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This clip of George Michael giving Paula Yates a preview of ‘Last Christmas’ is too gorgeously bittersweet for words

Poke Reporter. Updated December 6th, 2024

The recent BBC documentary on the making of Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ to mark its 40th anniversary this year is a fascinating time capsule of the era – from the musicians to the fashions.

One of the most memorable parts of the film is seeing a young George Michael contributing his vocals to the song (he’s the best singer on the track, though Boy George gives him a run for his money).

One clip, in particular, has gone viral over the past week. In it, George – still only 21 years old at the time – is shown chatting to TV presenter (and partner of Band Aid co-founder Bob Geldof) Paula Yates. He’s telling her about the next single for Wham! coming out around the same time as the Band Aid charity single for Christmas 1984. And he sings her a small preview of the song. Which is, of course, ‘Last Christmas’.

It’s a gorgeously bittersweet moment between two icons of the era, both taken too soon (Yates died in 2000, aged 41, while Michael died on Christmas Day 2016, aged 53).

And of course, the irony is that ‘Last Christmas’ lost the Christmas No 1 race in 1984 to ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’. But last year (2023), ‘Last Christmas’ finally made it to No 1 for Christmas.

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