Last Christmas - So simple, yet so clever
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- Опубліковано 12 чер 2024
- How a drum machine and one synth elevated Wham and "Last Christmas" into a legendary Christmas evergreen. A Linndrum drum machine and a Roland Juno-60 in addition to George Michael's fantastic vocals. A song with only 4 chords and no chorus shouldn't work, but it does because it's so clever.
Hated by many, loved by many more. Whamageddon. This is my ultimate Christmas favourite song.
In this video I show you how cool the drum track is built up and how clever the synth arrangement is. All done by George Michael himself at the time. He proved that technical skills in terms of playing is nothing. Ideas and creativity is everything.
00:00 Intro
00:36 The drums - a legion of snare fills
02:51 The Bass - who played it really?
04:31 The synth - when instinct beat skills
He would've 100% programmed it on the drum machine itself and it would've actually been trivial to do. Whilst the snare fills do feel random there is actually not many of them. Every phrase is in groups of two bars which is the default Linn pattern length. Create a basic 4/4 beat, hold copy, dump it into loads of other pattern slots and record a couple different fill variations. Then you can use song mode to chain patterns together and disable "END" mode so it loops indefinitely. I have a Linn, and it's the single most user friendly machine I've ever used, so if he already knew what drum pattern he wanted to enter and wasn't experimenting he could've probably done all that in about an hour, if that?
The crash is the stock ROM. Unmistakable sound to it. :)
Sounds spot on to me
Yup, in particular I hear nothing unique about the crash ROM other than it's pretty low in the mix with maybe a bit of EQing, perhaps a touch of a high pass filter.
I love the Linndrum. Agree it’s the most user friendly to use
Last Christmas Espen promised me his synths, but the very next day he gave them away. This year to save me from tears I'll go ahead and go virtual.
It took me quite a while to look past the pretty boy image of George Michael (and he was stunningly beautiful), and realise that he had a fabulous voice, and was just a very good musician overall.
We're close to the seventh anniversary of his untimely passing, on Christmas Day of that horrible year, 2016. And how utterly ironic it is that we hear this song everywhere, every year, in the run-up to Christmas.
That was a tragic year for celebrity deaths.
DAVID BOWIE
PRINCE
MUHAMMAD ALI
GEORGE MICHAEL
CARRIE FISHER
All left us that year.
@@fender1000100 ...and Glen Frey (Eagles), Black ("Wonderful life"), Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire), Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), John Berry (Beastie Boys), Pete Burns (Dead or Alive), Leonard Cohen... and quite a few others.
Apparently George Michael wasn't a good musician at all and it took a lot of work to get his parts recorded to a good standard. Back in the day, I didn't care much for his singing, while my cousin was quite the fan boy, LOL. But I appreciate his voice now and definitely how captivating this song is to this day.
I like how the juno chords are a perfect answer to folks grumbling about 4 5 or 6 note poly analogues of today.
Arrangement is everything. If you wanna play fancy chords there is always the bass player or bass synth.. And the use of inversions
I quite like the sound of notes cutting off due to lack of polyphony - gives a more distinct, uncluttered sound IMO.
The extended version with longer intro ( the so called Pudding Mix ) also has some DX7 for sure. I can recognize that factory guitar patch immediately.
That intro is super cool. Pudding mix for the win
Definitely DX7
Finally WHAMageddon is well and truly over so I can watch this.
Well, I'm never gonna hear this song the same way ever again...Cheers!
Thank you Espen. You do not see this much detail analysis too often. I appreciate your knowledge and I can tell that you appreciate Sir Michael's craft (sorry pun). George Michael has always had a magical/spiritual tone to his vocals which pushes so much more emotion through a song.
Cheers!
I played it live on drums just 10 days ago with two vocalists and a backing track, that I also created and had a great time trying to aproximate those snare fills. Amazing video!
Thanks a lot Mr. Kraft! “Last Christmas” is one of the best hits of 1980s and very in the theme of upcoming winter holidays. Actually 1983-1984 is fantastic period, that I adore. I always wanted to hear a 1:1 authentic instrumental of this hit, in a high, modern, digital quality of recording. Thanks a lot again.👍
I wouldn't agree being the best cuz they're were many good tracks in the 80's tbh
@@David.L291 I said “one of the best”, not the best song of 1980s. Of course there are a lot of fantastic songs, from 1980s. This is my most favourite time, in all history. As for me, I adore Ryan Paris’s - “Dolce Vita” (1983). Cosmic, eternal song, of pure romanticism, beauty and harmony.
Walked past the building a few days ago, where this was recorded in 1984. The same studio (Advision) in London, was also partly used to record the amazing 'War of The Worlds' soundtrack by Jeff Wayne.
Snare fills is something that has almost disapeared in modern music. That's sad because I love that :(
I remember covering this in 1986 and used a Roland JX-8P Bell preset in Unison mode. Oh and used a Korg Lambda for the string chords and a Yamaha RX11 for the drum machine. Sounded great....just wish I had sounded like George Michael.
Every December that comes around. I am reminded of what an awesome talent George Michael was. He is dearly missed. Not just one of the greatest artists ever. But a generous giving human being. We need more stars like him...
He made very bland music. Cool guy but totally overrated 😂
Superb job Espen as always! Would love you to dissect 'Everything She Want's' equally a classic full of surprises, especially the sounds/synths that were used,
Brilliant, charming, intelligent and beautiful remake. Thank You ❤
Great job and spot on! A great example of how chord voicings can make all the difference. Also, the synth patch selection really sounds like an amalgam of Christmas bells, strings and slushy snow.
Great video as always Espen. I'm a big fan of this song. Would love to hear your take on Everything She Wants. Another classic George Michael track, which I believe was also created using only the Linn Drum and a Juno 60.
Thanks! It sure was.
Great video. Always loved this arrangement, especially the long instrumental intro into the chorus, then straight into another extended instrumental section before the first verse. Always found this to be unusual but flow totally naturally.
The beauty of simplicity.
The bell sound used on this song is a stock patch from the Juno 60, called (appropriately enough) "Holidaze". I spent hours trying to recreate it, and then found the Juno 60 virtual synth on Roland Cloud and found the patch. As soon as I heard it I knew instantly. George used a preset! 🤣 I'm pretty sure the string patch used was also just a Juno 60 preset.
Yeah great lesson and great song. The drums sound modern(at the time) plus nostalgic/heartfelt lyrics, and sad synth strings plus strong/great melody and great vocal tone and singing and cool video = timeless classic :)
Did this on my Linndrum and Juno last year! Such an eye opener to see what they did there
I'm going to try that synth part on my alpha juno
great
Hi Espen, once again a terrific post on 80s music and then from Wham too! Great analysis! I've been following it all on your channel for a while now (I'm a subscriber too, of course) and can only say that you're giving back so much great music from the 80s - it's like traveling back in time to the days when music still had melody and soul. Keep up the excellent work!
Thanks man!
With all those fills, it almost sounds like a Lars Ulrich drum track haha. Great video Espen! lml
Very clever and expert breakdown. Thank you so much for making this.
Cheers!
I didn't realize he played the keyboards on I Want Your Sex. and the drum machine was synced with the synth which gave those weird sounding notes at the beginning of the song. a "happy little accident" I suppose. very talented artist - I still have my Faith 45 record from 1987 that I bought new at Kmart.
Nice concise breakdown of one of my favourite Christmas songs. Thanks.
Cheers!
The master of last christmass is insane, in the end of the first chorus they turn up the speed of the tape recorder and turn up the pitch of the song by a quarter of a step🤯 and no one ever notices
Thank you. Please also present the bell solo in "Last Christmas"
Brilliant analysis as always! There is something of a whistful mood around these chords, which is driven by the attachment of additional chord notes like 6ths, 7ths and 9ths - quite simple, but very effective. There maybe music with much more intricate and sophisticated harmonic content, e.g. in Modern Jazz, Impressionism or late Romanticism of the 19th century, however, this Wham! stuff is remaining beautiful as ever after all these years.- Cheers, Olaf
Actually I am one of the few people who loves it and can't wait every year to get his radioplay!
amazing recreation!
The netflix documentary on wham is very good and they talked about this song and how George Michael expected this to be a #1 and then it wasn't ... but then later is was!!
A drum machine a synth AND a vocal. Yes. :)
Great video, especially the chord part, on a classic, my girlfriend's favourite Christmas song. The alternations are different from how I would play them after analysing the song but then again, you're a specialist! To me, the main catch is the drum part. The fills are cleverly chosen and strangely do not become boring, because they serve a purpose, they fill the gaps, whereas many fills of the eighties tend to showcase the abilities of the drum machine used.
Cheers!
Great breakdown. Thanks.
Excellent work!
Direct and simple. thanks!
Wow, what a brilliant video, thank you
Very nice. Well done.
You are the GOAT for this.
Merry Christmas, Espen Kraft! Thank you for your wonderful content as always.
Simplicity at its best. And you as always. Cheers! S
By the way Espen - thanks so much for showing how to play this on synth!!
You’ve made this nice song so much more interesting. Thanks
Thanks Espen... 4 the amazing tutorial 🎉
This was wonderful. Thank you. xXx ❤🎉
The song was created during the"make it big "album at Miraval studio south of france a place so calm and stresslesd......
Last Christmas was recorded in London.
A brilliant breakdown of a classic! Thanks for sharing with us 🙂👍
Thanks!
Excellent work! Thank you!👍
Cheers!
As someone who can't stand this time of year, this is about the only way you'll get me to watch Christmas content. Good breakdown. as someone who has a history of been finishing anything, I'm always astonished how simple so many classic songs are, usually with one unpredictable element to keep it interesting
This is cool, hoping for more "how did they do it" videos. Peace.
Any synth can inspire a person to make incredible music compositions. I did it with my korg m1. Wow it was all programmed on the synth.
Daw makes it very easy to follow and edit it professionally
Enjoyed this video a lot Espen
I like the three voice/two voice alternation playing the cords. Gives a bit more depth, and keeps it from sounding like someone hit a note on an arpeggiator to fill the measure. 👍
Demo song of good old Yamaha SHS-10!😊 Got a red one as xmas present so many,many years ago and it triggered my everlasting interest to synths...🤗
Great video 👍
I've done a backing track of this song on my channel, in 3 keys. I've paid great attention to detail with the arrangement, as I do with all my instrumentals. In addition to the staccato string chords, I think there is a string pad that comes in behind to support those chords. It's a very cleverly arranged and produced song.
very nice cheers
To me the most important part of this song is the synth chords. Basic chords could be just boring, but the way it's arranged, it's more complex and very catchy. Because it always stays on these chords/riff, you get an hypnotic/addictive feel. Then, there is a very good melody on the chorus, with catchy lyrics. Then comes the drums, especially the snare. Perfect 80's pop.
👏👏👏
Cool video!
Everytime this comes on I shout "RX11"!
Not even close.
those chords are not easy to resolve by ear. good job. a lot of variations going on there.
Dx7 bells was a big part.
I love this amazing dissection of a classic song! Its my dad's favorite song as well as mine and yes the Linn Drum is such a classic sound to this song
I think it was actually a Yamaha RX11 that was used on the track, as I had one at the time and the sound was absolutely identical.
No, it was a Linndrum. Well documented.
Then I stand corrected, sir! 😁@@EspenKraft
That song is a good example of how a drum machine can be a meaningful part of an arrangement, not just a lousy replacement of a real drummer.
This is a very random thing I’ve noticed about the track. I’m pretty sure that to my ear, it actually speeds up slightly just after the first chorus in the lead bell part. Plus, I’ve compared the beginning chords to the chorus chords in the second chorus and to my ear, it’s definitely a higher pitch than the beginning of the song. Someone must have leaned on the tape machine or something during the mastering 😂
Not the only record from the 80s where the tape machines were wonky and as the result the pitch between the first and last bar could vary as much as a whole semi note. Or more.
@@EspenKraft that’s the weird thing with this track, that it literally speeds up to 440hz tuning from a slightly slower speed in about a second 🤣
Brilliant, as always, and useful. I'm just about to put Last Christmas in a little medley for a small competition here on YT, and . even if I heard the song a million times since it came out - this is very useful and appreciated. Many thanks.
What competiton?
This one: ua-cam.com/video/WtYIUuGhdKw/v-deo.html
@@wonderwheel80s
I'd like to think that this breakdown helped push Last Christmas to the number 1 spot in the UK charts 'This Christmas'. Just humour me in my delusion Espen. Quality stuff as always Mr Kraft.
Cheers!
Thanks for this brilliant tutorial and remember (...whispers) Happy Christmas 🎶
What a great time the 80’s were! I bought a Yamaha SHS-10 in the late 80’s that I still have, Last Christmas is the demo song on that keytar! Thank you for this breakdown, throughly enjoyed it! Now I’ve got to go load the midi dump from the Yamaha and see how close it really is!
Did the demo mode dump midi? I can't remember that it did.
Yes, it does dump the midi data! It sends the accompaniment voice data over ch 12-15 and drums on ch 16. Our power is out here in Maine, USA, (wind storm yesterday) when it is restored I’ll find the midi file or create a new one.
Thanks Espen!! I like your comment: A song with only 4 chords and no chorus shouldn't work, but it does because it's so clever. I agree completely and I actually always liked this song....To me it was unique GOOD new Christmas music instead of hearing all the classics redone by everyone..... Thanks for the breakdown as I'd like to try this sometime....
Great video. The only thing left out is the synth solo. That’s also a Juno 60 with heavy chorus. Quite easy to replicate those notes with the right board and fx
If you have a Juno you’ll find it in seconds 😊
I suspect it was doubled in the original track
Di da da da Daaaaa? I always thought that must be a DX7...
@@saftpackerl I can get the exact sound with my Juno 60
In George's own words.
" The drum programming was abysmal, because we were rushed into the studio at the last minute to record a Christmas song, it all had to he done very quickly.
It was hurried and released almost in its demo form".
George programmed the drums in a rush and he hated it, there's no magic deep theory behind it.
That's how the best stuff is done. In haste and not overthinking.
Nice to see the old Nuendo. That must from 20 years ago? I really liked that DAW. I left them when they started parting out features from what was supposed to be their flagship daw, that never sat well with me, paying more for features that were stock with Cubase (at the time, don't know if it ever changed). I have often thought about trying to get it running again. I use Reaper now and while it's arguably more powerful, the fact is I was more productive on Nuendo v1 & 2 and with a 1.8ghz xeon processor too!
It's still my main daw. Did a video about it a few weeks ago.
The most interesting parts for me would be if you would show the drum pattern zoomed in. I am learning to make 80s beats and I‘m stuck and to re-build such a thing would be awesome.
Why don't you have a go at putting it together yourself by listening to the track and figuring the patterns out? That's what I do with all my backing tracks / instrumentals, and it's a fantastic exercise for training your ear and learning how to produce your own music. It's amazing how quickly you'll get better at it with practice and far more valuable than someone just telling you what to do.
Listen to the songs slowed down, you learn a lot.
🎄
On do they know it's Christmas by band aid is it synth bass or electric bass? Also a breakdown of that song would be awesome
👍👍👍
U make my day, dude! 😊
Sure, amazing track but he had alot of help & not from Andy Ridgely¿ ...i think the Linn is bolstered by Simmons SDS (cymbals) ,Juno-60 is backed up by DX7 ofc & superb vocals:..just my take of what makes this song Christmas gold¡ ur still the best EK thanx again dude
That software looks like it's from 1984 too.
Also the famous yamaha dx7 ep
Great break down of a great song thanks! One question please, I don't understand why you've said that it doesn't have a chorus? Isn't that the whole "Last Christmas, I gave you my heart.." section?
It's just verse after verse. ;-)
I always enjoy the snare fills in this song. :D I noticed that it actually repeats, but it doesn't follow the parts in a classic manner, I don't know how to explain it, I don't know proper terms.
According to what I've read (This was on Spotifys song trivia about a year ago) Michael didn't really know how to play the piano (or keyboard for that matter) but insisted on playing everything on his own (Quick look on the songs history on Wikipedia confirms this).
Great enjoyed listening to this ,have you heard the pudding mix Espen ?
It has a lovely intro
Thanks! Of course. I even have it on vinyl and I also recorded that part for this video, but cut a lot out to be able to keep the video monetized.
@@EspenKraft of course fair enough.
George Michael was such a talented and lovely man and such a loss.
I will never forget how he performed somebody to love and how he could do that song justice.
The crash sounds pretty much like the standard LinnDrum crash, just very thinned out with the EQ. I wonder where the bells are coming from.. Juno as well?
Very close;)))
the chordal riff seem to go from A/D to Asus4add9 then briefly A6, Bm does similar Bsus4add9 to Bm, bar 3 the Em7 seems to be Em7 to Em7(sus 4 add 9) to and the A chord goes from A6 to A.... but i could be wrong ;) Maybe it could be looked at as a harmonized ostinato or counter melody ?
Mr. Kraft, please, is there a chance of you to upload and share the final sound sample of the layered snare? I find this snare sound cool but hard to get. Or maybe a specific tutorial of the process to get it. I have a lot of Linndrum samples and also the AlyJamsLab VPROM with the LM2 sounds. Thank you so much, and happy new year.
It's all about layering, compression and EQ. Cheers
This sounds like original
Great breakdown of what is maybe the greatest synth pop Christmas song ever. It's amazing how little is known about the production of this. I could've used this video a few years ago. It's a deceptively complex song once you start to put it together. There's a lot of nuance to it. There has to be...making a four chord song that repeats for over four minutes compelling to listen to is not easily accomplished. The drum programming is pretty amazing. I actually programmed/played every measure in the version I recorded. After watching your video I agree that it makes sense they would have overdubbed some fills. It's a crazy detailed drum track that seems to never repeat! Here's my version if you want to check it out. Happy holidays! ua-cam.com/video/scn3_ZaGwXU/v-deo.htmlsi=MLHcMmSyaP-fGJGk
I can't see a reason why he didn't program it in the Linn.
Ian Anderson did the same with the wonderful and more complex drum tracks on Walk into light and Underwraps in 1983/1984
Is there a reason why you used the Juno 106 instead of the 60? Is it just what you had available? EDIT: Never mind, I hadn't watched the whole video yet. :)
Has anyone been able to get the arrangement from the Yamaha SHS-10?
Good question, this keyboard has MIDI, but doesn't send the demo song.
Before this, I had a PSS 170 what played "Just The Way You Are" with all rhythms.