Elton John and George Michael collaborated on many occasions, including George’s backing vocals on Elton’s ‘Nikita’ and their chart-topping live duet on ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’ (which George had also provided backing vocals on for Elton’s performance of the song at Live Aid).
But the one that lingers in my memory is their 1985 pairing, ‘Wrap Her Up’, recorded for Elton’s Ice On Fire album and then released as a single.
The song is notable for two reasons. Firstly, there’s George’s falsetto vocal counterpoint, which he infamously described in an interview with No 1 this way:
Up till the end of the song it doesn’t sound like me. Well, it sounds like me … but with a garotte on my willy!
Secondly, there’s the extended ending, where Elton and George run through a roll call of female celebrities. It’s an impressively diverse list, ranging from properly historic figures (Mata Hari) to fresh-on-the-charts pop stars (Samantha Fox).
The main theme of ‘Wrap Her Up’ is “wow, these are some foxy chicks”. And given the ageism that was prevalent in pop in the 1980s (and remains prevalent now), it’s notable that the list isn’t just of “current” celebrities.
So as a “why not?” exercise, I calculated how old each star mentioned was on the date ‘Wrap Her Up’ was released as a UK single, back on 14 October 1985. Here’s the full list, in the order they get mentioned in the song.
| Star | Born | Age on release date |
|---|---|---|
| Marlene Dietrich | 27 December 1901 | 83 years 9 months 17 days |
| Marilyn Monroe | 1 June 1926 | Deceased |
| Brigitte Bardot | 28 September 1934 | 51 years 16 days |
| Doris Day | 3 April 1922 | 63 years 6 months 11 days |
| Billie Jean King | 22 November 1943 | 41 years 10 months 22 days |
| Samantha Fox | 15 April 1966 | 19 years 5 months 29 days |
| Joan Collins | 23 May 1933 | 52 years 4 months 21 days |
| Kiki Dee | 6 March 1947 | 38 years 7 months 8 days |
| Katharine Hepburn | 12 May 1907 | 78 years 5 months 2 days |
| Vivien Leigh | 5 November 1913 | Deceased |
| Grace Jones | 19 May 1948 | 37 years 4 months 25 days |
| Priscilla Presley | 24 May 1945 | 40 years 4 months 20 days |
| Vanessa Williams | 18 March 1963 | 22 years 6 months 26 days |
| Dusty Springfield | 16 April 1939 | 46 years 5 months 28 days |
| Nancy Reagan | 6 July 1921 | 64 years 3 months 8 days |
| Rita Hayworth | 17 October 1918 | 66 years 11 months 27 days |
| Petula Clark | 15 November 1932 | 52 years 10 months 29 days |
| Julie Andrews | 1 October 1935 | 50 years 13 days |
| Annie Lennox | 25 December 1954 | 30 years 9 months 19 days |
| Mata Hari | 7 August 1876 | Deceased |
| Anouska Hempel | 13 December 1941 | 43 years 10 months 1 day |
| Shirley Temple | 23 April 1928 | 57 years 5 months 21 days |
| Tallulah Bankhead | 31 January 1902 | Deceased |
| Linda Lovelace | 10 January 1949 | 36 years 9 months 4 days |
| Little Eva | 29 June 1943 | 42 years 3 months 15 days |
| Nastassja Kinski | 24 January 1961 | 24 years 8 months 20 days |
| Princess Caroline of Monaco | 23 January 1957 | 28 years 8 months 21 days |
Note for pedants: I left out fictional characters Supergirl and Elsie Tanner, as well as the reference to George’s friend Pat Verness.
The youngest name is 20-year old Samantha Fox. The oldest living is 83-year old Marlene Dietrich, the very first person mentioned. Four of the mentioned celebrities were deceased at the time of release.
It’s a very balanced list.
- Of the 27 names analysed, 13 were under 50 at the time the song released, while 14 were over 50 or deceased.
- Every age group from teens to 80s has at least one name included.
- The average age for the living celebrities mentioned in ‘Wrap Her Up’ is 46, while the median age is 43.
So there you go. For more George-related trivia, check out what get left off the Wham! CD single box set.
Main image: from the Wrap Her Up video
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