It's A Wham! Christmas!

Recently voted as one of the "most irritating Christmas songs ever," Wham!'s "Last Christmas" sure does earn that accolade. But due to the fact that electronica, goth, new wave, and dance really don't have much in the way of holiday music (Depeche Mode's brooding "Christmas Island" might make an appearance later, though it has nothing to do with Yuletide caroling) -- so what can I do? Here's some schmaltz, and here's a very young George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley cavorting with young, pretty people on a ski holiday! Look at the hairstyles! Look at George's teeth!

Released in 1984 as a B-side on "Everything She Wants" for the coveted Christmas #1 spot in the UK, it was of course beat out by "Do They Know It's Christmas?". Wham! ended up donating all the money earned through sales to the Ethiopian famine, too, so bully for them! But my God, it's an irritating track, alright. But here it is, in case you dig it.

Love, and many happy holidays,
Second Drawer Up From The Left

wham!

"last christmas"

everything she wants 12"

Do They Know It's Christmas?

Honestly, did you really think I wasn't going to have this track on my playlist? Now, a load of people out there have attacked this track, "Do They Know It's Christmas?", by noting that:

A) Indeed, rains do fall and there are in fact rivers in the mighty continent of Africa,
B) Many folks in Africa probably don't know it's Christmas, if only for the fact that they might not be Christians, and
C) The song itself, comprised as it was of a veritable who's-who of mid-'80s British pop royalty, was (and let's face it, it's kind of true) a little on the twee side.

Bono's impassioned lyric "Well, tonight thank God it's them ... instead of yoooooouuuuuu" notwithstanding, I'd like to just share it today, on baby Jesus' birthday. The sun is out and shining bright, galah parrots are taking wing from a small grove of gum trees, and a red-bellied black snake is sunning itself on a crag next to the neighbouring garden. 'Cos really, when one thinks of it, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" still has a pretty awesome calibre of coolness to it.

Written by Bob Geldof (Boomtown Rats) and Midge Ure (Ultravox) in order to highlight the plight of Ethiopians in the midst of one of the worst droughts of all time, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was released 29 November 1984 and became the Christmas #1 single, selling over three million copies and becoming the (at the time) biggest-selling British single of all time (knocking "Bohemian Rhapsody" out of the water in the process). With John Taylor from Duran Duran on bass, Phil Collins (back when he was still kind of cool) on drum duty, Ure on keyboards, and Mr Gary Kemp from Spandau Ballet on guitar, I really have to say that the music certainly outshines the lyrics.

And what a treasure trove of vocalists! There were the gals from Bananarama, Simon le Bon, Bono, Sting (back when he was cool), Paul Weller, George Michael (Wham!), Paul Young, Boy George (Culture Club), Adam Clayton (U2), Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet), Kool & the Gang, Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran), Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes To Hollywood), Martyn Ware (Heaven 17), the blokes from Big Country, and (recording their voices on tape and mailing to Geldof after the fact) David Bowie and Paul McCartney.

We here at Second Drawer Up HQ wish you, our dear readers, a very happy, healthy, and safe holiday season! Thanks for reading, and keep in touch -- SDU's TOP 5 ALBUMS of 2010 are coming up, and boy oh boy are they corkers, or what?

So -- here's Band Aid and the single "Do They Know It's Christmas?". Enjoy!

band aid

"do they know it's christmas?"