, he performed each part himself, playing the keyboards "with two or three fingers", according to Porter. The only other people in the studio were Porter and two assistants, Paul Gommersal and Richard Moakes. In 1985, "Last Christmas" was reissued as the "Pudding Mix", with many rerecorded parts, including Michael's vocals. As of 2025, it has been used for all releases since and the original mix has never been reissued.

Chart performance

On its first release, "Last Christmas" reached number two on the UK singles chart, beaten by the original version of the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid, on which Michael also performed. Wham! donated their "Last Christmas" royalties to the Ethiopian famine relief fund, the same cause as Band Aid. It was the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century in the UK until 2011, when it was overtaken by "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl.
In December 2019, "Last Christmas" reached number one on the Official Vinyl Singles Chart and the Official Video Streaming Chart. The following week, it was streamed 17.1 million times, a UK record for the most streams in a week. It was the year's best-selling vinyl single in the UK., "Last Christmas" had sold more than 1.90 million copies, becoming the 10th-bestselling UK single in history and the bestselling single not to reach number one. "Last Christmas" reached number one on 1 January 2021, achieving the record for the longest time for a single to reach UK number one, previously held in 2005 by Tony Christie with "(Is This The Way To) Amarillo?". The record was surpassed in 2022 by Kate Bush with "Running Up That Hill", which took 37 years. In December 2022, "Last Christmas" reached number two on the UK singles chart, behind LadBaby's "Food Aid", a parody of "Do They Know It's Christmas?".
In December 2023, "Last Christmas" became the UK Christmas number one. It also became the third-best selling UK single, with 5.34 million sales, including streams. As of December 2023, it had sold more than 1.93 million physical copies and downloads, making it the eighth-bestselling single ever in the UK. It was certified nine-times platinum in January 2026. In 2024, it became the first song to be Christmas number one for two consecutive years. That year, PRS for Music estimated that "Last Christmas" generates £300,000 of royalties per year. In December 2025, "Last Christmas" reached number two on the UK singles chart, beaten by Kylie Minogue's "XMAS".
"Last Christmas" was voted eighth on the 2012 ITV television special The Nation's Favourite Christmas Song and voted the most popular 1980s song in Channel 5's Christmas 2020 countdown Britain's Favourite '80s Songs.

Other territories

In Germany, "Last Christmas" is the most successful Christmas single of all time, having spent 169 weeks on the German Singles Chart. It reached number one on 24 December 2021. It has charted every year since 1997. In January 2008, the song fell from No. 4 to No. 64, also making it the biggest fall out of the top 10 on the singles chart. In Ireland the single went to number one on 30 December 2022 and returned to the top of the Irish charts on 27 December 2024.
In Japan, the single was originally released in two different formats with different cover art, a 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl both with "Credit Card Baby" as their B-side. The former entered the top 20 of the Oricon Singles Chart peaking at No. 15, while the latter reached No. 47. In 1993, it peaked at No. 17 within Japan, and by that point had sold 120,500 copies there. It was reissued in November 2001 and 2004 as a two-track CD with the single edit and the "pudding mix". "Last Christmas" is the eighth-best-selling single in Japan released by a foreign act, with total physical sales of 683,000 copies.
In the Netherlands, "Last Christmas" reached No. 2 in January 1985. In the Dutch Singles Top 100, the song has now entered on 16 different occasions, including every year since 2006. Its highest position after 1984 was No. 4. In the Dutch Mega Top 50, the song reappeared in 1997, 2000, 2007, 2008, and 2013.
"Last Christmas" was not released as a commercial single in the United States until November 2014, when it was made available on 12" vinyl as a Record Store Day exclusive. It has re-entered the Billboard Holiday 100 chart on a regular basis, peaking at No. 2 on 13 December 2025. In November 2016, total US sales of the digital track stood at 751,000 downloads according to Nielsen SoundScan, placing it 10th on the list of best-selling Christmas/holiday digital singles in US SoundScan history. The song debuted at No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the chart dated 7 January 2017, after George Michael died. In December 2018, the song re-entered the Hot 100, reaching No. 25 in January 2019, and then a new peak of No. 11 in the first issue of 2020. On the issue dated 2 January 2021, "Last Christmas" reached No. 9 on the Hot 100, its first foray into the top 10 and returning Wham! to the top 10 after a 35-year break. The following year, on the issue dated 1 January 2022, the song reached No. 7. On the issue dated 24 December 2022, the song reached No. 6 on the Hot 100. On the year's last issue of the Billboard Hot 100, dated 31 December 2022, "Last Christmas" reached the top five.
In 2024, "Last Christmas" became the first Christmas single to chart during the year-end holiday season, debuting at No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending 23 November. On Billboards 50th issue of 2024, dated 14 December, the song reached No. 3 on the Hot 100. On the chart dated 13 December 2025, "Last Christmas" reached a new peak position of No. 2. On 9 December 2025, the digital single was certified nine-times platinum, indicating US sales of 9 million digital copies. In 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021, "Last Christmas" reached No. 1 on the Swedish singles chart. In December 2025, "Last Christmas" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, a ranking of sales and streams from over 200 territories.

Music video

The music video has Michael and Ridgeley accompanying girlfriends at a ski resort, contrasting scenes of a happy Christmas holiday with "wistful memories about past romance". According to Wham!’s manager at the time, Simon Napier-Bell, Michael planned "Last Christmas" as part of a "Christmas package" including the video and a performance at Wembley Stadium. Michael instructed the director, Andrew Morahan, to create a Christmas version of the video for Wham!'s single "Club Tropicana" It was filmed in a ski resort in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, with friends and family members, including the Wham! backing singers Pepsi & Shirlie. Michael's ex-girlfriend was played by the model Kathy Hill.. The music video features the wooden Chalet Schliechte, which is located on the edge of the village. The interior of the building was already filmed in the nearby Chalet Tita. The clip also shows the operational Felskinn cable car. The band stayed at the Walliserhof hotel during the shooting of the music video.
The music video, originally shot on 35mm film, was re-released on 13 December 2019 in 4K Ultra HD resolution. Morahan had found seven out of the eight rolls of original 35mm rushes and worked with teams at Cinelab London and VFX artist Russ Shaw at Nice Biscuits post production to recreate the video using the higher-resolution film.

Plagiarism allegation

On behalf of the writers of the 1975 song "Can't Smile Without You", made popular by Barry Manilow, the publishing company Dick James Music sued Michael for plagiarism in the mid-1980s, claiming that "Last Christmas" had taken its melody. The case was dismissed when a musicologist presented numerous songs from the past century that had a comparable chord sequence and melody.

Other media

A sixty-minute TV documentary about the story of "Last Christmas" aired on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in December 2024 to mark the 40th anniversary of its release. It features Ridgeley, Shirlie, Pepsi and other close friends from the original music video, and revisits Saas-Fee in Switzerland where the music video was made while revealing a statue for the song, as well as looking into the creation of the song. The film Last Christmas prominently features the music of George Michael, including this song.

Personnel

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Australia 31
Belgium 65
Netherlands 65

Chart Position
Hungary 69

Chart Position
Hungary 39
UK Singles 95

Chart Position
Austria 71
Canada 97
Denmark 77
Germany 61
Global 200 143
Hungary 61
Hungary 77
Switzerland 92
UK Singles 34

Chart Position
Austria 72
Canada 78
Denmark 58
Germany 51
Global 200 129
Hungary 38
Netherlands 98
Sweden 76
Switzerland 71
UK Singles 18
US Billboard Hot 10084

Chart Position
Austria 47
Canada 77
Germany 32
Global 200 103
Switzerland 53
UK Singles 51
US Billboard Hot 10065

Cover versions

Whigfield version

The Italian singer Whigfield covered "Last Christmas" and released it as a double A-side with "[Big Time (magazine)|Time (Whigfield song)|Big Time]" in the UK in December 1995. The single was also released as a double A-side single in Germany with "Close to You". In other countries, "Last Christmas" was released on its own with various remixes. The single was produced by Larry Pignagnoli and reached number 21 in the UK, which was Whigfield's final release on Systematic Records. It also appears on various special edition versions of her debut album, Whigfield, and also on Whigfield II. The music video was directed by Giacomo De Simone and features Whigfield performing in a winter landscape. It was filmed in Massa Carrara, Italy.

Chart performance

Whigfield's cover of "Last Christmas" climbed into the top 10 in both Denmark and Spain, peaking at numbers six and five, respectively. It was also a top-20 hit in Finland and a top-30 hit in Ireland and the United Kingdom. In the latter country, "Last Christmas" / "Big Time" peaked at number 21 during its first week on the UK singles chart, on 10 December 1995. It was additionally a top-40 hit in Belgium, as well as on the European Hot 100 Singles, on which the song reached number 38.

Critical reception

John Perry from NME named "Last Christmas" by Whigfield Single of the Week, writing, "Gird your loins and don that silly party hat, pop-pickers, because what we have here is the classic Christmas single. The Whigster has taken what was a definitive Christmas song and given it a monster 'I Feel Love' hi-NRG fuel-injection that will have the nation stomping those accursed parsnips into Auntie Mabel's best rug in front of The Queen..." Gill Whyte from Smash Hits gave it two out of five, describing it as "a cover of the George Michael swoon choon for the festive season, given the usual tinny pop Whiggers treatment, with lots of bingy-bongy synths. A classic song, so you can't go wrong, um, only she has, 'cos it just ain't as good as the original."

Ashley Tisdale version

"Last Christmas" was recorded in 2006 for Warner Bros. Records by Ashley Tisdale. The song was released to US radios on 11 November 2006 and as a download on 21 November 2006. This song was the first single released by Ashley Tisdale in her deal with Warner Bros. Records and became her official first holiday single. Tisdale performed the single in 2007 on Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Christmas in Rockefeller Center, and in 2009 in the Citadel Outlets of Los Angeles, California. The song was one of the B-sides on the European CD singles of Tisdale's first single "Be Good to Me" and Tisdale's second single "He Said She Said", from the album Headstrong. The song has been included on several compilation albums, including Disney Channel Holiday and A Very Special Christmas 7.

Crazy Frog version

"Last Christmas" was covered in 2006 by Crazy Frog and released as a Christmas single.

Cascada version

"Last Christmas" was recorded in 2007 by Cascada. It was released on iTunes in November 2007. The single had only a digital release but six days later, it was released on the single "What Hurts the Most" which was the first single from their second album. It was also released as part of their Christmas album, It's Christmas Time.

Charts

Chart Peak
position
US Dance/Electronic Digital Songs Sales (Billboard)43

''Glee'' cast version

The song was covered by the cast of Glee, led by Lea Michele, Cory Monteith with Amber Riley, and was released in 2009 exclusively on iTunes as a charity single, then in 2010 on Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first time a cover version of the song appeared on that chart.

Joe McElderry version

British singer Joe McElderry covered the song in 2011. This version was released as a single on 19 December 2011, an EP was also released digitally in Ireland on 4 November 2011, and in the UK on 7 November 2011. McElderry's version is taken from his third studio album, Classic Christmas, released 28 November 2011. 7th Heaven Remix & Production have done a remix for the song.
A short music video was made using footage which was filmed for the Classic Christmass album advertising, it features McElderry outside in the snow, collecting logs and taking them to a large house preparing for a Christmas party, a similar video was made for McElderry's version of "O Come All Ye Faithful". The advert and both videos were directed by Steve Lucker.

Ariana Grande version

The American singer Ariana Grande covered "Last Christmas" on her 2013 EP Christmas Kisses. It was released as a single on 19 November 2013 in the iTunes Store. Grande's cover draws primarily from pop music, contemporary R&B and soul and also alters some lyrics. The verses have been described as having a more poppy and R&B vibe than the original.

Carly Rae Jepsen version

"Last Christmas" was covered by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen in 2015 and was released to digital retailers on 20 November 2015 through 604 Records and Interscope Records and School Boy Records. Jepsen's rendition was praised by critics for combining stylistic elements similar to the original. She performed the song live at the annual NBC television special Christmas in Rockefeller Center airing on 2 December 2015, and on the episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden airing on 16 December 2015.
Bianca Gracie of Idolator described the song as "quintessential Carly" for highlighting Jepsen's unique vocals and synth production and wrote that her cover will "charm your... socks off". Nolan Feeney of Time echoed those sentiments, noting that "Last Christmas" is "the kind of brokenhearted yet warm and sweet song excels at". Jackson McHenry of Vulture applauded Jepsen for her straightforward approach to the song and avoiding the "vocal gymnastics" that bog down some Christmas covers.

Others