Wham!’s “Last Christmas” has become a holiday standard over its 40 years in release — not just because of the extraordinary success of the original 1984 recording by the pop duo (George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley), but also because of its numerous covers by the likes of Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift, among others.
What’s it been like for Ridgeley to see the song have so many new interpretations by such artists through the years?
“It’s testament to the brilliance of the song,” he tells the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen to his interview below), “to its appeal as a Christmas record, its appeal as a pop song, its attraction to the younger generation and those that recognize what a really good Christmas song it is.”
“Someone told me there’s over 400 ‘Last Christmas’ covers,” Ridgeley says. “I can’t verify that, but I wouldn’t be too surprised. It’s extremely flattering and I think George (who wrote, produced, and solely performed “Last Christmas”) would have been really really pleased that so many people recognize — so many of his peers, so many of contemporary musicians of this era and in between — recognize it as a definitive kind of Christmas record.”
“Last Christmas” has become a fixture on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the holiday season and recently reached a new peak of No. 3. Ridgeley says it has been “extremely satisfying” to see the tune climb the Hot 100, and adds that Michael (who died in 2017) “would have been utterly delighted… and it would have meant a great deal to him.”
In Ridgeley’s chat with the Pop Shop, he also discusses the continued popularity of Wham!’s overall catalog of music and how it’s “surprised” him a “wee bit” that their music has grown in popularity over the decades with new fans. He says it’s all owed to the “enduring vibrancy and youthful nature of Wham!’s music and Wham! that (the catalog) continues to draw in new cohorts.”
Also in the Pop Shop interview, Ridgeley talks about the new documentary Wham!: Last Christmas Unwrapped, the possibility of a boxed set with unreleased Wham! material, and if the public will ever hear Michael’s original demo recording of “Last Christmas.”
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)