Revisiting ‘Last Christmas’ 40 Years Later

Hard to believe, but the holiday classic from Wham!, “Last Christmas,” was released 40 years ago in 1984!

The song by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley is the focus of a new BBC documentary called “Wham!: Last Christmas Unwrapped,” now streaming on Netflix.

The doc features Ridgeley returning to Saas-Fee, Switzerland, where the music video was filmed.

The video features the duo on vacation with friends over the holidays. Michael reflects that last Christmas, he gave his heart to a woman, who then gave her heart away – to Ridgeley!

Ridgeley said that despite the on-screen romantic rivalry, filming the video was fun!

“There was a lot that would have made for quite hair-raising outtakes. When George and I arrived, the others had already been enjoying the bar and it was already quite raucous. We were a group of friends having a wonderful time together and there was a real sense of camaraderie, togetherness, enjoyment and laughter — the carefree joys of youth,” Ridgeley told Hello! Magazine.

Ridgeley said revisiting Saas-Fee for the doc felt “incomplete” without Michael, whom he refers to as “Yog,” his childhood nickname. “We had a wonderful time and recreating those scenes felt like yesterday. But it was incomplete because Yog wasn’t with us. I think enough time has passed from his death that we’re able to reminisce and look back largely with fondness. He would have wanted us to enjoy being with each other, even if he weren’t there,” Ridgeley said.

Michael died eight years ago on Christmas Day 2016. At first, Ridgeley said it was hard to go through the holidays without his friend, but now he can remember him with fond memories.

The popularity of “Last Christmas” endures year after year. The song just hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ridgeley also said he’s working on more Wham! projects coming soon!

So, here’s a look at the music video, a teaser for the Netflix documentary, and some behind-the-scenes footage from the filming of the video.