Andrew Ridgeley has been promoting the new BBC documentary Wham!: Last Christmas Unwrapped, which gives an insider look into the making of Wham!’s holiday classic from 1984. “Last Christmas” was released 40 years ago, complete with a story-telling music video featuring Andrew and his bandmate George Michael. George portrayed a boy who had given his heart to some girl last Christmas, only for her to give it away to Andrew’s character. Also appearing in the music video were Wham!’s backing vocalists, Pepsi DeMacque and Shirlie Holliman of the Pepsi and Shirlie duo.
The visuals for “Last Christmas” were appealing for the holidays, as it was set in a snowy ski resort. Decades later, Andrew, Pepsi, and Shirlie revisited the places where the music video was shot for the newly released BBC documentary. Although it was a wholesome full-circle moment, Andrew wished he had his late friend and partner George to explore the Swiss Mountains with. He admitted that the making of Wham! Last Christmas Unwrapped felt incomplete without George, who died of heart and liver disease on December 25, 2016.
Andrew Ridgeley wishes George Micheal was alive for ‘Last Christmas’ documentary
Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael were best friends since high school and soon became music collaborators, forming the Wham! Duo. They were together until 1986, when George decided to pursue and prioritize a solo career, leading to the duo’s amicable split. They even released a farewell single titled “The Edge of Heaven,” which they performed together at their last concert in Wembley Stadium. George went on to release his debut album Faith, which won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. It took Andrew a while to release his own solo project, Son of Albert, after which he retired from music.
Andrew admitted to Hello! magazine that the making of the Last Christmas Unwrapped film felt like it was missing a piece because of George’s absence. He added that enough time has passed since his demise, so the rest of the crew is remembering him from a place of fondness rather than hurt. Andrew Ridgeley also highlighted the painful irony of the fact that George died on Christmas day, seeing it was his favorite time of the year. He died at 53, with the cause of his death ruled as dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver.
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‘Last Christmas’ would have never existed without George Michael
“Last Christmas” was written and produced by George and was reportedly created when he visited his parent’s house. Andrew said George was holed up in his childhood bedroom for up to an hour, only to emerge from there with the song’s melody fully formed. The song showcased his talent as a multi-talented instrumentalist, having played most of the instruments on the track ,including drums and the keyboard. He actually recorded the track during the summer in August 1984 at the Advision Studios in London.
Upon release, “Last Christmas” spent five consecutive weeks on the number two spot of the UK singles chart, while another holiday track by Band Aid, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” was number one. Decades after its release, “Last Christmas” hit number one while holding the record as the highest-selling single yet to top the charts by the Official Charts Company (OCC). They had sold up to 1.9 million copies before the feat, not counting the number of streams.
This holiday, fans get to see the behind-the-scenes of this masterpiece, as well as the Swiss ski resort of Saas Fee, where the music video was filmed. The documentary Last Christmas Unwrapped is available to stream on Netflix, and Andrew Ridgeley promises more Wham!-themed projects in the coming months, signaling his re-emergence to the spotlight since the mid-80s.