Wham!’s festive single Last Christmas has retained its position at number one in the singles chart for the fourth consecutive week.
The festive track, released 39 years ago, made history last week after it completed the longest journey to the Christmas number one, according to the Official Charts Company.
Up until January 2021 the song, performed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, was recognised as the UK’s best-selling single never to have reached number one.
It finally took the top spot during the first week of January 2021 and went to number one again toward the end of 2022 and in January 2023, before securing the Christmas number one this year.
The track had been released in 1984 and was famously beaten to number one by Band Aid’s charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas? which featured Michael, among a slew of other popular 1980s singers.
Upon receiving news the single had gone to number one last Friday, Ridgeley, 60, said: “Last Christmas has finally ascended to the much-cherished and sought after official Christmas number one, which was always the main goal.”
He added: “George would be beside himself (that) after all of these years, (we’ve) finally obtained Christmas number one.”
Michael, who had an extensive solo career with singles including Careless Whisper, died on Christmas Day in 2016, aged 53.
Wham! formed after Michael and Ridgeley met at Bushey Meads School in Hertfordshire.
They released their debut album Fantastic in 1983 and after their chart-topping single The Edge Of Heaven, released in 1986, the duo decided to bow out at the top, commemorating their partnership with one final performance.
The band staged a farewell gig at London’s Wembley Stadium on June 28 1986, where they said goodbye to their fans as well as one other.
Elsewhere in the official charts this week, Sam Ryder’s festive offering You’re Christmas To Me remains in the number two spot with Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You maintaining its position at number three.
Merry Christmas by Sir Elton John and Ed Sheeran is in at number four while Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree is at number five.
Over in the albums chart Canadian singer Michael Buble leads with his 2011 record Christmas, followed by Taylor Swift’s re-recorded version of her album 1989, originally released in 2014.
The star, who was named Time magazine’s person of the year in 2023, has started to release re-recorded versions of her old albums in order to regain control of her music.
In at number three on the albums chart is The Weeknd with The Highlights and this is followed by Sir Elton’s Diamonds at number four and Abba’s Gold: Greatest Hits at number five.