Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ returns to UK Number One on single’s 40th anniversary
Wham!‘s ‘Last Christmas’ has become the Christmas Number One on the single’s 40th anniversary.
Penned and produced by the late George Michael, the track was created with the aim of landing the Christmas Number One in 1984. However, the pop track was kept off the top spot by Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’, a track that would go on to become the second best-selling single of all time.
It wasn’t until last year that ‘Last Christmas’ finally earned the festive top spot. Wham! also made history that year by setting the record for the longest-ever journey to the UK Christmas Number One which was 39 years.
Now, the wistful festive classic is back at the top of the Official Singles Chart for an eighth non-consecutive week in just under four years, having first reached the summit for the first time on New Year’s Day 2021.
The accolade also comes as ‘Last Christmas’ celebrates its 40th anniversary, which will see the single be released on a special limited-edition physical reissue on both CD and various 12″ vinyl pressings including a picture disc and a zoetrope disc. You can purchase it here. And, a BBC Two documentary about the creation and cultural impact of the holiday hit is also set to air tomorrow (December 14).
Recently, Pepsi & Shirlie – the pair of backing singers and dancers for Wham! – spoke to NME about the 40th anniversary of ‘Last Christmas’ and how Michael fulfilled his legacy.
Speaking about how they think the frontman would have reacted to the track finally earning the Number One spot on the charts, Shirlie shared: “We’d have been at his house having a party ‘cause he loved having Number Ones! And he loved Christmas. He would be relaxed and happy, opening the door with an excited, ‘Right! Come and see my tree!’. He’d have homely, cosy Christmas parties every year.”
“George would always be there with a gift, and he’d get pleasure out of handing them over to his friends,” Pepsi added. “Years later, he would make sure we all got hampers, and Christmas didn’t arrive until you received your George Michael hamper from Fortnum & Mason.”
This year, the race for the Christmas Number One mirrored that of 1984 when Wham! were against Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas?’. Speaking about this realisation, Shirlie said: “When I saw that Band Aid had made a documentary, I thought, ‘Oh no!’. It’s funny. It’s history repeating itself, but whichever song gets to Number One, it’s win-win.”
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Anagricel Duran
NME
