A couple is embarking on an ambitious mission to purchase the rights to WHAM!‘s classic holiday hit “Last Christmas,” with the goal of ridding it from existence forever. They have launched a crowdfunding campaign in order to make their dream a reality, Daily Mail reports.
The goal is to raise funds to purchase this invaluable intellectual property from Warner Chappell Music UK, the rightful holders. On hearing about this endeavor, there’s good news and bad news; on December 23rd it was reported that a total of £50,000 had been raised for the cause however unfortunately they still have around £20 million left to collect.
Even with the odds stacked against them, Hannah and Thomas refuse to back down in their pursuit of this noble cause. According to reports, 327 people have already contributed to the fundraiser! Unfortunately, we haven’t been able locate crowdfunding link, and the source doesn’t mention it either.
The memory of when Hannah‘s disdain for the most played Christmas song first emerged was a vivid one. Working in an Oxford café, she had to suffer through this song playing over and over again.
“I was studying English and worked extra to pay the bills. The owner of the cafe had planned for a super cosy holiday season and had his own made CD with a number of ‘hits’ on it,” she recalled. He was only in now and then, so he didn’t fully appreciate the agony the rest of the staff felt when Last Christmas played for the 111th time of the working day.”
Ironically enough, the epiphany to embark on this journey materialized for her last Christmas.
“It started last Christmas — pun not intended — when we asked friends how much they would be willing to pay never to hear the song again,” Hannah explains. “Quite a lot it turned out, and when the song started playing this November we were reminded. Then someone told us it was theoretically possible to buy the rights to the song and then take it off all streaming platforms! We asked around among our friends and word spread. It’s fun because people either love or hate the idea!
“Maybe next Christmas will be the last Christmas!”
