George Michael sued in Last Christmas feud – and the song that ...

With Christmas just around the corner, George Michael's iconic offering, Last Christmas, is back to dominating the airwaves.

But the beloved pop song that's become synonymous with the season in the UK, hasn't always been associated with festive cheer.In fact, it's been the cause of quite a bit of contention behind the scenes.

In the mid-1980s, the publishing company Dick James Music actually sued a then 22-year-old George on behalf of the writers of Can’t Smile Without You.

The writer of the song, which was recorded by The Carpenters and Barry Manilow and a string of others, said Last Christmas, which was written and produced by George and released on December 3 1984, was a rip off of Can't Smile Without You.

But, luckily for George, the suit was dismissed after a musicologist presented 60-plus songs that have a similar chord progression and melody. Last Christmas has gone on to stand the test of time.

It didn't reach Number One for decades before hitting the top spot on the UK's Official Christmas Singles Chart in 2023, 39 years after its original release in 1984.

Sadly, this is something George didn't get to witness having died at home on December 25, 2016 after suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver.

Last Christmas was the most-streamed Christmas number one ever, with 13.3 million plays during the seven-day chart cycle and beat out Sam Ryder and Mariah Carey to reach the top spot.

George's Wham bandmate Andrew Ridgeley said at the time, "It's marvellous and humbling to have got there". He also said that George had always wanted the song to be a Christmas number one.

Last Christmas had previously reached number two in the UK charts in 1985 and 2017. It also topped the UK singles chart on January 1, 2021, after 36 years and is now the UK's third-biggest song of all time, with 5.34 million chart units.

It was originally held off the top spot in 1984 by Band Aid's charity single, Do They Know It's Christmas?.

Meanwhile, on Thursday's (December12) episode of This Morning, pop icons Pepsi and Shirlie spilled the beans on some behind-the-scenes gossip from the filming of the Last Christmas music video, as they marked the song's 40th anniversary.

The show's host Cat Deeley asked about the scene where George is seen with his hood up, prompting Pepsi to interject: "There's a reason for that!".

When Cat hinted at vanity being the cause, Shirlie quickly corrected: "Not vanity, bless him! He was known for his gorgeous blow-dried hair, and when it got the snowball, it went so curly."

Pepsi revealed that despite instructions not to throw snowballs at George, his friends couldn't resist the temptation. Ben Shephard, chuckling, remarked: "That's the problem with getting your mates in! They won't listen to the director."