Michael Putland/Getty ImagesLast Christmas, I gave you my heart. This Christmas, Wham! conquers the chart.
For the first time since its release in 1984, “Last Christmas,” the holiday favorite by the iconic ’80s pop duo that included the late George Michael, has hit the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Specifically, the song’s reached #34 and may climb even higher.
Why has it taken so long? For the same reason that Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” took years to hit the top 10. In 1984, “Last Christmas” wasn’t commercially available as a single in the U.S., so it wasn’t allowed to chart. And even if it had been available, Billboard didn’t even allow Christmas songs on the Hot 100 back then.
Billboard has since changed its rules to allow older songs to chart if they have significant sales, streams and airplay. Wham’s original version of “Last Christmas” first appeared on the Hot 100 in 2016. On Christmas Day that same year, George Michael died. The song’s previous high ranking was #41, but now it’s officially a top 40 hit.
In fact, “Last Christmas” is Wham! seventh top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and its first in more than 32 years. The duo’s other hits include “Careless Whisper,” “Everything She Wants,” “Wake Me up Before You Go-Go,” “Freedom,” “The Edge of Heaven,” and “I’m Your Man.”
It’s worth noting that before Wham!’s original version of “Last Christmas” first charted in 2016, two other versions had done so: a 2009 cover by the Glee cast, and a 2013 version by Ariana Grande.
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