The pop duo, Pepsi and Shirlie, known for their contributions as backing singers for Wham!, have reminisced on the continued legacy of George Michael during a celebration of the 40th Anniversary of ‘Last Christmas’.
Wham!, comprised of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley who are known for their boisterous charm within 1980s pop, released ‘Last Christmas’ December 3, 1984. The single, written by Michael, portrays the vicissitude of love and loss, especially during the re-encounter of an ex-significant other during the festive season. The band cleverly juxtapose the track’s heart-wrenching and sorrowful lyrics with sleigh bells and a synth, which maintains the melody, to blur both melancholy and festivities into a realistic perspective of Christmas.
In an interview with This Morning, Pepsi and Shirlie delved into ‘Last Christmas’. They recollected on their time shooting its iconic music video in the Swiss ski resort Saas-Fee, to which Pepsi recalled there was “no acting involved in that moment”, during the many scenes that saw the group drinking wine around a table and having snowball fights near the mountains – the group portrayed an infectious camaraderie during their celebration of Christmas, which has meant according to Shirlie: “the song hasn’t dated and the video hasn’t dated”.
The group recently went back to Saas-Fee for the anniversary, where they saw the unveiling of the local community’s statue of Wham! in commemoration of the music video. As Shirlie claims that when “working with George Michael, it’s going to be a success whatever he did”. Despite this, ‘Last Christmas’ fell short of the Christmas Number 1 in 1984, due to Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’, which Michael happens to feature on. The pair revealed all royalties made from ‘Last Christmas’ are still donated to Band Aid, forty years on, a promise made by Michael himself.
The track continues to be labelled as a ‘favourite’ and ‘traditional’ Christmas song as it fights for the Christmas top spot year after year. However, this accomplishment was 39 years in the making, as the single was finally claimed Christmas Number 1 last year for the first time.
The ‘Heartache’ pop duo share a fondness when discussing their memories of Michael, who would have passed away eight years ago this Christmas Day. Shirlie thoughtfully recalls Michael’s love for Christmas, given his ability to slip away into the crowds and enjoy the festivities around him, due to Christmas being “bigger than him”. The pair revealed to This Morning hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley that the group of friends would go carol singing around London, along with Michael’s annual tradition to host extravagant Christmas parties in his home and decorate his entire street for the occasion.
The 40th Anniversary of ‘Last Christmas’ along with Pepsi and Shirlie’s remarks on the single’s legacy welcome the release of BBC 2’s newest documentary: ‘Wham! Last Christmas Unwrapped’, to be aired on December 14 at 8:35pm GMT, which sees the creatives behind the iconic single delve into its creation, the memories it ignites 40 years on and its continued cultural legacy. The sentiment of the documentary is clear – Christmas is George Michael’s time of year, “so now we just have to enjoy it in his behalf”.
