This year, Last Christmas by Wham! has become the number one Christmas single in the UK, proving that good things truly come to those who wait.
It is significant because the song was released in 1984 but failed to reach the top of the charts because it was beaten by Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas? Interestingly, George Michael, one of the pop stars who contributed vocals to the Band Aid track, had written Last Christmas. The song received 13.3 million streams in the past seven days as fans eagerly raced to make it the number one Christmas song of 2023.
Reflecting on the achievement, Andrew Ridgeley, the other half of the 80s pop duo Wham!, mentioned that Michael would be ecstatic. He stated that Michael had set a goal for himself to write a Christmas number one and this victory would signify mission accomplished. The success of Last Christmas now places it as the UK's third biggest song of all time, ranking after Ed Sheeran's Shape of You and Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas?
Moreover, Last Christmas holds the distinction of being the most-streamed Christmas number one ever during the Christmas week. The win is even more meaningful considering how disappointing it was for Wham! to not claim the top spot when the song was first released 39 years ago. Ridgeley recalled the lofty ambitions they had for Wham! and expressed that their fans would feel a great sense of achievement and pride.
While Last Christmas may have only reached number one this year, it has long held the title of the best-selling single in the UK without having ever reached number one. The competition for the top Christmas song was intense, with popular tracks like Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You, Sam Ryder's You're Christmas to Me, Rock Choirs' I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day, and The Pogue's Fairytale of New York vying for the position. In the end, Sam Ryder's You're Christmas to Me secured the second spot, while Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You came in third. Ryder expressed his excitement, noting the unique situation of being sandwiched between Mariah Carey and Wham!
