"Last Christmas" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Last Christmas: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

A rom-com built from a pop song should feel like radio—catchy, familiar, surprising in the bridge. Last Christmas takes that literally: the entire needle-drop palette is George Michael and Wham!, capped by a posthumous new track that rolls over the finale. The film’s official album is not a typical various-artists tie-in; it’s a curated Michael/Wham! anthology used as character voice and plot engine.

The theatrical score (Theodore Shapiro) keeps a soft halo around dialogue while the songs carry the expression: busking scenes, shelter choir moments, and street montages lean on Michael’s catalog. The soundtrack album arrived November 8, 2019, day-and-date with release, on Legacy Recordings; it includes the then-unheard “This Is How (We Want You to Get High)”—played almost in full at the end and into credits, as the director has noted.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score?

Theodore Shapiro; his cues sit beneath dialogue and transitions while George Michael/Wham! songs take the spotlight.

What is the official album called?

Last Christmas: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, credited to George Michael & Wham!, released by Legacy Recordings on November 8, 2019.

Is the music limited to Michael’s catalog?

Yes in practice—the feature leans almost entirely on Michael/Wham! titles; the album collects those songs plus the new single.

What’s the new song?

“This Is How (We Want You to Get High)”—a posthumous George Michael single completed in 2015, used over the ending and credits.

Does Emilia Clarke sing in the film?

Yes. There are diegetic performances (e.g., a shelter show) and busking bits folded into scenes.

How did the album perform?

It topped the UK Official Soundtrack Albums chart and entered multiple national album charts during its 2019 run.

Notes & Trivia

• The album is a George Michael/Wham! compilation aligned to the film; it isn’t a mixed-artist playlist.
• The posthumous single was released November 6, 2019, two days before the album and U.S. opening.
• Director Paul Feig has said the new track plays almost in full at the end—nearly six minutes—rolling into credits.
• The soundtrack debuted at #1 on the UK Official Soundtrack Albums chart (mid-November 2019).

Genres & Themes

80s/90s pop and blue-eyed soul: bright hooks (“Faith,” “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”) = motion, denial, deflection; ballads (“Praying for Time,” “Heal the Pain”) = confession and repair.

Diegetic performance vs. montage pop: live-in-scene vocals make Kate vulnerable; full-mix drops turn London into a music video of second chances.

Tracks & Scenes

“Last Christmas” — Wham!
Scene: Christmas shop gags and city setup early on; the title song peeks in multiple times via toys and store ambience (diegetic snippets), then returns fuller late. ~Opening minutes and reprises.
Why it matters: It’s the film’s Rosetta stone; the lyric foreshadows the twist.

“Heal the Pain” — George Michael
Scene: Kate sings publicly, halting at first, then opening up during a shelter/community performance (diegetic). Early-mid act, ~1–2 min excerpt.
Why it matters: A self-address disguised as a set—admission that she needs to change.

“Faith” — George Michael
Scene: Walk-and-talk montage as Tom coaxes Kate back into the city; storefronts and bridges fly by (non-diegetic). First act, ~1–2 min.
Why it matters: The lyric is literal; the bounce resets her tempo.

“Praying for Time” — George Michael
Scene: Quiet pivot after a setback; Kate alone on a late walk (non-diegetic). Mid-film, ~1–2 min.
Why it matters: Gravity enters—Michael’s social lament reframed as personal reckoning.

“Freedom! ’90” — George Michael
Scene: City-as-runway montage when Kate starts doing the right things for others (non-diegetic). Mid-late, ~1–2 min.
Why it matters: Reinvention anthem; the groove makes her small wins feel big.

“Too Funky” — George Michael
Scene: Retail chaos and costume-change bustle; synth stabs carry a comic beat (source/needle-drop). Early-mid, short use.
Why it matters: Pop sheen for a messy day—style as armor.

“Everything She Wants” — Wham!
Scene: Bus rides and overtime shifts stack up (non-diegetic). Mid-film, ~1 min.
Why it matters: A money-pressure track that mirrors her flat-share and job strain.

“Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” — Wham!
Scene: A brisk, playful interlude (source) in the shop/streets. Early, brief.
Why it matters: Pure sugar—contrast to Kate’s burnout.

“This Is How (We Want You to Get High)” — George Michael
Scene: Starts over the film’s closing beat and plays into end credits (non-diegetic). Final 6 minutes (album/extended edit).
Why it matters: A new voice from Michael frames the takeaway with bittersweet uplift.

Note: Minute marks vary by cut/platform. Placements are aligned with widely cited scene rundowns and official materials; diegetic vs. non-diegetic noted where evident.

Music–Story Links

Michael’s catalog lets the movie talk in first person. “Heal the Pain” and “Praying for Time” carry confession and consequence; “Faith” and “Freedom! ’90” deliver propulsion. When the posthumous single enters, the narrative stops borrowing meaning from old hits and accepts a new one—closure framed as forward motion.

How It Was Made

Director Paul Feig shaped the film around George Michael’s songs with the estate’s participation; producer David Livingstone had long ties to Michael’s team. The album is a Legacy Recordings release under the George Michael discography banner. The theatrical score is by Theodore Shapiro, kept understated to leave space for the pop cues.

Reception & Quotes

The film earned mixed critical notices but the soundtrack drew consistent attention for breadth—fifteen catalog cuts plus a new single—and for how the music underwrote the plot’s final reveal.

“How the movie incorporates George Michael’s music… not just wallpaper, but story.” trade coverage

“Posthumous single lands like a benediction over the credits.” music press

Additional Info

• Album label: Legacy Recordings (Sony Music UK); release date: November 8, 2019.
• Single “This Is How (We Want You to Get High)” released November 6, 2019.
• Album charted in UK, Australia, Ireland; also reached the US Billboard 200.
• No separate public score album; Shapiro’s cues remain within the film.
• Emilia Clarke has official clips of diegetic singing from the film’s marketing roll-out.

Technical Info

• Title: Last Christmas: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Year: 2019
• Type: Film soundtrack (George Michael & Wham! songs; original score in film)
• Composer (score): Theodore Shapiro
• Label: Legacy Recordings (Sony Music Entertainment UK)
• Key placements: “Last Christmas”; “Heal the Pain”; “Faith”; “Praying for Time”; “Freedom! ’90”; “Too Funky”; “Everything She Wants”; “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”; end-credits “This Is How (We Want You to Get High)”
• Release context: U.S. theatrical Nov 8, 2019; UK Nov 15, 2019; album released Nov 8, 2019
• Availability: Streaming/download and physical (CD/2×LP)

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: soundtrack album page (label); film page (credits/charts); official single notes; scene rundowns; trailer and official performance clips.

November, 12th 2025