{"id":7194,"date":"2026-11-10T11:58:27","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T16:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/?p=7194"},"modified":"2026-11-10T11:58:29","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T16:58:29","slug":"instead-of-holiday-cheer-george-michael-penned-a-christmas-classic-about-a-bitter-breakup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/instead-of-holiday-cheer-george-michael-penned-a-christmas-classic-about-a-bitter-breakup\/","title":{"rendered":"Instead of Holiday Cheer, George Michael Penned a Christmas Classic About a Bitter Breakup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLast Christmas\u201d by Wham! remains an enduring holiday hit. Written by George Michael and released in 1984 by his duo with Andrew Ridgeley, the single describes the aftermath of a bitter breakup, which supports <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/3-great-holiday-songs-to-get-you-through-the-festive-season\/\">my case that the best Christmas songs are often the saddest<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>You Gave It Away<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wham! - Last Christmas (Official Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/E8gmARGvPlI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the hook, Michael uses a gift metaphor to explain the hurt he feels after his partner has moved on. Now the pop star looks for someone who won\u2019t return his present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Last Christmas, I gave you my heart,<br>But the very next day, you gave it away.<br>This year, to save me from tears,<br>I\u2019ll give it to someone special.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He\u2019s not over his lover. They meet the following year, and now Michael feels almost like a stranger. He says \u201cbaby\u201d, but the ex seems to respond with indifference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the track hints at optimism, but the lyrics reiterate Michael\u2019s despair\u2014like someone who\u2019s feeling depressed while a Christmas party rages around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Once bitten and twice shy,<br>I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye.<br>Tell me, baby, do you recognize me?<br>Well, it\u2019s been a year; it doesn\u2019t surprise me<\/em>.<br><em>Happy Christmas, I wrapped it up and sent it,<br>With a note saying, \u201cI love you\u201d, I meant it.<br>Now I know what a fool I\u2019ve been,<br>But if you kissed me now, I know you\u2019d fool me again<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>Sounds Familiar<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though the tune is sad, it\u2019s also incredibly catchy. \u201cLast Christmas\u201d echoes\u2014or borrows from, depending on who you ask\u2014\u201cCan\u2019t Smile Without You\u201d, a hit for Barry Manilow in 1978.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A plagiarism case was brought to court in the mid-80s, but it was tossed out after a musicologist presented <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/music\/2017\/dec\/14\/still-saving-us-from-tears-story-george-michael-last-christmas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">evidence<\/a> of more than 60 songs with similar melodic and chordal structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, what you can\u2019t claim copyright of is a broken heart. And in \u201cLast Christmas\u201d, Michael makes one thing clear: He can\u2019t smile without his ex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>A crowded room, friends with tired eyes,<br>I\u2019m hiding from you and your soul of ice.<br>My God, I thought you were someone to rely on,<br>Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on<\/em>.<br><br><em>Photo by Michael Putland\/Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In &#8220;Last Christmas&#8221; by Wham!, George Michael describes the aftermath of a bitter breakup in this enduringly sad holiday classic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":973477,"featured_media":7197,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":316,"post_id":2139}}]},"savage_platform_role_ideator":[],"savage_platform_role_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_senior_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_photographer":[],"savage_platform_role_illustrator":[],"savage_platform_role_translator":[],"savage_platform_role_as-told-to":[],"savage_platform_role_reviewed-by":[],"savage_platform_disable_recirculation":false,"savage_platform_article_type":"news","savage_platform_vice_article_type":"article","savage_platform_article_intent":"","savage_platform_show_affiliate_disclaimer":false,"savage_platform_markdown_available":false,"savage_platform_markdown_version":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"wp_curate_deduplication":false,"wp_curate_unique_pinned_posts":false,"savage_platform_featured_image_caption":"Photo by Michael Putland\/Getty Images","_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"savage_platform_subheadline":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[202,36,121],"byline":[316],"class_list":["post-7194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-george-michael","tag-pop-music","tag-wham"],"savage_platform_primary_term":{"category":{"term_name":"Features","term_id":12,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/category\/features\/"},"post_tag":{"term_name":"George Michael","term_id":202,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/tag\/george-michael\/"}},"hide_from_homepage":false,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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