DOWNLOAD THE SONGSHEET
Last Christmas (WORD)
Last Christmas (PDF)
YOU CAN PLAY ALONG WITH THE FIRST VIDEO in GCEA tuning, if you put your capo on the 2nd fret! I've shortened the song ever so slightly for our BUG group.
"Last Christmas" has been covered by many artists since its original release, including Miley Cyrus, Billie Piper, Taylor Swift, Alanis Morissette, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Ariana Grande, etc.
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 the mood". Upon its initial release in 1984, "Last Christmas" spent five consecutive weeks at number two in 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 George 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, more than 36 years after its initial release. Outside the United Kingdom, the song topped the charts in fourteen countries and peaked within 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. 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. By February 2020, "Last Christmas" had sold over 1.90 million copies, being at that time 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.