The 1984 Wham! song Last Christmas has become a regular holiday favorite among listeners who like their Yuletide jingles with a touch of romantic heartbreak. But is Last Christmas a gay song? It depends on how you view its history and lyrics (especially since its music video is decidedly heterosexual).To answer the question Is Last Christmas a gay song? we took a deeper look at its biographical, historical, and cultural contexts. In short, a lot of fans think Last Christmas can be interpreted as a gay or bisexual song, even though its lyrics arent explicitly gay. Related Is it actually gay? Heres the true meaning of the song YMCA Is Last Christmas a gay song? It was created by a queer man.Wham! was a 1980s British music duo consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. Though the duo began releasing albums in 1983 and broke up in 1986, they had an outsized impact as one of Britains biggest pop acts, even rivaling Boy Georges Culture Club, performing at the iconic 1985 Live Aid concert against hunger, and becoming the first Western pop group to tour in China. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today The duos debut album,Fantastic, was Number 1 for two weeks in the U.K. album charts, and their 1984 single Last Christmas has repeatedly reached the top of the singles charts and appeared in numerous holiday-themed TV shows and movies, even decades after its release.Even though Wham! released Last Christmas as a single, Michael wrote, performed, and recorded the song without Ridgeley.A year before the songs release, Michael told Ridgeley that he considered himself bisexual, GQ magazine reported. I used to sleep with women quite a lot in the Wham! days, Michael told the publication, but never felt it could develop into a relationship because I knew that, emotionally, I was a gay man. I didnt want to commit to them, but I was attracted to them. Then I became ashamed that I might be using them.Michael dated female makeup artist Kathy Yueng between 1986 and 1988; she even appeared in his music video for I Want Your Sex. However, George said that he started to realize he was gay by 1986; and by 1991, he was in a relationship with male Brazilian dress designer Anselmo Feleppa. Michael publicly came out as gay following his April 1998 arrest forpublic lewdness in a mens park restroom.So, to recap: Michael publicly identified as bisexual at the time that he wrote and released Last Christmas (even if he suspected that he might actually be gay at the time). However, the songs ambiguous lyrics also lend credence to the idea of Last Christmas as a queer song. Is Last Christmas a gay song? Its lyrics can go either wayA promotional image for Last Christmas by Wham! | Columbia, Epic, CBSPeople who ask, Is Last Christmas a gay song? often point to the lack of gender and pronouns in its lyrics. The song is mostly addressed to an anonymous you who has left the singer heartbroken, though the singer also addresses them as baby and someone to rely on.Here are the lyrics many people point to when suggesting that Michael may be singing to either a man, a woman, or someone of an indeterminate gender.(Chorus) Last Christmas I gave you my heartBut the very next day you gave it awayThis year, to save me from tearsIll give it to someone specialOnce bitten and twice shyI keep my distance, but you still catch my eyeTell me baby, do you recognize me?Well, its been a year, it doesnt surprise meHowever, one stanza that appears later in the song mentions a man undercover with a fire in his heart. A face on a lover with a fire in his heartA man under cover, but you tore me apartOh, oh now Ive found a real loveYoull never fool me againIts likely that this man is Michael himself, but its entirely possible that the man could be the lover that the song is addressed to. Does the fire in his heart refer to Michaels heart or that of his lover? Does the man undercover refer to Michael because he felt like a closeted gay man at the time or is his lover undercover because hes hiding his true affections for someone else?Its worth noting that when Michael repeats this stanza near the end of the song, he sings, A man under cover, but you tore him apart, changing me to the third-person male pronoun him, possibly suggesting a man other than Michael or a past version of himself that he now feels distant from.The debate over whether Last Christmas is a gay song mostly hinges upon these lyrics and the singers sexual orientation. However, the songs 1984 music video also holds a vital clue. Is Last Christmas a gay song? Its 1984 music video is very heterosexualThe 1984 music video for the song shows Michael exiting a jeep in front of a snowy Swiss cabin hideaway and then waving to an excited brunette woman and several other opposite-sex couples who watch from the cabins deck. However, Michael then escorts a blonde woman out of the Jeeps backseat, putting his arm around her as the brunette woman notices and looks disappointed.Michael and the brunette share a few intense glances and moments near the Christmas tree and from across the room. A sequence near the videos end shows Michael and the brunette running and lying together in the snow and then resting on the floor inside near a fire: She opens a ring box and then rests her head on his chest but the entire sequence may just be a fantasy or a memory. (Its unclear.)All other couples in the video are male-female pairings, and all significant interactions occur only between men and women. As such, the video doesnt give off any major homoerotic vibes (apart from Michael wearing earrings, some makeup for his rosy cheeks, and briefly wearing sparkly tinsel as a scarf while decorating the tree).A final shot shows Michael and the brunette, their arms around one another, as they walk up a snowy hill. Interestingly, the video never shows Michael interacting with the blonde woman he escorted out of the Jeep, apart from briefly listening to her speak at the dinner table near the videos middle. As for the brunette woman, she has her own male partner who she mostly ignores in the video as well. Is Last Christmas a gay song? Its up to you!So, is Last Christmas a gay song? In conclusion, it really depends on how you want to see it. Michael publicly identified as bisexual (but privately worried he was really gay) while writing it. He dated a woman shortly after the 1984 release and showed a heterosexual relationship in the music video.However, the lack of female pronouns in the songs lyrics at least suggests it could be addressed to a man, especially when considering the lines about a man undercover and a fire in his heart.The great thing about Last Christmas is that Michael made it into a sort of surprise Christmas gift that, once unwrapped, can contain a story about a straight, gay, or bisexual relationship. Its a gift that keeps on giving, as its continued popularity each year proves again and again.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.