Forty years after being knocked out of the number one spot by Band Aid, Wham!’s “Last Christmas” has become the UK’s Christmas number one for the second year running.
Andrew Ridgeley, a member of Wham! Celebrating with the late George Michael: “Thirty-seven years to No. 1, thirty-nine to Christmas No. 1, and then like a London bus, they come at the same time! I’m particularly happy for George, He will be delighted that his wonderful Christmas creations have become classics, almost as much a part of Christmas as mince pies, turkeys and pigs in blankets.
This quintessential Christmas heartache song has arguably become the definition of the contemporary Christmas song: so ubiquitous that it inspired the game Whamagineddon, in which people try to avoid hearing it every year for as long as possible this song.
It remains hugely popular not just in the UK but around the world, currently clocking 7.7 million daily streams globally on Spotify and reaching No. 4 on the US singles chart this week.
George Michael also appears on the charts at No. 12 as part of the 40th anniversary edition of Band Aid’s charity classic, Do They Know It’s Christmas? The new version, spliced from three previous official versions, sparked controversy, with Ed Sheeran and others denouncing it as perpetuating stereotypes about the plight of Africans. But co-author Bob Geldof defended it, saying “hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of people are alive because of a little pop song.”
Last Christmas, the closest competitor among contemporary Christmas classics was Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which topped this week’s charts at No. 3, beaten out to No. 2 by pop star Gracie Abrams’s decidedly unfestive “That’s So True,” which spent four years at No. 2 in recent weeks. one.
In fourth place is Tom Grennan, whose new song “It Can’t Be Christmas” is part of Amazon’s bid to dominate the Christmas charts. In recent years, the retailer has commissioned Christmas songs to be played exclusively on its Amazon Music service. As many listeners tell Alexa devices to “play Christmas songs,” Amazon’s own tracks are prioritized in their playlists, ensuring a rise in the charts. Smooth jazz singer Laufey ranks at No. 19 with “Christmas Magic,” another Amazon-affiliated song.
Of this week’s top 40 songs, 29 are Christmas-themed, with Brenda Lee, Bobby Helms and the Pogues all scoring hits with their respective ‘s classic song entered the top ten. One exception is British singer-songwriter Lola Young, who debuted in the top 10 with “Messy,” a slow success that debuted at No. 7 in May.
The song may not rival the Christmas classics in terms of airplay, but the week’s best-selling song is Sir Starmer and Granny Hammer’s Freezing This Christmas at No. 37. · Written and performed by Middleton, this song by Rat Pack cover artist Dean Ager is a satirical cover of Mud’s Lonely This Christmas, which criticizes Keir Starmer’s Labor Party’s decision to end winter fuel payments to pensioners rather than low-income earners fee. All proceeds from the song are donated to Age UK.
Sabrina Carpenter caps off an amazing year with “Espresso,” “Please Please Please” and “Taste” staying at the top of the charts for 21 consecutive weeks. A vibrant attempt to drag the sometimes stale Christmas special into the modern era.”
Her song “A Nonsense Christmas” ranks at No. 16, while her album “Short n’ Sweet” returns to No. 1 for the first time since its release in August and has remained in the top three ever since. Michael Bublé’s evergreen holiday album Christmas is in second place, while South Yorkshire rock band Reytons are in fifth place with their live album Clifton Park.