“Last Christmas” by Wham! – The Swedish couple will interrupt the Christmas classic

Gothenburg duo Tomas and Hannah Mazetti say they are trying to raise enough money to buy the rights to the Wham classic! “Last Christmas”. The proposal? To stop playing the song again, reports The Espresso.

– It’s actually just because we can’t bear to hear the song being played 24/7, Tomas told the newspaper.

At the time of writing, the fundraiser has «Not anymore last Christmas» received pledges of nearly NOK 13 million from 1,294 donors. The sale reads:

“We’re raising $15 million this year [150 millioner kroner] to purchase Wham!’s “Last Christmas” master tapes and dump them at a nuclear waste storage facility in Northern Finland. With that done, let’s move on to ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ and ‘Santa Baby’!”

Repeat in lists

Written and produced by George Michael, “Last Christmas” was first released just before Christmas 1984 and was an instant hit for Michael and duo partner (and “20 Questions” favorite) Andrew Ridgeley.

The song topped the charts in several countries in 1984 and steadily returned as a Christmas hit in the following years. It held the record for the best-selling single for many years not topped the UK charts, with 1.9 million physical copies sold.

26 years later, in 2020, it has finally topped the UK Singles Chart after being streamed 9.2 million times in the last week of the year. At the time of writing, it is at number 2.

Even on Norwegian radio, it’s almost impossible not to come across the song, with the breathtaking verse “Last Christmas I gave you my heart / But the next day you gave it away / This year to save me from tears / I’ll give it to someone special”.

Many are also seduced by the extravagant alpine videowhere Michael – still in the closet – stares longingly at Ridgeley’s girlfriend, who was his fling last Christmas.

Costly

The Mazetti spouses, however, do not let themselves be influenced or seduced by the song. Hannah says her hatred of her originated 13 years ago, when she worked in an Oxford bar and listened to the song countless times per shift, she tells British Daily Star.

The idea of ​​buying the rights was born last Christmas (!), and so far the couple have, according to them, been in contact with hundreds of people who want to help take “Last Christmas” off streaming services.

«Last Christmas» will be a Christmas film

– We immediately noticed that many were willing to pay a lot, Tomas tells Expressen.

But there is still a long way to go before reaching the goal. According to the Daily Star, buying the song from rights holders Warner Chappell Music UK will cost NOK 250 million.

Shocking

The Mazettis say they’ve received several responses from shocked people who believe the couple wants to ruin people’s joy of Christmas.

– It’s funny – people get so angry, while we see it as funny, says Tomas.

The couple are also high-profile activists. They have previously made a name for themselves «Teddybear Airdrop Minsk 2012»where Tomas illegally flew a small plane into Belarusian airspace and released several hundred teddy bears bearing a pro-democracy message.