Article Could “Last Christmas” Become the New “White Christmas”?

[George Michael]

Can you name a popular Christmas song that was written after 1960? “White Christmas” is from the early 1940s. ”The Christmas Song.” 1944. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” First sung commercially in 1948. “Jingle Bells.” Go back to 1857. Artists have written plenty of holidays tunes in recent years, but many of the most popular are aged. Over the past decade, however, one modern song has quietly become an unexpected holiday standard: “Last Christmas” by Wham!

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers last month released a list, including “White Christmas,” of the Top 25 most-performed holiday songs of the decade. The bulk of the songs were from the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s. The most recent numbers were “Feliz Navidad” by  José Feliciano (1970); “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney (1979); and “Do They Know It’s Christmas? (Feed the World)” by Midge Ure and Bob Geldof (1984). “Last Christmas” didn’t make the cut, but it may be headed there.

First released in 1984 and written by George Michael, “Last Christmas” still has a way to go before it truly rivals “White Christmas” in terms of the number of times it’s been recorded (there are more than 500 versions of “White Christmas” in dozens of languages). But the diversity of the artists performing ”Last Christmas” is impressive, and the list is growing. The song has been covered by rock bands (Arctic Monkeys, Jimmy Eat World), country singers (Taylor Swift), pop artists (Cheetah Girls, the Cast of “Glee“) and tween starlets (Ashley Tisdale, Hillary Duff). When Carrie Underwood appeared at a Washington, D.C, Christmas TV special, she chose to sing “Last Christmas.” Coldplay performed an abbreviated version for the band’s Christmas message to fans in 2007.

The latest artist to cover “Last Christmas” is Findlay Brown, a British crooner in the neo-Elvis mold whose new record, “Love Will Find You,” comes out in early January. (Listen to the song below.) If Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby were still alive there would no doubt be a swinging big-band version of Michael’s song about an ungrateful lover.

What is it about “Last Christmas” that appeals to today’s music artists, some of whom weren’t even born when it was released? “For younger artists, if they want a contemporary song, they will go back [only] that far,” said Terry Stewart, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and a Christmas music aficionado.

According to Stewart, after the post-WWII boom of classic Christmas songs died down, a new standard emerged every seven or eight years. He cited “Blue Christmas” and “Jingle Bell Rock” as early examples. The Donny Hathaway song “This Christmas” emerged from the ’70s (Mary J. Blige cites it as a favorite), as did John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”– which Alicia Keys and Tim McGraw performed today on “The Oprah Winfrey Show”.

Stewart said “Last Christmas” is the latest example of the trend — and, despite being 25 years old, perhaps the most recent, as the rock historian had trouble naming a song recorded after 1984 that’s developed the same traction on radio and with other recording artists. [Note: As a reader points out in the comments, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" the 1994 song by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff, is also on track to becoming a modern-day holiday classsic.]

Stewart’s favorite Christmas track of recent memory isn’t “Last Christmas” but the songs on “My Gift To You,” an album released in 1988 by R&B singer Alexander O’Neal. The record, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, has become something of a cult classic. “I tried to buy a copy on eBay the other day and it was selling for $150,” Stewart said.

What do you think of “Last Christmas”? You can leave your thoughts, and nominate your favorite Christmas songs, in the comments section.

Watch several versions of “Last Christmas” — including the original Wham! video — below.

The original Wham! video for “Last Christmas.”

“Coldplay” singing “Last Christmas.”

Carrie Underwood sings “Last Christmas” for a TV special.

[나이스빠따]

세 버전이 각기 개성있고 좋네요~~