Heartbreaking Reason George Michael Recorded 'Last Christmas' Revealed — As Wham! Video Cast Reunite 40 Years After Release of Festive Classic
George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley's Christmas classic celebrates its 40th anniversary this year as stars from the iconic video for the tune reunite for a documentary on its creation.
Dec. 12 2024, Published 11:24 a.m. ET
George Michael was inspired to write classic hit Last Christmas due to his love of the festive season — as it was the only time he was able to venture out in public.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the late singer, who died on Christmas Day in 2016, put on a "disguise" so he could enjoy the festivities without bringing any attention upon himself.
Michael was desperate for Last Christmas to be a UK No1 single so he could be taken seriously as a songwriter.
The song, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, was recorded at a time when Michael was morphing from a teen pin-up to serious songwriter and was one of the most pictured stars in the industry.
Speaking in a new documentary about the song, and its famous video, his Wham! band-mate Andrew Ridgeley and backing singers Helen "Pepsi" DeMacque-Crockett and Shirlie Kemp, opened up about why Christmas was so special to the Faith hitmaker.
Ridgeley and his fellow Wham! stars reunite with the cast of the video in a new documentary to mark the track's 40th anniversary.
Kemp said: "Christmas was bigger than him, so he could disguise himself in Christmas.
"That was one of the reasons he loved that time of year, and why he liked to go carol singing.
"Imagine if everyone had iPhones back then. Our Christmas Eves were the best."
Michael genuinely viewed the opportunity to wear festive fancy dress as his chance to go out in public without anyone recognising him.
And that meant strangers on a London bus being unwittingly serenaded by one of Britain's biggest pop stars, plus his strangely familiar backing singers.
Michael and Ridgeley ensured Wham! became one of the world's top pop acts of the 1980s thanks to their catchy hits.
Pepsi explained: "He lived in a little mews house on Kensington High Street and he went, 'Right, let's go!' He had all the wigs and everything.
"We sang in front of a house and then we’d end up in a pub spending the money that we had collected.
"Then it was like, 'OK, let's go over there', and it was like, 'No, it's too far to walk'.
"So we got on a bus with the wigs and everything, and then we’d end up in another pub, causing havoc."
Ridgeley added: "It was only the first verse and chorus we'd sing. That was the full extent of our knowledge of carols."
British singer Michael passed away on Christmas Day in 2016 at the age of 53, sparking widespread mourning in the music world.
The TV documentary explores how much it meant to Michael to fulfil the dream of giving Wham! a Christmas UK No1.
It was one of the few things the band had not achieved since they hit the big time with tunes such as Club Tropicana and Bad Boys.
But his hopes were dashed by Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?, which Michael actually ended up singing on.
However, it did finally make No1 last year mainly due to streaming, and the track represented a huge evolution in his songwriting.
It was a talent that would see him go on to sell more than 100million records as a solo artist.
Ridgeley, who refers to Michael as "Yog", said: "Yog felt undervalued as a songwriter, and the best way to make a point was with No1s.
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Michael loved Christmas because he was able to don fancy dress and step out in public and not be recognized.
The naysayers had been proved wrong throughout 1984 and his confidence had grown.
Ridgeley added: "I think he realised Wham! was a vehicle in which his songwriting could flourish.
"Through (1984 album) Make It Big and Last Christmas, it was some of his best work."
