Merry Christmas! I don’t do anything particularly special for Christmas (seeing as how the majority of my extended family are halfway across the world) so I’m writing this to kill some time and finally get my thoughts on one of my favourite Christmas songs down on paper: Last Christmas by Wham!*
I haven’t seen the jukebox musical of Last Christmas in the cinema but I really do love the eponymous track (plus this cover that Peace did a few years ago!) and yesterday I noticed that the music video was re-released in 4K! It really was the greatest gift of all: another chance to see the brilliant video in stunning quality. It is an interesting experience watching it in such a sharp resolution – it feels as though it’s something that was made recently but with the fashion and hairstyles (oh GOD THE HAIR!) to emulate the 80s feeling.
I’m in love with the premise of the video: it’s essentially a dozen friends escaping to a ski resort for a Christmas to themselves. George Michael has brought his new girlfriend along but straight off the bat it’s clear he is still messed up about his ex who, as the lyrics and visuals establish, he gifted a lovely brooch to the previous Christmas and soon after that she dumped him. Brutal.
Please note by the way, both Andrew Ridgely and George Michael look absolutely smoking hot in this. Andrew Ridgeley looking particularly handsome too. He really doesn’t get enough appreciation. Also, attendees of the ‘friend-mas’ are Pepsi & Shirlie – the two Wham! back-up singers who are featured in quite a few of their videos such as Club Tropicana (my favourite Wham! Song) and the Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?).
When they get to the cottage you start to see all these cute little interactions between the group – decorating the tree, setting the table for dinner and playing together in the snow. One of my favourite moments is when one of their mates returns from outside carrying all the firewood, covered in snow whilst all his friends start throwing decorations over him. The face he pulls is so funny and genuine it perfectly taps into the energy of a group of friends having a blast.
George Michael has an awky-mo with his ex when decorating the tree but she gets away to get a peck on the cheek from Andrew. The whole video has this recurring theme of them making eyes across the room and honestly every single shot of him gazing could melt all the snow in Switzerland due to the heat generated from the internal friction in his mind. It’s a beautifully intense and intimate image amongst such a chaotic social setting.
We then move to a crowded feast with Ridgely bringing in the sparkling Christmas pudding. The table are seen chatting and flirting whilst George Michael is left all alone to gaze at his ex and Andrew. Her eyes knowingly flicker to his as GM notices Andrew’s brooch, which he gave to his ex as a gift the previous year. As noticed by the Wikipedia article (Yes, I do my research) she either regifted it or gave him the same one. Absolutely snakey move.
There is probably 50 more stories like this happening across the room but this is the one we’re being allowed in to see. The only one that matters with this video is between GM and his ex, and it’s not a pretty one.
To me, Last Christmas lyrically is one of those songs which captures the feeling of wanting Christmas to be perfect and how you want to surround yourself with the people you love. Sometimes that could just be one individual and you give it your all to try and make it happen but obviously somethings just don’t work out – and that’s what has happened here. Ultimately it results in nothing but them putting their feelings on hold for the sake of Christmas.
Musically the song gets really good when it comes to the backing vocals. My favourite lines are:
“A face on a lover with a fire in his heart
A man under cover but you tore me apart”
The imagery created from the use of ‘undercover’ is very clandestine, plucked from the world of espionage, but very eloquently comparing that scenario to one of having to fight your true feelings because of the situation you’re in.
“A crowded room, friends with tired eyes”
These lyrics lead us into the next scene and the imagery in the video captures this very well with slow fades showing how everyone’s a little bit exhausted – too tired to make conversation but continuing to sip their drinks. They’re all resting in the dim light and lazying around in a comfortable, warm environment – lounging on the sofas amongst friends. Yet the slow fade of his ex’s glance sliding in to show that she is still on George Michael’s mind.
Leaving the cabin, GM’s ex walks past him on the wide shot outside the cottage as he’s having a laugh with his friends, you can imagine him having that feeling of whenever you’re in the proximity of a person of interest – like you can feel their presence nearby without looking at them. As they exit the cable car, everyone is paired up with their respective partner suggesting ‘that is that’ and the matter is settled now.
This is where we finish this snapshot of the story of Last Christmas. If you think about it, it’s basically the middle act of a wider piece. We don’t really know what happens to these two next – maybe it comes back to bite them with an argument further down the line? Maybe George Michael moves on from it? Maybe she does the same thing to Andrew in the end? Either way, Christmas is not the time to start with this shit.
I like this video a lot because it’s got this amazing festive and friendly energy – surrounding yourself with people who put smiles on your faces – doing stuff together and taking part to make it as amazing as it can be…but with a little bit of tension there. Because otherwise, what would Christmas be if there wasn’t a little bit of tension?
minutiae+musings 