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| Wham! are Christmas number one for a second time | Wham! are Christmas number one for a second time |
| (3 days later) | |
| George Michael wrote Last Christmas in his childhood bedroom | George Michael wrote Last Christmas in his childhood bedroom |
| Wham!'s Last Christmas has become the UK's Christmas number one for a second consecutive year. | Wham!'s Last Christmas has become the UK's Christmas number one for a second consecutive year. |
| George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley's festive classic beat songs by Mariah Carey, Gracie Abrams, Tom Grennan and Ariana Grande to top the chart. | George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley's festive classic beat songs by Mariah Carey, Gracie Abrams, Tom Grennan and Ariana Grande to top the chart. |
| Ridgeley said he was "especially pleased" for his late band-mate, who died in 2016 and had always wanted the song to reach number one. | Ridgeley said he was "especially pleased" for his late band-mate, who died in 2016 and had always wanted the song to reach number one. |
| "He would have been utterly delighted [that] his fabulous Christmas composition has become such a classic, almost as much a part of Christmas as mince pies, turkey and pigs in blankets." | "He would have been utterly delighted [that] his fabulous Christmas composition has become such a classic, almost as much a part of Christmas as mince pies, turkey and pigs in blankets." |
| "It's testament to a really wonderful Christmas song that in a lot of people's minds evokes and represents Christmas as we would all wish it to be," he added. | "It's testament to a really wonderful Christmas song that in a lot of people's minds evokes and represents Christmas as we would all wish it to be," he added. |
| The Official Charts Company said the song had been streamed 12.6 million times in the week leading up to Christmas. | The Official Charts Company said the song had been streamed 12.6 million times in the week leading up to Christmas. |
| The only other songs to have topped the Christmas chart more than once are: | |
| Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody (in 1975 and 1991) | |
| Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas (with different versions in 1984, 1989 and 2004) | |
| Mary's Boy Child, for Harry Belafonte (in 1957) and Boney M, mashed up with Oh My Lord (in 1978). | |
| None of them managed it in consecutive years, though. | |
| Andrew Ridgeley praised the "wonderful Christmas song" | Andrew Ridgeley praised the "wonderful Christmas song" |
| The race for Christmas Number One - and how to win it | The race for Christmas Number One - and how to win it |
| BBC iPlayer: Wham - Last Christmas Unwrapped | BBC iPlayer: Wham - Last Christmas Unwrapped |
| Ed Sheeran wishes he wasn't on new Band Aid single | Ed Sheeran wishes he wasn't on new Band Aid single |
| Last Christmas was originally released in 1984, but lost the top spot to Band Aid's single, which raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia. | Last Christmas was originally released in 1984, but lost the top spot to Band Aid's single, which raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia. |
| The charity made a renewed bid for the charts this year, with a 40th anniversary "ultimate mix" of Do They Know Its Christmas, blending vocals from the various versions of the song that have been recorded over the years, | The charity made a renewed bid for the charts this year, with a 40th anniversary "ultimate mix" of Do They Know Its Christmas, blending vocals from the various versions of the song that have been recorded over the years, |
| But the re-release faltered after a row over the lyrics, with critics calling the song outdated and colonialist, and Ed Sheeran saying he wasn't asked for permission to re-use his voice. | But the re-release faltered after a row over the lyrics, with critics calling the song outdated and colonialist, and Ed Sheeran saying he wasn't asked for permission to re-use his voice. |
| In the end, the song charted at number 12, nestled between Kelly Clarkson's Underneath The Tree and Andy Williams' 1963 standard It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year. | In the end, the song charted at number 12, nestled between Kelly Clarkson's Underneath The Tree and Andy Williams' 1963 standard It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year. |
| The Christmas Top 10 | The Christmas Top 10 |
| Last Christmas was written by George Michael in his childhood bedroom in February 1984, "and as far as I was concerned it was a number one", he told Smash Hits in 1986. | Last Christmas was written by George Michael in his childhood bedroom in February 1984, "and as far as I was concerned it was a number one", he told Smash Hits in 1986. |
| Inspiration struck out of the blue, while the singer was hanging out at his parents' house in Hertfordshire. | Inspiration struck out of the blue, while the singer was hanging out at his parents' house in Hertfordshire. |
| "There was a footy match on the telly and he suddenly jumped up and disappeared upstairs where he had a little four-track studio," Ridgeley told BBC News. | "There was a footy match on the telly and he suddenly jumped up and disappeared upstairs where he had a little four-track studio," Ridgeley told BBC News. |
| "About an hour later, he came back and said, 'Andy Andy, you've got to listen to this'. I rarely saw him as excited or as animated as that. | "About an hour later, he came back and said, 'Andy Andy, you've got to listen to this'. I rarely saw him as excited or as animated as that. |
| "And as soon as I heard it, it was so apparent that it had all the hallmarks of a Christmas classic. It was a jaw-dropping moment." | "And as soon as I heard it, it was so apparent that it had all the hallmarks of a Christmas classic. It was a jaw-dropping moment." |
| Wham! released limited edition CD and vinyl copies of Last Christmas to celebrate its 40th anniversary | Wham! released limited edition CD and vinyl copies of Last Christmas to celebrate its 40th anniversary |
| Last Christmas has reappeared in the Top 40 every year since 2007, thanks to the advent of downloads, and then streaming - each of which allowed classic songs to contribute to chart data. | Last Christmas has reappeared in the Top 40 every year since 2007, thanks to the advent of downloads, and then streaming - each of which allowed classic songs to contribute to chart data. |
| Nostalgia has been the driving force behind the Christmas charts ever since, as perennial favourites like Fairytale Of New York and Jingle Bell Rock soundtrack the holidays. | Nostalgia has been the driving force behind the Christmas charts ever since, as perennial favourites like Fairytale Of New York and Jingle Bell Rock soundtrack the holidays. |
| Jack Saunders, who presents Radio 1's Chart Show, said it was hard for new songs to compete. | Jack Saunders, who presents Radio 1's Chart Show, said it was hard for new songs to compete. |
| "It takes time for songs to warm up and become classics," he said. | "It takes time for songs to warm up and become classics," he said. |
| "I think it would be a huge feat for something to come along and be number one at the first time of asking." | "I think it would be a huge feat for something to come along and be number one at the first time of asking." |
| Consequently, 29 of the songs in this year's Top 40 were Christmas-themed, with only two newcomers amongst the standards: Tom Grennan's It Can't Be Christmas and Laufey's Christmas Magic. | Consequently, 29 of the songs in this year's Top 40 were Christmas-themed, with only two newcomers amongst the standards: Tom Grennan's It Can't Be Christmas and Laufey's Christmas Magic. |
| Both were commissioned by Amazon Music, which automatically played them to anyone asking their smart speaker to play Christmas music. | Both were commissioned by Amazon Music, which automatically played them to anyone asking their smart speaker to play Christmas music. |
| That gave the two artists a head start in the sales race, with Grennan's song ultimately making it to number four. | That gave the two artists a head start in the sales race, with Grennan's song ultimately making it to number four. |
| The Coventry singer campaigned hard for that position, even getting a tattoo reading "Christmas No 1 is..." on his right thigh, which he said he would complete with whichever song emerged victorious. | The Coventry singer campaigned hard for that position, even getting a tattoo reading "Christmas No 1 is..." on his right thigh, which he said he would complete with whichever song emerged victorious. |
| Tom Grennan will perform his Christmas song on the Christmas edition of Top Of The Pops, at 6pm on 27 December. | Tom Grennan will perform his Christmas song on the Christmas edition of Top Of The Pops, at 6pm on 27 December. |
| Protest song makes the Top 40 | Protest song makes the Top 40 |
| Another song aiming for the number one spot was Freezing This Christmas, a parody of Mud's Lonely This Christmas that criticises the government's decision to cut winter fuel payments for pensioners. | Another song aiming for the number one spot was Freezing This Christmas, a parody of Mud's Lonely This Christmas that criticises the government's decision to cut winter fuel payments for pensioners. |
| Although it was the most downloaded track of the week, protest songs tend to struggle on streaming - which now accounts for 87.7% of all music consumption in the UK. | Although it was the most downloaded track of the week, protest songs tend to struggle on streaming - which now accounts for 87.7% of all music consumption in the UK. |
| In the end, the track just crept into the Top 40, placing at number 37. | In the end, the track just crept into the Top 40, placing at number 37. |
| US pop star Sabrina Carpenter topped the album chart with Short 'N' Sweet, a record that has produced three number one singles over the course of the year. | US pop star Sabrina Carpenter topped the album chart with Short 'N' Sweet, a record that has produced three number one singles over the course of the year. |
| Michael Buble's Christmas album took second place, with Chappell Roan's Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess at three. | Michael Buble's Christmas album took second place, with Chappell Roan's Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess at three. |