113-530: " Last Christmas " is a song by English pop duo Wham! . Written and produced by George Michael , it was released on 3 December 1984 via CBS Records internationally and as a double A-side via Epic Records with " Everything She Wants " in several European countries. The song has been covered by many artists since its original release, including Whigfield , Crazy Frog , Billie Piper , Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande . Upon its initial release in 1984, "Last Christmas" spent five consecutive weeks at number two in
226-406: A Liverpool acquaintance of the members of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, removed the impostor band from his tour. After Johnson contacted the trade magazine Pollstar to confirm that the act was unauthorised, they were dropped by a booking agent, but were booked by small clubs throughout the southern United States. They continued to perform until at least September 2000, when a feature on the incident
339-499: A battle for the coveted Christmas number one spot in Britain seemed set to be between Wham! and the year's other big act, Frankie Goes to Hollywood , who had achieved a third No. 1 in early December with " The Power of Love ". The Band Aid single written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure , produced the No. 1 single " Do They Know It's Christmas? ", while Wham!'s offering peaked at No. 2 for much of
452-452: A cover of the Chic track " I Want Your Love ", and an album, Oh World , in 1989, which were unsuccessful. He released the single "That Moon" with Pressure Zone in 1991, and worked as a stylist for bands. He appeared in the music videos for " Walking on Broken Glass " (1992) by Annie Lennox and " Give In to Me " (1993) by Michael Jackson . He later moved to New Zealand. In 1998, a band using
565-564: A dramatically different arrangement without the band, using electronic instruments such as a drum machine and the Fairlight , an early sampling synthesiser. "Relax" was released in October 1983, backed by a music video set in an S&M club. Sound on Sound described it as a " hi-NRG brand of dance-synth-pop" that "broke new sonic ground, while epitomising '80s excess in all its garish, overblown glory". Initial sales were slow, but rose after
678-517: A face on it, couldn't it be a walking billboard?" The shirts quickly became popular, and Music Week reported in July 1984 that they were outselling the singles in some stores. By December, more than 250,000 T-shirts had been sold. Frankie Goes to Hollywood appeared in the 1984 thriller Body Double by Brian De Palma . In June, Frankie Goes to Hollywood released their second single, " Two Tribes ", featuring an "annihilating" bassline and lyrics about
791-663: A few songs at the encore of his performance at the Rock in Rio event at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On 21 November 2009, there was a Wham!-themed night on television's The X Factor in the UK. Michael later appeared on the show's final episode, performing a duet of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" with finalist and eventual winner Joe McElderry . In 2012, Michael said that there
904-520: A regular basis, peaking at No. 3 on 7 December 2019. In November 2016, total US sales of the digital track stood at 751,000 downloads according to Nielsen SoundScan , placing it 10th on the list of best-selling Christmas/holiday digital singles in US SoundScan history. The song debuted at No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the chart dated 7 January 2017, after George Michael died. In December 2018,
1017-572: A remorseful two-timer, had more emotional depth than previous releases. It reached No. 1, selling over 1.3 million copies in the UK. "Careless Whisper" marked a new phase in Michael's career, as his label Columbia/Epic began to somewhat distance him from the group Wham!'s playboy image. The next single was " Freedom " and was simply promoted as a Wham! single. Wham! used a video edited together from footage of their tour in China for "Freedom " 's single release in
1130-604: A reputation as a dance protest group. The debut record to be released by the band was "Wham Rap!" in June 1982. The song charted at only No. 105. In September 1982, " Young Guns (Go for It) " was issued. Initially, it also stalled outside the UK Top 40 but the band got lucky when the BBC programme Top of the Pops scheduled them after another act unexpectedly pulled out of the show. Wham!'s first manager
1243-595: A series of minigames to solve a murder mystery, with references to the band's lyrics, videos and artwork. By the end of 1984, following promotional touring in the United States, Johnson had distanced himself from the band. He spent time with his new boyfriend, Wolfgang Kuhle, who later became his manager. In 1985, Frankie Goes to Hollywood left the UK for a year for tax purposes and wrote songs for their second album in Ireland. The media reported that disputes had formed within
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#17329061371501356-477: A solo artist, as one half of a duo, and as part of a charity ensemble. At the end of 1985, the US Billboard charts listed "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" as the No. 3 song and "Careless Whisper" as the No. 1 song of the year. In March 1985, Wham! took a break from recording to embark on a lengthy world tour, including a ground-breaking 10-day visit to China, the first by a Western pop group. The China excursion
1469-411: A theme of their music and performances. They were connected to a rise in gay culture in 1980s Britain, alongside bands such as Bronski Beat . Morley said that Frankie Goes to Hollywood combined the "exploratory gay energy" of Johnson and Rutherford with the "heterosexual scouse energy" of the other band members. Bernard Rose, who directed the first "Relax" video, said Frankie Goes to Hollywood were
1582-614: A top-40 hit in Belgium, as well as on the European Hot 100 Singles , on which the song reached number 38. John Perry from NME named "Last Christmas" by Whigfield Single of the Week, writing, "Gird your loins and don that silly party hat, pop-pickers, because what we have here is the classic Christmas single. [...] The Whigster has taken what was a definitive Christmas song and given it a monster ' I Feel Love ' hi-NRG fuel-injection that will have
1695-405: A tour guide of Liverpool's musical heritage. He published a memoir, Nasher Says Relax , in 2012. O'Toole moved to Los Angeles, where he wrote and demoed new music, and later moved to Florida. Gill toured as part of an Australian soap actor's band, and formed a music production company, Love Station, which released singles featuring vocalists including Lisa Hunt . Rutherford released a single,
1808-559: A winter landscape. Whigfield's cover of "Last Christmas" climbed into the top 10 in both Denmark and Spain, peaking at numbers six and five, respectively. It was also a top-20 hit in Finland and a top-30 hit in Ireland and the United Kingdom. In the latter country, "Last Christmas" / "Big Time" peaked at number 21 during its first week on the UK singles chart , on 10 December 1995. It was additionally
1921-475: Is "right side up", and when Ridgeley's character wears it, he wears it "upside down". On numerous occasions, Michael presents a thoughtful expression, suggesting his conflicting emotions. As Michael is decorating the Christmas tree some decoration falls to the floor where Michael's ex-girlfriend is sitting and the ex-couple shares a few seconds of a knowing look at each other. At the end of the video, everyone leaves
2034-412: Is wearing more muted colours. There is a brief flashback to a prior Christmas, showing Michael's character presenting Kathy Hill's character with a jewelled brooch. In the present time, Ridgeley is wearing the brooch, suggesting that Hill gave the same gift (perhaps by regifting it) to her new love after she and Michael parted ways. When Hill wears the brooch after receiving it from Michael's character, it
2147-462: The 1985 Brit Award for Best British Single. The ZTT co-founder Paul Morley devised a promotional campaign involving "advertising-based slogans, playful propaganda and pseudo-philosophy". This included a line of T-shirts inspired by shirts created by Katharine Hamnett , bearing slogans such as "Frankie say relax" and "Frankie say arm the unemployed". Morley said he wanted to challenge the idea of music merchandise, asking: "Why did it have to have
2260-522: The Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act and were nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards and MTV Video Music Awards . Frankie Goes to Hollywood's second album, Liverpool (1986), sold fewer copies, and they disbanded acrimoniously in 1987. Johnson successfully sued ZTT to leave his contract and began a solo career. He declined invitations to reunite and tried to block the band from using
2373-504: The Cold War . Its music video, depicting a fight between Ronald Reagan and Konstantin Chernenko , was played extensively on MTV . The single spent nine weeks at number one on the UK singles chart. Frankie Goes to Hollywood held the top two spots of the chart simultaneously when "Relax" rose back to number two that August. Frankie Goes to Hollywood released their debut album, Welcome to
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#17329061371502486-530: The Eurovision Song Contest . They performed one song, "Welcome to the Pleasuredome". It was their first performance together since 1987. The performance drew praise but disappointed those hoping for more songs. The Telegraph gave it three out of five, writing that Johnson remained "a commanding presence" but that the short set was disappointing. The BBC wrote: "Maybe one song is as much time as
2599-546: The Liverpool tour, the relationship between Johnson and the band deteriorated. Before a concert at Wembley Arena in January, a fight broke out backstage between Johnson and O'Toole. Johnson said that ZTT had encouraged the rift as a means of divide and rule , and that Horn had once suggested Johnson and Rutherford fire the other members and work as a duo. Sinclair instead blamed Johnson's manager and boyfriend, Kuhle, who she said
2712-410: The UK singles chart . The BBC briefly banned them from broadcast for their provocative themes, drawing further publicity. In 2014, the music journalist Paul Lester wrote that "no band has dominated a 12-month period like Frankie ruled 1984". Johnson, Gill and O'Toole received the 1984 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Two Tribes". In 1985, Frankie Goes to Hollywood won
2825-559: The UK singles chart —it was held off the top spot at Christmas by Band Aid 's " Do They Know It's Christmas? " (on which Michael also performed). After many chart runs in subsequent years, which included three more weeks at number two, and which saw the recording become part of RCA Records' catalogue, the song finally reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on New Year's Day 2021 (chart week ending date 7 January 2021), more than 36 years after its initial release; in doing so, it became
2938-410: The cable-car that is visible in two shots is from Saas-Fee , Switzerland , where the video was filmed on 21 November 1984. It becomes clear early on that the character of Ridgeley's girlfriend (played by model Kathy Hill) was previously in a relationship with Michael and that the song is aimed at her. She can be spotted throughout the video by the fact that she is usually wearing red, but everyone else
3051-411: The iTunes Store . Grande's cover draws primarily from pop music , contemporary R&B and soul and also includes newly written lyrics in place of some of the originals. The verses have been described as having a more poppy and R&B vibe than the original. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. "Last Christmas" was covered by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen in 2015 and
3164-460: The 1980s in Channel 5 's Christmas 2020 countdown Britain's Favourite 80's Songs . It was the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century in the UK until it was overtaken by " Fairytale of New York " in 2011. "Last Christmas" had its beginnings in 1983, while George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley were visiting Michael's parents. It was written by Michael in his childhood bedroom. Michael played Ridgeley
3277-582: The Netherlands, the song never reached No. 1, peaking at No. 2 in January 1985 (behind Band Aid 's " Do They Know It's Christmas? "). In the Dutch Singles Top 100 (one of three charts in the Netherlands that claims to be the "official" chart, but it is the only one that is not broadcast and remains unpublished except on its own official web page), the song has now entered on 16 different occasions, including every year since 2006. Its highest position after 1984
3390-474: The Official Video Streaming Chart. The following week, the song set a new UK chart record and was streamed 17.1 million times, the most number of plays in a week. It became the UK's best-selling vinyl single release in 2019. In December 2023, for the first time in the song's history, it won the coveted Christmas number 1 spot on The Official Chart Show with Jack Saunders. In Germany, the song is
3503-603: The Pacemakers , in the 1960s. This record remained unbeaten until the Spice Girls achieved a six-single streak in 1996–1997. Writing in the Guardian in 2014, Paul Lester wrote that "no band has dominated a 12-month period like Frankie ruled 1984". As of 2014, "Relax" and "Two Tribes" were the sixth and 22nd-bestselling singles in UK history. In 1985, Frankie Goes to Hollywood won the Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act . In
Last Christmas - Misplaced Pages Continue
3616-506: The Pleasuredome , featuring "Relax" and "Two Tribes", in October 1984. It had advance sales of a million copies. A third single, the ballad " The Power of Love ", was released in November and reached number one in December. This made Frankie Goes to Hollywood the second act in the history of the UK charts to reach number one with their first three singles, after another Liverpool band, Gerry and
3729-404: The Sun Go Down on Me" with Elton John , while Ridgeley joined Kiki Dee in the row of backing singers. In November, Wham! released the single " I'm Your Man " which went to No. 1 in the UK charts. Around this time, Ridgeley began a relationship with Keren Woodward of Bananarama , and also took up the hobby of rally driving. " Last Christmas " was re-issued for the festive season and again made
3842-553: The Three Crowns Public House in Bushey Heath Hertfordshire , and hand him the band's demo tape. In February 1982, Dean met with Michael and Ridgeley and offered them a recording deal. "I'm going to offer Wham! a deal with my new label Innervision," Dean said. "It's not a huge thing, I'm taking a punt. I'd like you to have a crack at recording a single or two and we'll see what happens from there." Initially
3955-679: The Top 40 at No. 24 and peaked at No. 3 in December. The following year, Dee C. Lee began her work with Paul Weller in the Style Council , and was replaced by Helen 'Pepsi' DeMacque . Holliman and DeMacque would later record as Pepsi & Shirlie . Wham! followed up "Young Guns (Go for It)" with a reissue of "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)", " Bad Boys " and " Club Tropicana ". By the end of 1983, Wham! were competing against pop rivals Culture Club and Duran Duran as one of Britain's biggest pop acts. Their debut album Fantastic spent two weeks at No. 1 in
4068-428: The UK Top 10, peaking at No. 6, while Michael took up offers he was starting to receive to add his voice to other artists' songs. He performed backing vocals for David Cassidy ("The Last Kiss"), and also for Elton John on his successful singles " Nikita " (UK No. 3) and " Wrap Her Up " (UK No. 12), on which he sang co-lead vocals. Michael was keen to create music targeted at a more sophisticated adult market rather than
4181-524: The UK album charts in 1983, but the album achieved only modest success in the US. Soon after this, Ridgeley became conscious of legal problems with their initial contract at Innervision. While the legal battle raged, Innervision released a medley of non-single album tracks from Fantastic , entitled " Club Fantastic Megamix ". Wham! publicly denounced the release. After all the legal wrangling, Innervision settled out of court. Now signed to Epic Records , except in
4294-432: The US and a few other countries on Epic's sister label Columbia Records , Wham! returned in 1984 with a new album and an updated pop image. These changes helped to propel Wham!'s next single, " Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go ", into the top ten of several countries around the world. It became their first US and UK No. 1 single, accompanied by a video of the duo with Pepsi and Shirlie, all wearing Katharine Hamnett T-shirts with
4407-614: The US, where they were associated with the Second British Invasion , they received nominations for Best New Artist at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards and the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards . Their fourth single, " Welcome to the Pleasuredome ", was released in March 1985, and reached number two. That year, Ocean Software published a Frankie Goes to Hollywood game for the Commodore 64 , Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum . The player completes
4520-419: The US, which was in July 1985. Their second album, Make It Big , climbed to No. 1 on the album charts and the band set off on an arena tour at the end of 1984. The double A-side single " Last Christmas " / " Everything She Wants " became the highest-selling single ever to peak at No. 2 in the UK charts. It stayed at No. 2 for five weeks and, as of February 2020, was the 10th best-selling single of all time in
4633-422: The United Kingdom's unemployment problem and teen angst over adulthood. Their second studio album Make It Big in 1984 was a worldwide pop smash hit, charting at number one in both the UK and the United States. In 1985, Wham! made a highly publicised ten-day visit to China, the first by a Western pop group. The event was seen as a major watershed moment in increasing friendly bilateral relations between China and
Last Christmas - Misplaced Pages Continue
4746-464: The United Kingdom, selling over 1.9 million copies in the UK. Wham! donated all their royalties from the single to the Ethiopian famine appeal to coincide with the fund-raising intentions of Band Aid's " Do They Know It's Christmas? " the song which kept them out of the top spot. Nevertheless, Band Aid's success meant that Michael had achieved No. 1 status in the UK within three separate entities in 1984—as
4859-570: The West. In 1986, Wham! disbanded. Michael was keen to create music targeted at a more sophisticated adult market rather than the duo's primarily teenage audience. Before going their separate ways, they released a farewell single, " The Edge of Heaven ", and a greatest-hits album titled The Final , along with a farewell concert entitled the Final . Michael and Ridgeley met at Bushey Meads School in Bushey near
4972-512: The ZTT founders, later alleged that Johnson had been uncooperative and absent for most of the sessions. According to Nash, the Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon declined an invitation to replace Johnson. Pete Wylie was also approached, but Johnson remained and completed Liverpool . In August 1986, the first single from Liverpool , " Rage Hard ", was released, reaching number 4 in the UK. Liverpool
5085-537: The band again and felt the episode was a "debacle". In his 2012 memoir, Nash, who had also been uninterested in a reunion, described the VH1 episode as a "circus" that had tried to depict Johnson negatively. On 11 November 2004, Frankie Goes to Hollywood reunited without Johnson and Nash to perform at a Prince's Trust charity concert at Wembley Arena celebrating Horn's 25 years as a record producer. Johnson and Nash declined to take part. In his memoir, Nash wrote that he gave
5198-532: The band his blessing and watched from the audience. Following open auditions held on 31 October in Leicester Square , London, Ryan Molloy was selected as the new vocalist. O'Toole's brother Jed, who had played in the band in the 1980s, replaced Nash. PopMatters wrote that the Wembley performance had "unstoppable 1984 pop glory" and that "even strong detractors of the group would likely be won over by energy
5311-461: The band members radiate". The Independent wrote that it "fell somewhat flat". Writing in The Guardian , Alexis Petridis wrote that the show "ultimately underwhelms" and that the songs "were designed as studio-bound production extravaganzas, not live showstoppers". Nash praised the performance and wrote that "Molloy did a great job filling Holly's shoes". In his memoir, Horn wrote that Molloy
5424-452: The band performed on the BBC series Top of the Pops the following January. Soon after, the BBC banned "Relax" from its broadcasts , deeming it obscene. The ban created publicity, associating Frankie Goes to Hollywood with youth rebellion. Within two weeks, "Relax" reached number one on the UK singles chart and stayed there for four weeks, and the BBC was forced to reverse its ban. "Relax" won
5537-505: The band performing without him. In 2011, ZTT reissued Liverpool in an expanded edition, plus The Art of the 12" , a compilation of tracks from ZTT artists including Frankie Goes to Hollywood. In 2017, Universal Music purchased ZTT, including the Frankie Goes to Hollywood back catalogue. On 7 May 2023, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, including Johnson and Nash, reunited for a concert featuring multiple acts celebrating Liverpool music for
5650-410: The band were "better than people gave them credit for", and cited "The Power of Love", " Born to Run " and "Krisco Kisses" as examples of their playing on Welcome to the Pleasuredome . In 2014, the music journalist Paul Lester wrote that although Frankie Goes to Hollywood were "arguably the last great British pop sensation", they were rarely cited as an influence on other artists. He wrote that this
5763-765: The band, O'Toole, Nash and Gill constituted a group known as the Lads. Frankie Goes to Hollywood played their first gig at a Liverpool pub, Pickwick's, where they recruited the dancer and backing singer Paul Rutherford . Nash said the band admired the Liverpool groups Echo & the Bunnymen , Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and the Teardrop Explodes : "That was music from Liverpool but from our generation. You would see these people walking around town, you'd see Ian McCulloch getting on
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#17329061371505876-581: The band. They began recording their second album, Liverpool , in Wisseloord Studios , near Amsterdam, in November 1985. Between March and June 1986, they worked in ZTT's studio Sarm West in London. The album was produced by the ZTT engineer Stephen Lipson ; Horn took over mixing in its final stages. Johnson remained distant from the band during the sessions and was unhappy about the album's focus on rock over dance. Jill Sinclair , Horn's wife and one of
5989-502: The biggest-selling single in UK chart history not to reach number one, and the 10th best-selling UK single overall. As of December 2023, "Last Christmas" has sold over 1.93 million physical copies and downloads, becoming the eighth best-selling single of all time in the UK overall. It was certified sextuple platinum in December 2023. In December 2019, it peaked at No. 1 on both the UK Official Vinyl Singles Chart and on
6102-490: The brow of junk culture". As only Johnson performed on the studio version of "Relax", and the band did not tour during 1984 at the height of their popularity, rumours spread that they could not play their instruments. Johnson said the media had undermined them and underestimated their contributions to their records. Horn said later that the British music media often misunderstood the processes involved in studio recording. He said
6215-498: The bus. I never saw any of the Beatles on the bus." In February 1983, Frankie Goes to Hollywood performed on the Channel 4 show The Tube , dressed in fetish wear . That May, they became the first act signed by ZTT Records , a new record label co-founded by the producer Trevor Horn . Horn admired the "dangerous" sexuality of their music. " Relax " was selected as their first single. After recording several versions, Horn created
6328-646: The charts on 1 January 2021, 36 years after its original 1984 release. In the process, "Last Christmas" achieved the chart record for the longest time taken for a single to peak at the top of the UK singles chart after its first release, a feat that had previously been held by " (Is This The Way To) Amarillo? by Tony Christie , which topped the chart in March 2005, 33 years and four months after its initial release in November 1971. The record has since been surpassed in June 2022 by Kate Bush with " Running Up That Hill ", which took 37 years. By February 2020, "Last Christmas" had sold over 1.90 million copies, being at that time
6441-441: The cottage and when the group get out of the cable-car, they are all properly "paired off" with Michael and his new girlfriend played by actress Debbie Killingback, looking happy. The video also featured the duo's backing singers Pepsi and Shirlie . The music video, originally shot on 35mm film, was released on 13 December 2019 in 4K Ultra HD resolution. The music video's original film director Andy Morahan had found seven out of
6554-513: The duo's primarily teenage audience, and therefore, he and Ridgeley officially announced the break-up of Wham! in the spring of 1986. Before going their separate ways, a farewell single " The Edge of Heaven ", and a greatest hits album titled The Final would be forthcoming, along with a farewell concert entitled the Final . Announcing the break-up, Michael said: "I think it should be the most amicable split in pop history." The farewell single reached No. 1 in June 1986. " Where Did Your Heart Go? "
6667-504: The efforts of rock band Queen to be the first to play in China: he made two brochures for the Chinese authorities; one featuring Wham! fans as pleasant middle-class youngsters and one portraying Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury in typically flamboyant poses. The Chinese opted for Wham!. British director Lindsay Anderson was engaged to accompany Wham! to China and make a documentary film about
6780-481: The eight rolls of original 35mm rushes and worked with teams at Cinelab London and VFX artist Russ Shaw at Nice Biscuits post production to recreate the video using the higher-resolution film. Sales figures based on certification alone. Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. Streaming-only figures based on certification alone. The film Last Christmas (2019) prominently features
6893-408: The end of its final concert. 72,000 people attended the eight-hour event, which included support artists, on a scorching hot day in London. The duo had been together for five years, selling over 28 million records and 15 million singles. Foreign Skies , the documentary of their tour of China, received its world premiere as part of the festivities. In January 1991, Ridgeley joined Michael on stage for
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#17329061371507006-516: The episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden airing on 16 December 2015. Bianca Gracie of Idolator described the song as "quintessential Carly" for highlighting Jepsen's unique vocals and synth production and wrote that her cover will "charm your... socks off". Nolan Feeney of Time echoed those sentiments, noting that "Last Christmas" is "the kind of brokenhearted yet warm and sweet song [Jepsen] excels at". Jackson McHenry of Vulture applauded Jepsen for her straightforward approach to
7119-433: The essence of what set us apart—our energy and our friendship—and then it came to us: Wham! Wham! was snappy, immediate, fun and boisterous too." British graphic design studio Stylorouge was credited with adding the exclamation mark to the name of the band. Ridgeley and Michael worked persistently to get a foot in the door with recording executives. Ridgeley would frequently run into Mark Dean from Innervision Records at
7232-484: The fifth UK number one single for the duo. Prior to it reaching number one, "Last Christmas" had for many years held the record as the highest-selling single never to top the charts by the Official Charts Company (OCC) with 1.9 million copies sold (not including streams). This record is now held by " Mr. Brightside " by The Killers . The song reached number one in the UK after it was streamed 9.2 million times in
7345-500: The first openly gay major pop act, before gay artists such as Boy George , George Michael , Freddie Mercury or Elton John had come out , and "caused a shockwave". As Frankie Goes to Hollywood rose in popularity, some outlets reported that they were a "manufactured" group controlled by ZTT. A 1984 article in the Washington Post described them as "a modern-day Monkees , a post-punk Village People sprung forth fully armed from
7458-406: The first openly gay pop acts and made gay rights and sexuality a theme of their music and performances. Frankie Goes to Hollywood signed to ZTT Records in 1983. Their debut album, Welcome to the Pleasuredome (1984), produced by Trevor Horn , achieved advance sales of more than a million, and their first three singles, " Relax ", " Two Tribes " and " The Power of Love ", reached number one on
7571-407: The first version of Frankie Goes to Hollywood with Phil Hurst (drums), Ambrose (bass), Steve Lovell (guitar), but the group soon split. The name came from an advertisement announcing Frank Sinatra 's film debut. In 1982, Johnson restarted the group with Peter Gill (drums) and the brothers Mark (bass) and Jed O'Toole (guitar). Jed left before 1983, and was replaced by his cousin, Brian Nash. Within
7684-515: The five band members can bear to share a stage for—but at least they proved that they and their music can still sound compelling and fresh." On 10 May, Working Title Films announced it was developing a Frankie Goes to Hollywood biographical film , Relax , based on Johnson's memoir. Bernard Rose , the director of the first "Relax" music video, is set to direct, with Callum Scott Howells as Johnson. Johnson and Rutherford are openly gay, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood made gay rights and sexuality
7797-573: The introduction and chorus melody to "Last Christmas", which Ridgeley later called "a moment of wonder". The song was recorded in August 1984, at Advision Studios , London , England. George Michael wrote, performed, produced and played every single instrument on the track. With a LinnDrum drum machine, a Roland Juno-60 synth and sleigh bells, they began recording the song in the summer, Michael having "plastered [the studio] in Christmas decorations to set
7910-449: The last week of 2020 and sold 1,555 downloads, resulting in a total of 40,149 combined sales. Having been the Christmas number two again in 2022, "Last Christmas" finally achieved the accolade of Christmas number one in 2023, 39 years after its initial release. Combining sales and streams, it also became the third biggest song of all time in the UK. Outside the United Kingdom, the song topped the charts in fourteen countries and peaked within
8023-487: The latter reached No. 47. The single was released in 1993 on CD single in the country and peaked at No. 17, selling nearly 40,000 copies that week. It was reissued in November 2001 and 2004 as a two-track CD with the single edit and the " pudding mix". As a result of the success, "Last Christmas" is the eighth best-selling single of all time in Japan released by a non-Japanese act, with total physical sales of 683,000 units. In
8136-475: The lawsuit had been "stupid". Soon after the breakup, Nash, O'Toole and Gill attempted to re-form Frankie Goes to Hollywood with a new singer, Grant Boult. According to Nash, they recorded songs in a deal with London Records . Johnson blocked the project, saying it would devalue their achievements. Johnson began a solo career with MCA, and released a number-one album, Blast , in 1989. His second solo album, Dreams That Money Can't Buy , released in 1991,
8249-418: The mood". The only other people in the studio were engineer Chris Porter and two assistants, Paul Gommersal and Richard Moakes. According to Porter, lyrically "you've got the happiness of the rhythm track, but against that you've got the sadness of the unrequited love". Wham! already had two number one singles on the UK singles chart during 1984, and news that they were planning a Christmas single meant that
8362-490: The most successful Christmas single of all time, having spent 169 weeks on the German Singles Chart and attained a peak position of No. 1 on 24 December 2021. It has charted every year since 1997. In January 2008, the song fell from No. 4 to No. 64 there, also making it the biggest fall out of the top 10 on the singles chart. In Ireland the single went to number one for one week in December 1984 before being replaced at
8475-602: The most successful pop acts during the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to 1986. Associated with the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US, the singles " Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go ", " Careless Whisper ", and " Everything She Wants " all topped the US Billboard Hot 100 . Influenced by funk and soul music and presenting themselves as disaffected youth, Wham!'s 1983 debut album Fantastic addressed
8588-464: The music of George Michael, including this song. The song is featured in the movie, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever which was played twice. On behalf of the writers of the song " Can't Smile Without You ", made popular by Barry Manilow , publishing company Dick James Music sued Michael for plagiarism in the mid-1980s, claiming that "Last Christmas" lifted its melody from the former. The case
8701-486: The name Forbidden Hollywood, as Johnson would not allow them to use the original name. In April 2004, Johnson attempted to register the name Frankie Goes to Hollywood as a trademark for his exclusive use, arguing that it was his intellectual property as he had used it for a previous band. The other band members opposed the registration. In 2007 it was blocked by an Intellectual Property Office judge, who ruled that Johnson had acted in bad faith in an attempt to prevent
8814-538: The name Frankie Goes to Hollywood began to tour the United States. They were led by an American using the stage name Davey Johnson, who claimed he was Holly's brother and had performed uncredited on Welcome to the Pleasuredome . Horn and the members of Frankie Goes to Hollywood refuted both claims. O'Toole, who had been living in Florida, became aware of the impostor band and warned concert promoters not to hire them. The Flock of Seagulls frontman Mike Score , who had been
8927-536: The name. In 2004, Frankie Goes to Hollywood reunited without Johnson and Nash to perform at a Prince's Trust charity concert, with Ryan Molloy on vocals, and held a tour in 2005. They reunited with Johnson and Nash for the first time since 1987 to perform for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest . Frankie Goes to Hollywood formed in Liverpool in 1980. The lead singer, Holly Johnson , had previously played in Big in Japan and had released some unsuccessful solo singles. He formed
9040-450: The nation stomping those accursed parsnips into Auntie Mabel's best rug in front of The Queen..." "Last Christmas" was recorded in 2006 for Warner Bros. Records by Ashley Tisdale . The song was released to US radios on 11 November 2006 and as a digital download on 21 November 2006. This song was the first single released by Ashley Tisdale in her deal with Warner Bros. Records and became her official first holiday single. Tisdale performed
9153-491: The pair wrote songs such as " Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) " and " Club Tropicana " together, but part way through the recording of their debut album Fantastic , the pair agreed that Michael was the stronger songwriter, and would take creative control. Still teenagers, they promoted themselves as hedonistic youngsters, proud to live a carefree life without work or commitment. This was reflected in their earliest singles which, part-parody, part-social comment, briefly earned Wham!
9266-535: The period. Wham! donated all "Last Christmas" / " Everything She Wants " royalties, the former of which exceeded £250,000 (equivalent to £1,010,000 in 2023), to the Ethiopian famine relief fund. In subsequent years, the song entered the UK Top 40 on 15 occasions, reaching the Top 10 no fewer than six times (including a run of five consecutive years between 2016 and 2020). In 1985 and 2017 it equalled its best ever chart position of number two, before finally topping
9379-722: The single in 2007 on Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Christmas in Rockefeller Center , and in 2009 in the Citadel Outlets of Los Angeles , California . The song was one of the B-sides on the European CD singles of Tisdale's first single " Be Good to Me " and Tisdale's second single " He Said She Said ", from the album Headstrong . The song has been included on several compilation albums, including Disney Channel Holiday and A Very Special Christmas 7 . "Last Christmas"
9492-412: The slogans "CHOOSE LIFE" and "GO GO". The next single was " Careless Whisper ", featuring only Michael in the music video. In certain markets, the single was promoted as "Wham! featuring George Michael", and in other markets, including the UK, it was credited to Michael as a solo act but, unlike any Wham! single except "Wham Rap!" and "Club Tropicana", it was also co-written with Ridgeley. The song, about
9605-401: The snow, collecting logs and taking them to a large house preparing for a Christmas party, a similar video was made for McElderry's version of " O Come All Ye Faithful ". The advert and both videos were directed by Steve Lucker. "Last Christmas" was covered by American singer Ariana Grande , and serves as the lead single from Grande's Christmas Kisses . It was released on 19 November 2013 in
9718-432: The song and avoiding the "vocal gymnastics" that bog down some Christmas covers. A more critical review came from music blog Popcrush , who deemed the cover overproduced, saying "The slick production is a disservice to both Jepsen's vocals and the original's emotional heft." Wham! Wham! were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981 consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley . They were one of
9831-526: The song became the first Christmas single to chart during the year-end holiday season, debuting at number 38 for the week ending November 23. In 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021, "Last Christmas" reached No. 1 in the Swedish singles chart . The music video to "Last Christmas" directed by British commercial, film and music video director Andrew Morahan , shows Wham! members Michael and Ridgeley accompanying girlfriends to see friends at an unspecified ski resort cottage;
9944-456: The song re-entered the Hot 100, reaching No. 25 in January 2019, and then a new peak of No. 11 in the first issue of 2020. On the issue dated 2 January 2021, "Last Christmas" reached No. 9 on the Hot 100, its first foray into the top 10 and returning Wham! to the top 10 after a 35-year break. The following year, on the issue dated 1 January 2022, the song reached No. 7. On the issue dated 24 December 2022,
10057-583: The song reached a new peak of No. 6 on the Hot 100. On the year's last issue of the Billboard Hot 100, dated 31 December 2022, "Last Christmas" reached top five. On Billboard ' s first issue of 2023, dated 7 January, the song reached a new peak of No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), it was certified double platinum in December 2019 and has sold 2 million digital units. In 2024,
10170-568: The success of Frankie Goes to Hollywood was a result of ZTT's production and marketing and that Johnson had been disruptive and uncooperative. Johnson's team argued that ZTT had been financially irresponsible when recording Liverpool , and that their contract constituted an unreasonable restraint of trade . In 1988, the High Court found in Johnson's favour and the band members were released from their contract. Horn later wrote that his decision to pursue
10283-461: The top by Band Aid 's " Do They Know It's Christmas? ". It also went back to number one in Ireland at the end of December 2022. The single was originally released in two different formats in Japan with different cover art, a 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl (Long version) both with "Credit Card Baby" as their B-side. The former entered the top 20 of the Oricon Singles Chart peaking at No. 15, while
10396-521: The top ten of the charts in several countries including Australia, Canada and the United States. It also reached number two on the Billboard Global 200 in January 2021. Wham! donated all of their royalties to relief efforts for the Ethiopian famine . In a UK-wide poll in December 2012, it was voted eight on the ITV television special The Nation's Favourite Christmas Song and was voted most popular song of
10509-519: The town of Watford in Hertfordshire. The two at first performed in a short-lived ska band called the Executive, alongside former school friends David Mortimer (later known as David Austin ), Andrew Leaver, Tony Bywaters, Jamie Gould and Paul Ridgeley. When this group split, Michael and Ridgeley eventually formed Wham! Ridgeley explained that the name originated from a need for "something that captured
10622-462: The visit. Anderson called his one-hour and 18 minute film If You Were There . In the final stages of editing, Anderson was dismissed by Wham!'s management, the editing team quit, and the film was re-edited, renamed and released as Wham! in China: Foreign Skies . According to a 2006 interview with The Independent , Andy Stephens, manager for Michael, said that the film [Anderson's version]
10735-409: Was Bryan Morrison . The effect of Wham! on the public was felt from the moment they finished their debut performance of "Young Guns (Go for It)" on Top of the Pops . Michael and Ridgley wore white espadrilles sockless, an open suede jacket and polo shirt, and rolled-up denim jeans. Ridgeley stood behind him, flanked by backing singers Dee C. Lee and Shirlie Holliman . Afterwards, the song shot into
10848-466: Was "a hell of a good frontman". The Wembley performance was followed by a series of concerts across Europe in 2005, including at Northampton Balloon Festival , and Big Gay Out in Finsbury Park , London. In 2006, Molloy said he had written new songs for Frankie Goes to Hollywood. However, the material went unreleased and a European tour was canceled. The group remained active until 2007 using
10961-558: Was No. 4 (during the 2016 and 2018 Christmas season). In the Dutch Mega Top 50 (which was first published in 1993), the song re-appeared in 1997, 2000, 2007, 2008, and 2013. "Last Christmas" was not released commercially as a single in the United States until November 2014, when it was made available on 12" vinyl as a Record Store Day exclusive. Since then, the song has re-entered the Billboard Holiday Songs Chart on
11074-626: Was a negative influence and had triggered resentment in the band. Nash recalled: "During the last tour, everybody knew it would end, as the relationship between Holly and the rest of us was so strained. He didn't want to be in a band situation anymore. Everybody was fed up with the whole thing." Their last concert was on 1 March 1987, at Rotterdam Ahoy in the Netherlands. On 23 July, Johnson told ZTT that he planned to leave and sign to MCA Records . ZTT filed an injunction to prevent this, as their record contract specified that any member who left would remain contracted to ZTT. In court, ZTT argued that
11187-599: Was a publicity scheme devised by Simon Napier-Bell (one of their two managers; Jazz Summers being the other). It began with a concert at the Peoples' Gymnasium in Beijing in front of 12,000 people. They also played a concert in front of 5,000 in Canton. The two concerts were played without compensation. Wham!'s visit to China attracted huge media attention across the world. Napier-Bell later admitted that he used cunning tactics to sabotage
11300-425: Was because "it would be impossible to recreate what they did". Morley observed that despite having released two of most successful records of the 1980s, they had become "slightly lost ... The fact that something was so successful yet is part of a shadowy history is ultimate proof that it was special. They were like some contorted, profound novelty band." However, he argued that they had changed how commercial pop music
11413-410: Was covered by the cast of Glee , led by Lea Michele , Cory Monteith with Amber Riley , and was released in 2009 exclusively on iTunes as a charity single, then in 2010 on Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album . The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 , becoming the first time a cover version of the song appeared on that chart. British singer Joe McElderry covered the song in 2011. This version
11526-473: Was covered in 2006 by Crazy Frog and released as a Christmas single. "Last Christmas" was recorded in 2007 by Cascada . It was released on iTunes in November 2007. The single had only a digital release but six days later, it was released on the single " What Hurts the Most " which was the first single from their second album . It was also released as part of their Christmas album, It's Christmas Time . The song
11639-498: Was dismissed when a musicologist presented 60-odd songs from the past century that had a comparable chord sequence and melody. Italian dance act Whigfield covered "Last Christmas" and released it as a double A-side with " Big Time " in the UK in December 1995. The single was also released as a double A-side single in Germany with " Close to You ". In other countries, "Last Christmas" was released on its own with various remixes. The single
11752-466: Was no truth in speculation that he and Ridgeley were set for a Wham! reunion to mark the 30th anniversary of the group's first album. Michael died from heart and liver disease at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire on Christmas Day 2016, at the age of 53. Upon hearing of Michael's death, Ridgeley paid his respects on Twitter, saying, "Heartbroken at the loss of my beloved friend Yog." Michael
11865-425: Was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in November 2023, with Ridgeley as the induction presenter. Frankie Goes to Hollywood Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English pop band that formed in Liverpool in 1980. They comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Mark O'Toole (bass), Brian Nash (guitar) and Peter Gill (drums). They were among
11978-404: Was produced by Larry Pignagnoli and reached number 21 in the UK, which was Whigfield's final release on Systematic Records. It also appears on various Special Edition versions of her debut album, Whigfield (1995), and also on Whigfield II (1997). The accompanying music video for Whigfield's cover was directed by Italian director Giacomo De Simone, featuring the singer performing the song in
12091-549: Was published in Spin . In 2000, ZTT released a Frankie Goes to Hollywood greatest-hits compilation, Maximum Joy , featuring remixes by acts including Apollo 440 . The members of Frankie Goes to Hollywood reunited in Holloway, London , for a 2003 episode of the VH1 show Bands Reunited , but did not perform. In an interview the following year, Johnson said he had not wanted to perform with
12204-531: Was released as a single on 19 December 2011, an EP was also released digitally in Ireland on 4 November 2011, and in the UK on 7 November 2011. Joe McElderry's version is taken from his third studio album, Classic Christmas , released 28 November 2011. 7th Heaven Remix & Production have done a remix for the song. A short music video was made using footage which was filmed for the Classic Christmas ' s album advertising, it features McElderry outside in
12317-559: Was released in October 1986 and reached UK No. 5. It received poor reviews and chart returns declined rapidly with the follow-up singles "Warriors of the Wasteland" (No. 19) and " Watching the Wildlife " (No. 28). Horn spent three months creating remixes of "Watching the Wildlife" and "Warriors of the Wasteland" for the single releases, spending an estimated £50,000. By March 1988, Liverpool had sold around 800,000 copies. During
12430-461: Was released to digital retailers on 20 November 2015 through 604 Records (in Canada) and Interscope Records and School Boy Records (internationally). Jepsen's rendition was praised by critics for combining stylistic elements similar to the original with modern production. She performed the song live at the annual NBC television special Christmas in Rockefeller Center airing on 2 December 2015, and on
12543-491: Was simply not good enough to be shown in public: "It's a dreadful film ... It's 20 years old and it's rubbish. Why on earth should we allow it to be shown?" However, after viewing it in 2008, critic and journalist John Harris described it as "a rich, poetic, panoramic portrait of China's strangeness to the eyes of outsiders". Sporting a beard, Michael appeared with Ridgeley onstage at Live Aid on 13 July 1985 (although they did not perform as Wham!). Michael sang "Don't Let
12656-591: Was the group's final single in the United States. The song, originally recorded by Was (Not Was) , was a gloomy and sombre affair. The duo's last release was a double-LP collection of all the singles to date, including some extended versions. This was released in North America as the severely pared-down Music from the Edge of Heaven with alternate tracks. At London's Wembley Stadium on 28 June 1986, Wham! bid goodbye to their fans and each other with an emotional embrace at
12769-538: Was unsuccessful. That year, Johnson was diagnosed with HIV and retreated from public life to focus on his health. In 1994, he published an autobiography, A Bone in My Flute . He has since released further albums and studied at the Royal College of Art . Nash returned to work as an electrician, and signed to Swanyard Records to record music with Boult as Low . He later became an officiator of weddings and funerals and
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