It’s official: Wham!’s “Last Christmas” is the U.K.’s Christmas No. 1 for 2024.
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It makes for the second consecutive year that the pop duo – made up of Andrew Ridgeley and the late George Michael – have achieved the feat. The song, first released in 1984 and written by Michael, was beaten to the Christmas No. 1 spot at the time of release by Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and eventually took the coveted slot 39 years later in 2023.
Speaking on the achievement to the Official Charts Company, Ridgeley said, “37 years to get to No. 1, 39 years to Christmas No. 1, and then like London buses, they all come along at once! I’m especially pleased for George — he would have been utterly delighted his fabulous Christmas composition has become such a classic, almost as much a part of Christmas as mince pies, turkey and pigs in blankets.”
The achievement places Wham! in a rare group of artists to have had multiple Christmas No. 1s on the Official Singles Chart. With its second title, the duo joins Queen (2), Spice Girls (3), The Beatles (4) and the current record-holders, LadBaby (5). The latter, the moniker for YouTube influencer Mark Hoyle, holds the record for number of Christmas chart-toppers with five different songs hitting No. 1 between 2018 and 2022.
“Last Christmas” is also experiencing success on the Billboard Hot 100, currently placing at No. 3, a new peak for the single. Speaking to Billboard‘s Pop Shop podcast, Ridgeley reflected on how the success both in the U.K. and abroad felt.
“Well, extremely satisfying. You know, Yog [Michael’s nickname], we placed a great deal of importance on being a success in the States. It was, for any artist, of that era … you were nowhere unless you were a big deal in the States. You could be a big noise in the U.K., but the States was the golden prize, really. We were fortunate enough … and one or two of our contemporaries, we had great success in the States.”
Elsewhere, Wham! faced stiff competition over the course of the week. Gracie Abrams finished at No. 2 with her single “That’s So True,” which has enjoyed a five weeks at the top spot already in 2024, while Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” finished at No. 3. Carey’s 1994 song took the honor of Christmas No. 1 back in 2020, more than 26 years after its original release.
Tom Grennan, meanwhile, put up a strong battle to finish at No. 4 with “It Can’t Be Christmas,” his exclusive for Amazon Music U.K., which is also his highest charting solo song on the Official Singles Chart.
See the full Official Singles Chart here.
