12 Songs Of Christmas – Day Twelve
The Boy Least Likely To – “George And Andrew”
Over 12 (working) days, I’m suggesting 12 songs that probably don’t get the airplay they deserve this time of year and should be regarded as Christmas/Seasonal Classics.
We conclude this year’s “12 Songs of Christmas” by revisiting 2010 with “George and Andrew,” a poignant ballad capturing the essence of Christmas cheer and enduring friendships. In a dimly lit bar, two old mates reunite, reminiscing about the ghosts of Christmases past. Before you dissolve into a puddle of nostalgic goo, you may recall that these mates are none other than George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, formerly of Wham!, whose festive hit “Last Christmas” remains omnipresent during the holiday season.
Rather than opting for the obvious and covering the Wham! classic, The Boy Least Likely To craft a touching ode to enduring friendship as Pete Hobbs and Jof Owen, maestros of melancholic melodies, weave a fan-fiction fever dream which sees Wham! reunited.
The video unfolds with a Ridgeley doppelgänger drowning his sorrows in Christmas Eve revelry and Cornish Knocker golden ale when, suddenly, in walks a white-linen-clad vision – George Michael himself. The band performing in said pub just so happen to be The Boy Least Likely To who sing “At Christmas time it’s nice to get together with your friends / Especially the friends that you don’t get to see much anymore.” It isn’t Wham! sitting in that pub on Christmas Eve; it’s just two friends called George and Andrew who’ve known each other since they were 13.”
Owen asserts that the song is rooted in something deeper than Wham! nostalgia. “It’s about that enduring bond, the one that stays solid even as life throws you curveballs,” he told SPIN magazine. “The one you always come back to, no matter how far apart your paths diverge.I always wonder if Andrew missed being in Wham! and if he ever felt like it finished too soon. I wonder what it must have felt like after their final concert, knowing that things would never be the same for him, and that even though George would still have a pop career, for Andrew that dream they’d shared since they were at school was pretty much over.”
“Andrew wants to know if George regrets going solo and
George admits that sometimes it gets lonely on your own
George recalls the backlash that he suffered from Shoot the Dog
Andrew likens it to the campaign for real ale
They might have gone their separate ways since Wham! broke up
But you never make friends like the friends you make when you’re young”
Check out our festive podcast 2023 here
