‘Last Christmas’ tops the UK charts for the second year in a row

It’s a bittersweet time of year when Wham!Last Christmas” reaches the top of the UK charts for the second year in a row.

Friday 20 December at Official Charts Company announced that the 1984 track, released by the duo of Andrew Ridgeley and the late George Michael, had become the first song in the chart’s history ever to score two consecutive Christmas wins.

The performance makes the beloved track, written and produced by Michaelthis week’s most streamed and physically purchased song.

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It coincides with the release of Last Christmas 40th Anniversary EP earlier this month, and it comes days before the anniversary of Michael’s death, which occurred unexpectedly on Christmas Day 2016. Michael, born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, was 53 at the time of his death. It was later determined that Michael died of natural causes.

Speaking to Official Charts about the achievement, Ridgeley said: “37 years to get to number 1, 39 years to Christmas number 1 and then they all come at once like London buses!”

He said the milestone made him “particularly happy for George” as “he would have been extremely delighted.”

“His fantastic Christmas composition has become such a classic, almost as much a part of Christmas as mince pies, turkey and pigs in blankets,” Ridgeley said. “It’s a testament to a truly wonderful Christmas carol which, in many people’s minds, evokes and represents Christmas as we all wish it were.”

“I want to thank everyone who listened, downloaded, bought, streamed Last Christmas and been a part of history,” he continued.

Official Charts said the milestone performance has made Wham! part of “a rare official club in the charts, as one of only a few acts to achieve the official Christmas number 1 multiple times.”

“Their peers now include: Queen (2), Cliff Richard (2), Spice Girls (3), The Beatles (4) and the current record holders, LadBaby (5),” the organization said in its announcement.

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Speaking about why he believes the song continues to find success years after its release, Ridgeley said: “Artists of the caliber and songwriters George was one of, transcend ages and decades and endure because of their quality. I think that’s why ‘Last Christmas’ has endured.”