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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →WHAM!’s “Last Christmas” first won the UK Official Christmas Number 1 on 22 December 2023, 39 years after its 1984 release campaign was beaten by Band Aid. The song had reached No. 1 on the UK Official Singles Chart earlier, in January 2021; the Christmas-week crown was a separate milestone. It won again in 2024.
Why “finally” took 39 years
George Michael wrote and produced “Last Christmas” with the aim of making a Christmas No. 1, according to Andrew Ridgeley’s recollection reported by Official Charts. But in 1984, Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” took the festive top spot. Ridgeley recalled that he and Michael were disappointed when their song did not reach No. 1.
That original miss became the start of a long seasonal chart story: “Last Christmas” returned to the charts over subsequent years, but did not claim the UK Christmas-week title until 2023. Official Charts described the 39-year wait as the longest journey to the UK Christmas No. 1.
Two different No. 1 milestones
The distinction is between topping the UK singles chart at any point and topping it in the Christmas chart race. “Last Christmas” first reached No. 1 on the Official Singles Chart in January 2021. It did not become Christmas No. 1 until 22 December 2023, as confirmed by Sony Music UK and Official Charts.
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The 2023 Christmas chart win
In the seven days of the 2023 Christmas chart race, the song drew 13.3 million UK streams, according to Official Charts Company data. Official Charts called it the most-streamed Christmas No. 1 during Christmas week. The same 2023 report listed 5.34 million combined lifetime UK chart units at that time, comprising 1.93 million sales and nearly 413 million streams. Those are figures from that report, not current totals.
Sony Music UK separately reported more than 1.6 billion streams worldwide in 2023. That label-reported global figure has a different geography and scope from Official Charts’ UK chart data.
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It won again in 2024
“Last Christmas” secured the UK Christmas No. 1 for a second consecutive year in 2024. Official Charts described it as the first song to claim consecutive-year Christmas No. 1 wins and reported 12.6 million streams for that Christmas-week race. The 40th-anniversary week also featured zoetrope vinyl, a picture disc and a CD edition, as documented in the Official Charts account.
The 2024 repeat did not change the chronology: 2023 was the song’s first Christmas No. 1, while 2021 was its first time at No. 1 on the UK singles chart.
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