Celluloid History (Xmas Edition):
Let’s get this out of the way, I love this time of year. I love Christmas and all that comes with it, sans the retail-related parking nightmare (which to be fair, at least the parking lot light poles are usually festooned with decor). I love the lights, the smells, the intake of holiday treats, the delightful decorations, and I love the music!
I’m well aware that there’s a good portion of you out there who absolutely hate despise most Xmas related things, whether it’s jolly nature of the season, the greedy nature of consumerism, the religious aspects that created the holiday, and most off the music. Look, I have friends on both sides of the aisle: those who are religious (and naturally love the holiday due to its origins) and those who are not religious (and love the holiday because it means seeing family and opening gifts) so I understand and respect both sides.
As for me, I’m in the latter group. I love Xmas because of the all around festive atmosphere, the gift exchange, and because it brings people together to share in happy occasion (and food!).
But let’s get back to the point shall we, it’s about the music and even though I’m a non-religious lover of Christmas, I still enjoy all kinds of Xmas songs, religious or not. I’m more of a Classic Christmas song kind of guy (think Bing Crosby, Brenda Lee) but songs like “Wonderful Christmas Time” and “Last Christmas” have wormed their way into my Grinch ass heart over the years.
I’m being perfectly sincere when I say that I absolutely and un-ironically love this song and its accompanying video. In fact, “Last Christmas” has quickly become my All-Time Favorite Christmas track (overthrowing Bing Crosby’s “Do You Hear What I Hear”). It wasn’t always this way, there was a time when I chose not appreciate this song, simply due to being a douchey snob. But as with most things, getting older has allowed me to find new appreciation and enjoyment in things I’ve spent a lifetime overlooking.
Before I go any further, let’s get some perspective shall we. If I had been the music obsessed teenager I was (or the mid-thirties music obsessive of my current self), but in 1984 when this song was released, I would’ve fucking hated this track! Much in the same way that I hate any modern Top 40 Pop Xmas tune today. I was three years old when this song came out, so it’s not of my generation, nor is there any personal ill will attached to this piece of candy-cane pop. Again, any serious music fan in the 80′s would’ve surely viewed this as pop trash, just like any serious music fan of today should view any and all Bieber Xmas tunes with the same ire.
In 1984, this was just another song by a hugely popular synthetic boy band who’s chart dominance was indisputable. Thirty-one years later, “Last Christmas” is seen by yours truly as a great song that has impressively held up, and one who’s sound is very much en-vogue with pop producers today.
I mean, how can you not love this song! Those synths, the vocals, those processed drums, the melody, those downer lyrics, and the overall production that manages to hit all the canned marks for this lover of dated (which is once again popular) 80′s production. George Michael pours his merry heart out in this track of snowy betrayal and endless infatuation (seriously, read the lyrics). The themes of “Last Christmas” are universally pop in nature, dealing with heartbreak and longing, yet are framed in an Xmas-centric narrative.
The video treatment for “Last Christmas” is truly a gem and only ups the song’s already fantastic aura. The whole video can be summed up by one amazing still:
I mean look at that! That’s intensity! Lest you think I’m being snarky, I assure you that I am not. That is one hell of an attentive stare!
It appears that one of the main purposes of this video is to create a dire sense of envy within me. Envious thoughts begin to form right from the moment I lay eyes on those beautiful snow covered mountains, and they only grow larger when I realize that: I’ve never been on a ski getaway, I don’t really have any friends, I’m not glamorously European, and that I’ll never go on a sweet ass snow ski getaway or engage in stylish snowball fights with my glamorous multi-cultural European friends.
But also, this video leaves me with so many questions! Like, does the new boy toy of Michael’s ex or Michael’s new fling even realize that they had something going on exactly a year ago? If so, isn’t it awkward? If not, don’t ya think it’s kinda fucked up? If she gave away his heart the very next day, then why even agree to go on this year’s getaway? And damn, that’s some cold hearted shit re-gifting that brooch!
(In hindsight, this video is even more of a bummer knowing that in real life George Michael was battling depression over his decision to remain somewhat in the closet or as anything other than bisexual.)
Over the past few years this song/video has grown on me so much that I go out of my way to praise its inherent awesomeness during the holiday season. In my snobby ass opinion, it’s the perfect (holiday) storm of greatness. And hey, if you don’t agree with me, that’s fine, I’m not mad at you. But let’s enjoy “Last Christmas” for what it is, a synthy Xmas jam that masks its heartbreaking infatuation under a holiday guise (and fantastic hair).
