Born in East Finchley, Middlesex, Michael rose to fame after forming the pop duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981. Their first two albums, "Fantastic" (1983) and "Make It Big" (1984), reached number one on the US Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart. They had commercial success with singles "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)", "Young Guns (Go for It)", "Bad Boys", "Club Tropicana", "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Last Christmas", "Everything She Wants", “Freedom”, and “I'm Your Man”. Their 1985 tour in China was the first by a Western popular music act and generated worldwide media coverage. Michael took part in Band Aid's UK number-one single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984 and performed at the following year's Live Aid concert.
Michael's first solo single, "Careless Whisper" (1984), reached number one in over 20 countries, including the UK and US. The second solo single, "A Different Corner", also reached number one in 1986. After Wham! disbanded that year, Michael released the number-one duet with Aretha Franklin, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)". His debut solo album, "Faith" (1987), stayed at number one on the Billboard 200 for 12 weeks and topped the UK Albums Chart. It is one of the best-selling albums of all time, having sold over 25 million copies worldwide. The singles "Faith", "Father Figure", "One More Try", and "Monkey" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Michael became the best-selling music artist of 1988, and "Faith" was awarded Album of the Year at the 1989 Grammy Awards. Michael's second solo album, "Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1" (1990), was also a number one in the UK and yielded the Billboard Hot 100 number one "Praying for Time" and the worldwide hit "Freedom! '90". Michael went on to release a series of multimillion-selling albums, including "Older" (1996), "Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael" (1998), "Songs from the Last Century" (1999), "Patience" (2004), and "Twenty Five" (2006). The albums earned him multiple hits such as "Jesus to a Child", "Fastlove", "Outside", "Amazing", and "An Easier Affair".
Michael came out as gay in 1998 and was an active LGBT rights campaigner and HIV/AIDS charity fundraiser. His personal life, drug use, and legal troubles made headlines following an arrest for public lewdness in 1998 and multiple drug-related offenses. The 2005 documentary "A Different Story" covered his career and personal life. Michael's "25 Live" tour spanned three tours from 2006 to 2008. Michael fell into a coma in 2011 during a bout with pneumonia but later recovered. He performed his final concert at London's Earls Court in 2012. Michael died of heart disease on Christmas Day in 2016 at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Michael
Solo discography
Faith (1987)
Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1990)
Older (1996)
Songs from the Last Century (1999)
Patience (2004)
Wham! discography
Fantastic (1983)
Make It Big (1984)
Music from the Edge of Heaven (1986)
Last Christmas
George Michael Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance
But you still catch my eye
Tell me baby
Do you recognize me?
Well, it's been a year
It doesn't surprise me (Happy Christmas)
I wrapped it up and sent it
With a note saying "I love you"
I meant it
Now I know what a fool I've been
But if you kissed me now
I know you'd fool me again
Last christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away (you gave it away)
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special (special)
A crowded room
Friends with tired eyes
I'm hiding from you
And your soul of ice
My god I thought you were
Someone to rely on. Me?
I guess I was a shoulder to cry on
A face on a lover with a fire in his heart
A man under cover but you tore me apart
Now I've found a real love you'll never fool me again
Last christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away (you gave it away)
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
Last christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away (you gave it away)
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special (special)
A face on a lover with a fire in his heart (gave you my heart)
A man under cover buy you tore him apart
Maybe next year I'll give it to someone
I'll give it to someone special
George Michael's hit song "Last Christmas" tells a story about heartbreak and finding new love during the holiday season. The lyrics detail the singer's regret at giving his heart to someone who ultimately broke it. The chorus of the song repeats the refrain, "Last Christmas I gave you my heart, but the very next day you gave it away." The singer then explains that he will give his heart to someone special this year to avoid being hurt again. The verses describe the emotional turmoil he experienced and how the relationship ended. The singer acknowledges that he was a fool in the past but has found a real love that he cannot be fooled by again.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was originally released in 1984 by the British pop duo Wham! before George Michael began his solo career. It was later re-released as a George Michael solo track, with some minor changes made to the lyrics. Another interesting fact is that the iconic music video, which features George Michael and his Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley frolicking in the snow with a group of friends, was filmed in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. The song has also been covered by various artists, including Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepsen.
In addition to being a holiday classic, "Last Christmas" has become a popular song to cover and sample in other works. It has been covered by numerous artists across various genres, including Ariana Grande and Coldplay. It has also been sampled in songs by Kanye West, JoJo, and Gwen Stefani. The song's catchy melody, memorable lyrics, and emotional themes have made it a timeless hit that continues to resonate with listeners around the world.
Chords:
Intro: D - Bm - Em - A - D - Bm - G - A
Verse 1: D - Bm - Em - A - D - Bm - G - A
Chorus: Bm - G - A - D - A
Verse 2: D - Bm - Em - A - D - Bm - G - A
Chorus: Bm - G - A - D - A
Bridge: G - A - D - Bm - Em - A
Chorus: Bm - G - A - D - A
Line by Line Meaning
Last christmas
Referring to the previous year's Christmas
I gave you my heart
I gave you all of my love and affection
But the very next day you gave it away
You rejected my love and moved on quickly
This year
Referring to the current year's Christmas
To save me from tears
To avoid feeling heartbroken and upset
I'll give it to someone special
I'll give my love and affection to someone who truly deserves it
Once bitten and twice shy
I've been hurt before and am now cautious
I keep my distance
I try to avoid getting emotionally attached
But you still catch my eye
I still can't help but be drawn to you
Tell me baby, do you recognize me?
I'm wondering if you remember me and our past relationship
Well, it's been a year
It's been a year since we last saw each other
It doesn't surprise me (Happy Christmas)
I'm not surprised to see you again, and I'm wishing you a merry Christmas
I wrapped it up and sent it
I put my heart and love into a package
With a note saying 'I love you'
I expressed my love and feelings in a note
I meant it
I truly meant what I said
Now I know what a fool I've been
I realize I was foolish to give you my love when you didn't appreciate it
But if you kissed me now
If you showed me affection now
I know you'd fool me again
I know you'd break my heart once more
A crowded room
Being around a lot of people
Friends with tired eyes
Friends who are emotionally drained and worn out
I'm hiding from you
I'm avoiding you and your negative energy
And your soul of ice
You have a heartless and cold personality
My god I thought you were
I used to believe that you were
Someone to rely on. Me?
Someone who I could trust and depend on. But now?
I guess I was a shoulder to cry on
I realize now that you only used me as emotional support
A face on a lover with a fire in his heart
A person in love with passion and intensity
A man under cover but you tore me apart
A man who was hiding his true feelings, but you hurt him deeply
Now I've found a real love
I have found genuine love with someone new
You'll never fool me again
I won't let you manipulate me and my emotions again
Maybe next year I'll give it to someone
Perhaps in the future, I'll give my love to someone else
I'll give it to someone special
I'll give my love and affection to someone who truly deserves it
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREW RAMSEY, TY SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind