Wham! had been hoping to become the first act to top the Christmas chart three times with the same song.
Last Christmas was famously denied the top spot when it was first released in 1984, due to the phenomenal success of Band Aid’s charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas?
It finally reached the summit in 2023, thanks to a wave of goodwill and strong streaming numbers. It topped the chart again last year with a massive 12.6 million streams in Christmas week alone.
Although Wham! were beaten by Kylie in the UK, Last Christmas has just topped Billboard’s global 200 for the first time, external – meaning it’s the number one song in the world.
BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, who presents the UK chart show, attributed the song’s enduring popularity to its message.
“It’s a fantastic pop song,” he said, “but it also captures the true heart and soul of what Christmas means to people. It’s family coming together, it’s reigniting friendships, it’s community.
“When you hear Wham! on the radio, you think, oh yeah we are all in this together, this is our song.”
Other songs in the running for this year’s Christmas number one included Together For Palestine’s charity single, Lullaby, which is raising funds for aid for people in Gaza.
Based on the traditional Palestinian folk song Yamma Mwel El Hawa (Mama, Sing to the Wind), it features new lyrics by Peter Gabriel and was recorded by a group of Palestinian artists alongside British stars like Neneh Cherry, Celeste and Dan from Bastille.
“To me, the Lullaby will always be number one,” said Nai Barghouti, who features on the track.
“I am beyond proud of and humbled by the overwhelming support that we have received globally. Thank you to each and every one of you.”