This holiday season, Mariah Carey is sharing the success.
On Monday, Dec. 15, Billboard announced “Last Christmas” by Wham! reached the No. 1 slot on the publication’s Global 200, marking the first time another holiday song besides Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has topped the chart since its launch in September 2020.
According to Billboard, Carey’s 1994 classic has topped the Global 200 chart for a record total of 19 weeks since December 2020.
Earlier this month, “Last Christmas” reached its highest peak ever on the Billboard Hot 100 and Holiday 100 charts in the No. 2 slot — right behind “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which still reigns supreme on both U.S.-centric charts.
Wham! member Andrew Ridgeley said of the achievement in a statement, “I’m delighted to learn that Wham!’s perennial Christmas favorite ‘Last Christmas’ has secured the Billboard No. 2 spot this week.”
He added, “Since its release over 40 years ago, ‘Last Christmas’ has established itself worldwide as one of the most cherished Christmas classics, beloved by all generations. It’s an amazing testament to the special place the song occupies in so many hearts and one that its composer George Michael would have been immensely proud of.”
Ridgely, 62, concluded, “Thank you everyone who has embraced the song as a little piece of their own Merry Christmas.”
Michael’s estate said in another statement, “We are delighted that Wham!’s iconic ‘Last Christmas’ has reached a new all-time high at Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, a testament to a brilliant song and timeless record that embodies the very sound of Christmas and continues to resonate with audiences while captivating new listeners around the world, more than forty years after it was first released.”
The statement continued, “Thank you to everyone who keeps this song at the very heart of Christmas.” (Michael died on Christmas Day in 2016 at age 53.)
“Last Christmas” was released in December 1984, and it’s been a massive hit every year since. The song is certified nine-times platinum in the United States.
