Last Christmas, written, produced, and recorded by George Michael when he was 21 years old. While this song is not as impressive as Everything She Wants (the other half of the double A side, also written, produced, and recorded by George Michael) the song carries enough musical gems in it to devote a post to it. Typically the bane of the musically dimwitted in department stores everywhere, Last Christmas by Wham! is a stunning display of chord mechanics and pop sensibilities. Key wise, its penned in the fairly standard key of D, that’s about where the standard nature ends. Instead of following the boring and predictable ii-V-I or the I-V-vi-IV, it follows the somewhat novel I-vi-ii-V7. This is where the genius slips in. Typically when a musician puts something in a novel progression it stands out and can be a little unsettling, not so. The backing track of last Christmas is so smooth it flies by without notice. How does George Michael accomplish this feat of strange chords without strange reactions? Inversions, 9ths, and the occasional borrowed note. The melody of the intro goes e-d-e-d-e-f#-e-d-e-d-f#-a-g-a-g-f#-e. Typically this is displayed in at the top of the chord, however there are significant portions where the not needed is in the middle of the chord, George moves around this by inverting the chord, which takes the mid note and makes it the top note and makes the former top note the base, which moves the root into the middle. He does this throughout the composition which hides little musical nuggets that our ears pick up subconsciously. A little sprinkling of counter melody and some musical foreshadowing are also present in the intro. That into melody also reflects the melody of the chorus, which when he starts singing, he throws in more tidbits, the chords gain those 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths, for more texture and on the second run through he adds a bell note every so often that matches to certain points of the bridge. Best part is the bridge runs through the song twice, slightly different each time. The two verses also are different. The second verse includes new bell base notes under the melody leading into the refrain, we get a new vocal melody and an extra track stacking with the backing melody. I have an exam, bye!