Andrew Ridgeley finds “Last Christmas” as inescapable as you do at the holidays.
The Wham! star is calling via video from Central London, where “the pedicabs are playing it, so it’s a constant reminder,” he says with both amusement and pride, pausing for another listen. “And that’s Mariah.” (Laughs.)
George Michael and Ridgeley’s relentlessly cheery Christmas classic is celebrating its 40th anniversary (and a second year at No. 1 on the U.K. Christmas chart) with a commemorative EP, as well as a companion documentary, “Wham! Last Christmas Unwrapped” (streaming now on Netflix).
The latter is packed with fan service: The cast of the oh-so-’80s music video has a bittersweet reunion in Switzerland, where they poignantly remember Michael, who died on Christmas Day in 2016. Equally thrilling for the faithful will be photo evidence of George and Andrew going caroling in disguise.
Ridgeley, 61, spoke with USA TODAY about what he thinks of Whamageddon, the song’s connection to “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and the backstory behind that callously regifted rhinestone brooch.
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(Edited and condensed for clarity.)
Question: George wanted “Last Christmas” to be Wham!'s fourth No. 1 hit in 1984. But did he set out with the intention of writing a Christmas classic? Or did he even think it was?
Answer: It was an ambition. He conceived the melody and recognized that it would make a brilliant Christmas song. As our success grew through 1984, he wanted the icing on the cake. Christmas No. 1s for us growing up in the ‘70s were a big deal. They seemed to be the preserve of the elite artists of the day. I think Yog (Michael’s nickname) felt it would confer status and elevate the brand.
Lyrically, it's a very sad and conflicted song. What inspired that theme of sadness?
I never asked him, actually. It was such a brilliant juxtaposition of the sadness and lament of betrayed love against what is a really uplifting, light and pretty melody. I don’t think it was a consequence of any personal experience. I think he realized that subject matter is poignant at Christmas. I have no doubt that he meant to do it.
Was Whamageddon a thing in George’s lifetime? I’m sure he was aware that the song was polarizing for some people. Did that bother him? Or did that make him feel like he succeeded in writing something that people felt so passionately about?
(Laughs.) Wham! did polarize opinion from the word go, so we were used to that. On balance, we seemed to attract more positive than negative stuff. It certainly wasn’t a motivational part of writing the song. I don’t for the life of me get Whamageddon (a viral challenge to avoid the song as long as possible during the holidays), it's not a game over which one has much control or will. He wouldn't have known about it, I don't think.
Does it make you joyful to hear “Last Christmas”?
It’s not a song that I’ve tired of. I don’t listen to it start to finish very often, although this year, I’ve listened to it an awful lot. The vocal is so beautifully sung, such a beautiful tune, it’s so attractive as a melody. And certainly, the song itself is very well constructed. I can appreciate it for all its merits, and they are quite considerable.
I’m happy about the new attention being placed on the video. It’s just wonderful, there's some very tragic hair in there.
The lyric is very visual, very cinematic. It’s idyllic, spending Christmas with your friends in the mountains. People could see the genuine affection between those of us (in the video) who are friends. And it is incredibly charming. I think most of our fans would have wanted to sit around that table.
How did you arrive at using the brooch to link the love triangle?
My grandmother had given it to my mum, and my mum rarely wore it because it was old-fashioned. I’d worn it, actually, for some promo shots, and it seemed like a nice visual. Andy (Morahan, the music video’s director) recognized it would make a very good example of the love token.
Do you still have the brooch?
The brooch didn’t survive the manhandling over the years, the taking on and off of jackets. It disintegrated in the end. All the stones, all the glass, fell out. It came to a rather sad demise. But I think we may one day re-create it for people to have. I’ve had that conversation with our Wham! World design people and I think we may reproduce it.
The song is associated with Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (The famine-relief song famously kept “Last Christmas” from reaching No. 1.) George sings on both records. Why weren't you there?
Because I didn’t bother looking through my mail is the honest answer. We flew back (from shooting the video in Switzerland) and George went straight to (the recording session).
George diligently opened his correspondence and faxes, I didn’t. So I woke up and at my leisure went through things and saw that and thought, oh, well. Just another request.
