Wham! Makes Musical History, As George Michael’s ‘Last Christmas’ Tops UK Christmas Chart

Wham!’s festive song Last Christmas never got to number one in the year of its release 1984, but it has scored a historical first, becoming the first track to occupy the festive chart’s top slot for a second consecutive year.

40 years after its debut, the song penned by George Michael beat off competition by Mariah Carey, Gracie Abrams, Tom Grennan and Ariana Grande to top the chart. This follows its success in reaching the same position last year, following a campaign by Wham! fans.

Michael’s bandmate Andrew Ridgeley told the BBC of his pleasure that his late friend’s talent had been recognised: “He would have been utterly delighted [that] his fabulous Christmas composition has become such a classic, almost as much a part of Christmas as mince pies, turkey and pigs in blankets.

“It’s testament to a really wonderful Christmas song that in a lot of people’s minds evokes and represents Christmas as we would all wish it to be.”

The BBC reports that the Official Charts Company confirms the song has been streamed 12.6million times in the week leading up to Christmas.

A new documentary Wham!’s Last Christmas Unwrapped aired on the BBC last week, exploring how Michael created the song and played every instrument himself, before the band together with their friends travelled to Saas-Fe in Switzerland to film the video.

On their return, Michael joined the rest of Bob Geldof’s musical recruits for Band Aid, the charity single that beat Last Christmas to the top of the chart that year. Michael admitted his ego was bruised by not having the festive number one, but he demonstrated his generosity with the decision to donate all royalties from his own record to the Band Aid cause.

Michael died on Christmas Day 2016, and in the documentary, his friends remembered fondly how important this time of year was to him.