How it was written
Making Last Christmas
(and how I missed immortality twice in one week!)
In February 1994, after a day and a half spent recording and mixing Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, it was 4 pm, and George was getting ready to leave. He walked over to the cassette player, pressed play, and said, “This is something I want to record later in the year.”
Out came the intro to Last Christmas.
In typical George style, it was just the intro, first verse, and first chorus. But even then, all the signature keyboard hooks were there, and it was impossible to forget.
By the time to record it in October 1984, even though I’d only heard those three sections once, I could still sing the chorus—it was that crazy catchy.
Setting the Festive Scene
Advision Studios in London was booked for a 10 am. session. I arrived at 8:30 am. and decided to raid the office’s Christmas decorations. I decked the studio out in glitter, tinsel and lights, creating a festive atmosphere, despite the unusually warm Autumn weather outside.
When George and Chris arrived, the decorations sparked an early holiday vibe and set the tone perfectly for what was about to unfold.
Building the Song
George was adamant about playing everything himself, just like he had on the demo. We started with the Linn drum machine, programming the rhythm.
Next came the iconic keyboard part on the Juno 60. George had a simple style of playing—using just the fore and middle fingers on each hand. This unique approach gave the chords their distinctive rhythm, something many musicians miss when trying to replicate the song using just one hand.
The process wasn’t without its quirks. About every 16 bars, George would stop, turn to me, and ask, “What was it again, Paul?” I’d remind him, (even though I’m not a keyboard player myself).
After nailing the keyboard part, George picked up the bass. He wasn’t technically advanced, but his simple, heartfelt playing, always added a great feel. With Chris managing the drop-ins, the bass track was laid down in less than an hour.
The other keyboard hooks quickly followed, and soon it was time for vocals.
Recording the Vocals
By now, George had finished writing the new verse and middle section. The vocal recording went smoothly, with him ad-libbing towards the end and adding the occasional backing vocal.
Something was still missing, though—sleigh bells, a must-have for any Christmas song! I made a quick call, and within minutes, sleigh bells were delivered. George shook them enthusiastically, and the Last Christmas recording was complete.
The mix, as far as I can recall, was just a monitor mix with manual volume adjustments as we'd done on Wake Me Up. It was fast, efficient, and by the end of the session, a classic was born.
George and Chris left, and I took down the decor and returned the studio to its prior drabness.
Missing Immortality #1
A month later, I got a call from George’s office. They wanted to know if I had three days free to fly to Switzerland and appear in the Last Christmas video. Unfortunately, I was booked solid, so I had to decline.
Missing Immortality #2
A couple of weeks later, after working nonstop, I finally begged for a Sunday off. Little did I know, that very day, George returned from the Last Christmas video shoot and headed straight to Sarm Studios—the same studio I’d been working in—to record and film Do They Know It’s Christmas?
Everyone involved in the session got screen time - I was probably just having a lie in!