Wham!’s perennial holiday favorite “Last Christmas” has made chart history in the U.K. by being named the country’s Official Christmas Number 1 single for 2023. The song, which was released in 1984, took 39 years to achieve the coveted honor, the longest time period its ever taken a single to become a U.K. Christmas No. 1.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Last Christmas” was kept from the top spot of the U.K. singles chart during the Christmas week of 1984 by the star-studded Live Aid charity tune “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Since then, “Last Christmas” has reached No. 1 on the chart multiple times, but never during the holiday itself.
[RELATED: Andrew Ridgeley Shares Regrets About Wham! Not Playing a Farewell Tour]
Andrew Ridgely on How George Michael Would’ve Reacted to Honor
The song was written and sung by Wham! frontman George Michael, who died on Christmas Day in 2016 at age 53. The duo’s surviving member, Andrew Ridgely, told the Official Charts Company that Michael “would be beside himself” about the tune finally becoming a Christmas Number 1.
“Yog [George] said that he wrote ‘Last Christmas’ with the intention of writing a Christmas Number 1,” Ridgely noted. “It’s mission accomplished!”
On Single’s Christmas Number 1 Near Misses
Ridgely also reflected on several previous times “Last Christmas almost ascended to No. 1 during the holiday, including after its initial 1984 release.
“It was a huge disappointment to us both when it didn’t reach Number 1 because, in our opinion, it was nailed-on,” he said. “Had it not been for Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?,’ it probably would’ve been Number 1. Thwarted for many years subsequent to that—the perennial bridesmaid—over recent years it seems it’s become part of the fabric of Christmas for a lot of people.”
Chart Achievements
During the past week, “Last Christmas” was streamed 13.3 million times in the U.K., according to the Official Charts Company. That makes it the most-streamed No. 1 single ever during the holiday week.
To date, “Last Christmas” has amassed 5.34 million total charts units in the U.K., making it the third most successful single in the country. In first place is Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” and in second is “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
What Honor Means to Wham!’s Legacy
Ridgely told the Official Charts Company that in addition to fulfilling “a long-held ambition” for himself and Michael, the achievement also will mean a lot to Wham!’s fans and the group’s legacy. “It’s the crowning glory,” he added.
Ridgely also admitted that Michael and he had hoped the song would have enduring popularity, but certainly didn’t expect it to have the impact it has had.
“It’s a transcendental song, because of its nature and subject matter it has the advantage of being ever-present at this time of year,” he noted. “Did we ever think it’d have such longevity? Probably not! At the time, I don’t think we necessarily foresaw its endurance or thought it’d become a staple of Christmas.”
