Current:Home > FinanceAre you playing 'Whamageddon'? It's the Christmas game you've probably already lost-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Are you playing 'Whamageddon'? It's the Christmas game you've probably already lost
View Date:2025-01-12 16:07:45
Last weekend, a DJ caused a stir in Britain after playing the hit Wham! song "Last Christmas" at a soccer game in front of about 60,000 people.
A week earlier, another DJ had done the same at a match with 7,000 people, prompting him to apologize in an interview with the BBC.
Why? These tune-slingers had just "whammed" their audience, potentially knocking tens of thousands of people out of a long-running Christmas game.
Confused? Let's back up.
There is a game called Whamaggedon that's popular this time of year — especially in Britain — which consists of not listening to the holiday classic by the '80s pop duo.
From Dec 1-24, if you listen and recognize the original version of the song, it's game over. Listening to remixes and covers is fine.
"The very moment you have that 'Oh no' feeling in your brain, that's the moment you're out," said Thomas Mertz, who lives in Copenhagen, Denmark, and created the game almost two decades ago with some friends.
It's all for fun, there are no prizes, and if you do get "whammed," as Mertz called it, you just drop out.
Mertz made it clear that the song isn't the problem. In fact, he plays it repeatedly the week before the game starts, and again as a sort of celebration after he gets whammed. But he said in the early 2000s in Denmark, you pretty much couldn't go anywhere without hearing those dulcet tones.
"We were thinking, like, it's frustrating and it's getting to the point of being annoying. But rather than becoming upset about it, we turned it into a game," he said.
The challenge eventually became a hashtag and a Facebook page. It also blew up when Wham! lead singer George Michael died in 2016.
"That created a social storm of attention that the next year kind of launched it into a much, much bigger thing than we ever imagined it could become," Mertz said.
As for tactics, Mertz said he has seen two methods to avoid losing.
"The most effective thing is what people already have, which is noise-canceling headphones," he said. "They are the best tool, hands down, to survive."
A little bit of obliviousness also helps: "A lot of people tell me that they are the kind of people who kind of go through life a little bit oblivious to their surroundings, and they have an easier time of it than most, I think, because they just don't pick up on music."
Listen to All Things Considered each day here or on your local member station for more stories like this.
In Britain, some pubs have even taken the song out of their Christmas playlists, so as to not ruin the game for people. But the whole point of the game is that there is a risk of listening to the song, Mertz said.
So for those who are still in the game, best of luck. For those who are already knocked out, or just want a bit of Wham! magic this holiday season, have another spin of the Christmas classic.
veryGood! (876)
Related
- My Chemical Romance will perform 'The Black Parade' in full during 2025 tour: See dates
- American Climate Video: Hurricane Michael Intensified Faster Than Even Long-Time Residents Could Imagine
- Alaska’s Soon-To-Be Climate Refugees Sue Energy Companies for Relocation
- Succession's Sarah Snook Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby With Husband Dave Lawson
- PSA: Coach Outlet Has Stocking Stuffers, Gifts Under $100 & More for the Holidays RN (up to 60% Off)
- Nordstrom Rack Has Jaw-Dropping Madewell Deals— The 83% Off Sale Ends Today
- American Climate Video: How Hurricane Michael Destroyed Tan Smiley’s Best Laid Plans
- OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush talks Titan sub's design, carbon fiber hull, safety and more in 2022 interviews
- Manhattan rooftop fire sends plumes of dark smoke into skyline
- Raiders' Davante Adams assault charge for shoving photographer dismissed
Ranking
- Louisiana mom arrested for making false kidnapping report after 'disagreement' with son
- Everwood Actor John Beasley Dead at 79
- Zombie Coal Plants Show Why Trump’s Emergency Plan Is No Cure-All
- American Climate Video: She Loved People, Adored Cats. And Her Brother Knew in His Heart She Hadn’t Survived the Fire
- Fighting conspiracy theories with comedy? That’s what the Onion hopes after its purchase of Infowars
- The Best lululemon Father's Day Gifts for Every Kind of Dad
- Shooter in attack that killed 5 at Colorado Springs gay nightclub pleads guilty, gets life in prison
- Succession's Sarah Snook Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby With Husband Dave Lawson
Recommendation
-
Republican Gabe Evans ousts Democratic US Rep. Yadira Caraveo in Colorado
-
Maryland to Get 25% of Electricity From Renewables, Overriding Governor Veto
-
Man killed, cruise ships disrupted after 30-foot yacht hits ferry near Miami port
-
Idaho militia leader Ammon Bundy is due back in court. But will he show up?
-
Missouri prosecutor says he won’t charge Nelly after an August drug arrest
-
Get $150 Worth of Clean Beauty Products for Just $36: Peter Thomas Roth, Elemis, Osea, and More
-
The Canals Are Clear Thanks to the Coronavirus, But Venice’s Existential Threat Is Climate Change
-
Arizona governor approves over-the-counter contraceptive medications at pharmacies