New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The UK Singles Top 40 chart for December 9, 2023, marks the forth time "Last Christmas" has reached UK's No 1, charging ahead with over 53,000 chart units. Compiled by Top40-Charts.com, this chart offers a comprehensive view of the most popular songs in UK.
Today represents a historic achievement for "Last Christmas" as it secures the No. 1 position for the second time within the same calendar year. This accomplishment positions the song as the frontrunner in the race for the UK Christmas No. 1, setting the stage for the highly anticipated competition beginning next week!
Originally released in the festive landscape of 1984, the battle for the coveted Christmas number one spot on the UK Singles Chart was shaping up to be an iconic clash between Wham! and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Having already secured two number-one singles that year, Wham! aimed to crown their success with a Christmas single. However, their holiday offering, "Last Christmas/Everything She Wants," faced tough competition from the Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Despite Wham!'s festive anthem spending a considerable period at No. 2, its enduring popularity and chart resilience led to a historic moment in 2021, as it finally claimed the number one spot 36 years after its original release. Join us on a journey through the decades as we explore the lasting impact and record-breaking ascent of "Last Christmas" on the UK Singles Chart.
Wham! had already secured two number-one singles on the UK Singles Chart in 1984. The anticipation of a Christmas single from Wham! set the stage for a potential battle for the coveted Christmas number one spot with Frankie Goes to Hollywood, who had recently achieved their third No. 1 with "The Power of Love." However, the Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" claimed the top spot, leaving Wham!'s offering, "Last Christmas/Everything She Wants," at No. 2 for a significant period. Wham! donated all royalties from the song to the Ethiopian famine.
Over the years, "Last Christmas" made its way into the UK top 40 on 15 occasions, securing a place in the top 10 six times. Notably, in 1985 and 2017, it matched its previous best chart position of number two before finally reaching the number one spot on January 1, 2021 - 36 years after its original release in 1984. This achievement set a new record for the longest time taken for a single to peak at the top of the UK Singles Chart after its initial release, surpassing the previous record held by Tony Christie's "(Is This The Way To) Amarillo?" in 2005. However, Kate Bush later surpassed this record in June 2022 with "Running Up That Hill," which took 37 years.
