“Sounds great”: How George Michael single-handedly improved a Christmas classic
Christmas singles present many significant challenges, but George Michael seemed to have mastered the art of blending musical expression with the festive season on multiple occasions. However, versatile by nature, this makes complete sense, considering how Michael’s voice always held nostalgic weight, even during his peak commercial years.
Every time Christmas comes around, the songs on heavy rotation form a defining part of the festive experience. For some, it’s an unavoidable turn-off and a sure-way to running head-first into the Scrooge mindset. For others, it’s the precursor that signifies the build-up to Christmas has officially begun, the gold dust that makes festive shopping more magical and home decorations more exciting.
In 1984, Michael was more than poised to make Christmas history. At one of the highest points in his career, he was riding the wave of Wham! record Make It Big, which included several hits such as ‘Freedom’, ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’, and ‘Careless Whisper’. When we think of Michael today, these songs are his defining hits, so it’s easy to imagine his dominance when they first came out.
The same year, Michael was approached by Band Aid founder Bob Geldof about featuring alongside numerous high-profile music stars for a new initiative that would help to raise money to support famine in Ethiopia. Geldof was working on a new song, ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’, that would top the charts that year and significantly reduce poverty across the African country.
After being inspired by a series of BBC reports, Geldof wrote the song with Midge Ure after being deeply affected by the images and wanting to create a charity initiative to do something about it. Piecing the melody together, he played various Christmas-like tunes on a portable keyboard and took them to Ure the next day to work on building it out.
Michael’s involvement promised wistfulness, with a rich and warm tone that would adorn any track, especially Christmas ones. A few days before ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ was released, Wham! released their coveted classic ‘Last Christmas’, proving Michael’s adeptness at giving festive tracks a kind of indescribable familial intimacy, the perfect atmosphere for celebration and togetherness.
Michael’s technical proficiency also came to the fore during the recording sessions for ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’. During a behind-the-scenes clip, Michael delivers his signature line: “But say a prayer and pray for the ones / At Christmas time it’s hard but when you’re having fun.” However, he seems to struggle in the build-up to his first line and appears visibly distracted as a result.
After trying the line again, he looks over to Geldof and the rest of the production team and suggests singing the song in a higher register. It’s magic at work, as the new melody immediately uplifts the intonation, making his section seem far more enticing and melodically charming. Moreover, his suggestion is met with little resistance, as Geldof encourages the singer to explore the new melody, enthusiastically saying it “sounds great”.
“The actual line itself,” Michael says after stopping abruptly, “It’s hard for me to sing powerfully. If you wanted to change the notation a bit so it started off a bit higher, or something.” His initial trepidation clearly stemmed from an inherent feeling that something wasn’t quite right. After all, after the subtle change, even his vocal delivery seemed a lot more masterful.
