One of the joys of TV specials by musicians is the duets that occur. One only need look to Bing Crosby and David Bowie’s version of “Little Drummer Boy to see how successful these duets might be. In Sabrina Carpenter’s new Netflix Christmas special, she is joined by fellow pop star Chappell Roan for a cover of Wham!’s “Last Christmas.” Keeping true to the aesthetic of both the special and Carpenter’s stage show, the two team up in a scene set late at night/early morning, while they sing the song karaoke style from a TV. The new version of the song plays up the sadness of the lyrics, with the more upbeat rhythm only coming in during the second verse.
This isn’t Carpenter’s first venture into holiday music. Last year, she released her own Christmas EP titled Fruitcake and in 2017 released versions of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”
The original version of the song was credited to ’80s English pop group Wham!, even though George Michael was the only person to play and sing on the track. Michael wrote the song in his childhood bedroom in 1983 while visiting his parents. A perennial bridesmaid on the top of the pop charts, it finally hit number one in the UK in 2021, with 36 years intervening between it’s release and its arrival at the top.
