Wham, Christmas Songs Dominate – Billboard

Wham’s “Last Christmas” is the last U.K. No. 1 of 2023, leading a top 40 that features a record-setting array of holiday singles.

“Last Christmas” logs a fourth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, and ends the year as one of the market’s top 20 singles, based on sales and streams captured by the Official Charts Company.

Released back in 1984, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley snagged a piece of chart history when “Last Christmas” recently completed the longest journey to the coveted Christmas No. 1, completing its odyssey after 39 years.

The British duo’s evergreen pop treat heads-up an all-Xmas top 5, outpointing Sam Ryder’s “You’re Christmas to Me” (unchanged at No. 2 via EastWest/Rhino), Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (unchanged at No. 3 via Columbia), Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s “Merry Christmas” up 5-4 via Atlantic/EMI) and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree (up 7-5 via MCA), respectively.

“Last Christmas” became Wham’s fifth U.K. No. 1 when it summited on Jan. 1, 2021 – some 36 years after release. And in doing so, it discarded the unwanted record as the U.K.’s best-selling single to not hit the top.

The latest Official U.K. Singles Chart, published Friday, Dec. 29, is one for the history books, boasting a record 37 festive songs in the top 40.

The singles to buck the trend are Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” (down 4-10 via Republic Records), the only non-Christmas song in the top 10; Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” (down 8-27 via Atlantic), and Tate McRae’s “greedy” (down 17-37 via Ministry of Sound).

Finally, Cher scores her highest-charting single in the U.K. in over 22 years, as “DJ Play a Christmas Song” (Warner Records) lifts 20-18.

A week earlier, the pop icon established two new Official Chart records by becoming the first solo artist ever to score a top 40 hit with new material across seven consecutive decades, and the oldest female solo artist to crack the top tier.

“DJ Play a Christmas Song” is Cher’s highest charting track in the U.K. since “The Music’s No Good Without You” reached No. 8 in November 2001.