Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ Lands The Christmas No. 1 Spot
Wham!’s classic festive song Last Christmas has finally achieved the prestigious Christmas Number One spot – after 39 years.
The classic tune – written and produced by the late George Michael – has finally reached number one in the UK and also made history by setting the record for the longest-ever journey to the UK Christmas Number One.
Speaking to Official Charts, Wham!’s Andrew Ridgeley said: “Last Christmas has finally ascended to the much-cherished and sought-after Official Christmas Number One, which was always the main goal.
“George would be beside himself [that] after all of these years, [we’ve] finally obtained Christmas Number One. Yog [George] said that he wrote the song with the intention of writing a Christmas Number One. It’s mission accomplished!”
On its initial release, the song was kept off the top spot by Band-Aid’s hugely successful celebrity charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas?
This year too, Last Christmas had to overcome strong competition for the top spot from Sam Ryder and The Pogues. Sam – who rose to fame after representing the UK at Eurovision 2022 – was chasing the festive top spot with You’re Christmas To Me but said it would be “gorgeous” if Fairytale of New York pipped him to the post after Shane MacGowan’s death in November.
Ryder told the Daily Star newspaper’s Wired column: “I’ve got love in my heart for the Fairytale of New York situation. That’s never got to Number One and that would be a gorgeous moment, especially now Shane MacGowan’s left us.”
“There’s a lot of tragedy wrapped up in that song – two gorgeous voices no longer with us and taken too soon. That’s me taking a lovely romantic view on it.”
Fans had been campaigning to get The Pogues to the top of the charts following MacGowan’s death on November 30. Following the sad passing of The Pogues talisman, Fairytale Of New York was reissued as a 7” single with all profits from sales going to Dublin Simon Community – a charity loved and supported by Shane and his widow Victoria Mary Clarke.