Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ Returns to No. 1 on U.K. Singles Chart
The festive classic fought off competition for the top spot from Mariah Carey and Tom Grennan.
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The race is on for the U.K’s Official Christmas No. 1, and with a week to go, Wham! is set to be the contender to beat as the duo’s 1984 hit “Last Christmas” has landed at No. 1 on the Official Singles Chart on Friday (Dec. 13).
The duo, made up of Andrew Ridgeley and the late George Michael, are now at No. 1 for an eighth non-consecutive week in just four years; “Last Christmas” first reached the summit of the charts in 2021.
The song also bagged the coveted Christmas No. 1 spot for the first time in 2023, having been beaten to it in 1984 by Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” LadBaby – 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, beating The Beatles’ previous record of four.
Wham! saw off a number of other festive classics, and is in pole position ahead of the announcement of Christmas No. 1 in the U.K. on Dec. 20.
Among the other contenders are Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (No. 3), Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (No. 5), and Tom Grennan’s new Amazon Music exclusive “It Can’t Be Christmas” (No. 6).
Speaking to the Bedford Independent earlier this week, Grennan said it felt “crazy” to be going up against “a band and artist that I’ve always loved and admired.” He added: “I was really conscious of not writing a cheesy Christmas song. It would have been so easy to have done that, but I wanted to put out the best I could possibly do.”
Gracie Abrams sees her five-week reign at No. 1 with “That’s So True” come to an end, placing at No. 2. A further slew of Yuletide-themed tracks make appearances elsewhere in the top 40, including Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” (No. 7), Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (No. 9) and Laufey’s “Christmas Magic,” (No. 20).
British vocalist Lola Young breaks into the top 20 for the first time with “Messy” (No. 11) following a rise of 24 places week-on-week. Speaking to Billboard U.K. last month, the 23-year-old discussed the slow-burn success of the single and why she believes it has connected with fans. “I choose to give realness and truth. I’ve got a bit of a belly out, I f–king swear a bunch and I have fun,” she said. “And that’s what people are resonating with.”
See the full rundown of the Official Singles Chart here.
