The Spinning the Wheel podcast, a podcast going through the catalog of George Michael track by track, recently posted Christmas memories from George Michael fans all over the world.
The host, Matt, was so very kind in saying how Yours Only George was his source of George Michael information in the 90s.
Matt said, in part, “I wanted to start, first and foremost, with my source of information, my source of George Michael news. In America … information was kind of hard to come by in the old days, and one of the beacons of light that really provided a lot for those of us here in America was the Yours Only George page.”
I’ll let you listen to the Spinning the Wheel podcast if you’d like to hear more about Matt’s thoughts on the site and my Christmas message for the podcast. It is around the 31-minute mark of the podcast.
The Spinning the Wheel podcast has more than 50 episodes about George Michael’s music. The podcast started back in March of 2023. Shirley Lewis, one of George Michael’s backup vocalists, provides insight into George’s music.
Buy Now! Careless Whisper (Red marble vinyl) 12″ Single, Maxi-Single, 12″ vinyl sleeve-jacket Amazon Ad
Wow! It’s been a fabulous year to be a George Michael fan. So many fun things have come to George Michael’s Lovelies this year! Here’s a quick recap:
In February, we were pleasantly surprised with a George Michael coin from the Royal Mint. George Michael collectable coins are part of the Music Legends series. The coins feature the Faith era look with his trademark sunglasses and an engraving of the refrain of Faith.
In June, Yours Only George celebrated its 27th anniversary. Thanks to all the fans who continue to visit the site and continue spreading the word about the site as it helps cover the webhosting costs to keep the website open year after year.
December brought us Wham!: Last Christmas Unwrapped, a lovely special that brought the friends who starred in the “Last Christmas” back together.
“Last Christmas” topped the charts at number 1 for two weeks in December and topped the Christmas charts for the second year in a row. We also were gifted with a new animated “Last Christmas” video.
We also learned of The George Michael Fund, which will give grants to assist the organizations and issues which were close to George’s heart.
40th Anniversary “Last Christmas” CD Single Amazon Ad
“Last Christmas” is the number one song once again on the UK Charts:
WHAM! remain strong at Number 1 with Last Christmas, celebrating the song’s 10th total week at the top of the Official Singles Chart. Last week, George Michael & Andrew Ridgeley’s pensive Christmas classic became the first song to ever spend two consecutive years as the UK’s Official Christmas Number 1 single. This week it reaches its tenth non-consecutive week at Number 1, having first managed to reach the top of the Official Singles Chart on 1st January 2021.
Likewise, in the US charts, “Last Christmas” is also more popular than ever. According to Forbes:
“Last Christmas” currently sits at No. 3 on the Hot 100. That remains the single’s all-time peak, and it only reached that position earlier this season. The song climbs one rung to return to that position, and it’s yet to be seen if it can improve that number next year.
This year we have also launched The George Michael Fund, and to celebrate the 40th anniversary donated a substantial amount from George’s Last Christmas record royalties to some 20 organisations raising money for causes close to George’s heart.
Yioda, Jack and David
When George Michael was still alive, he created The Mill Charitable Trust. George’s family and executors have now decided to continue that work using the title The George Michael Fund to continue his charitable legacy. The George Michael Fund will give grants to assist the organizations and issues which were close to George’s heart.
The George Michael Fund made more than 20 grants to organizations working with children and young people in the United Kingdom from George’s record royalties accumulated from sales of Last Christmas.
Grants from The George Michael Fund helped:
disadvantaged children wake up on Christmas morning to a present.
organizations supporting children and young people with their mental health.
support LGBTQ+ young people who might be estranged from their families or experiencing homelessness.
Growing up in the 80s, a George Michael calendar was one of my favorite gifts at Christmastime. But now a calendar is a reminder that George Michael left us 8 years ago.
I was looking through some of my earlier posts when George Michael died. The first article is stark because I was so shocked.
A second post, a year later, was more representative of how I was dealing with a world without George Michael.
George Michael wanted to be remembered for his songwriting, and this year we did a lot of celebrating of his musical genius through the 40th anniversaries of “Careless Whisper” and “Last Christmas.”
I think this has been a good year of celebrating George Michael’s music. If George had been alive, I highly doubt we would have had “Wham!: Last Christmas Unwrapped,” and yet that was such a gift to be able to have all those friends together talking about all the things we didn’t know about the song and video.
I am very thankful that Andrew Ridgeley acts as the debonair ambassador for his friend or as he recently said, “He was essentially my other half. I never conceived of a future without him.” I hope George knew that his legacy would be protected and enhanced by Andrew’s promotion of their music in Wham!
As I hear my young child singing “Last Christmas” at this time of the year, I know George Michael will live on through his music for generations to come.
How are all of my fellow Lovelies doing on this day? Let me know in the comments.
