“being no. 1 at christmas became the crown jewel”

→ For 40 years, George Michael’s Last Christmas was the bridesmaid. The nearly-but-never-quite. The most successful single never to reach number one, it was pop’s great injustice. And then the spell b

“Merry Xmas, Everybody” No.1, 1973 Slade’s chart-topper was recorded in New York while the band toured the world. Flamboyant guitarist, Dave Hill – remembered for his trademark high-heel boots and dis

“It was a dull, boring Sunday in 1984 and we were just passing the time,” Andrew Ridgeley recalls of the day Wham! bandmate George Michael wrote Last Christmas. While Andrew watched football on the TV

“Yeah, he loved the whole thing,” says his bandmate, Queen drummer Roger Taylor. “You know, the house would have been full of all these decorations. He loved his decorations. And he had a great, unerr

13 DECEMBER SATURDAY

It’s that time of year again, when the world’s largest digital music platform sends out its annual free gifts to subscribers in the form of Spotify Wrapped. A festive viral marketing gimmick that allo