![]() 7 on the UK Singles Chart for five weeks (8 December 2016 – 5 January 2017). Ĭoincidentally, with the death of George Michael on 25 December 2016, "Last Christmas" reached No. The record has since been surpassed in June 2022 by Kate Bush with " Running Up That Hill", which took 37 years. In the process, "Last Christmas" achieved the chart record for the longest time taken for a single to peak at the top of the UK Singles Chart after its first release, a feat that had previously been held by " (Is This The Way To) Amarillo? by Tony Christie, which topped the chart in March 2005, 33 years and four months after its initial release in November 1971. In 19 it equalled its best ever chart position of number two, before finally topping the charts on 1 January 2021, 36 years after its original 1984 release. In subsequent years, the song entered the UK top 40 on 15 occasions, reaching the top 10 no fewer than six times (including a run of five consecutive years between 20). Wham! donated all "Last Christmas/Everything She Wants" royalties to the Ethiopian famine. 1 single " Do They Know It's Christmas?", while Wham!'s offering peaked at No. However, the Band Aid single written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, produced the No. 1 in early December with " The Power of Love". Wham! already had two number one singles on the UK Singles Chart during 1984, and news that they were planning a Christmas single meant that a battle for the coveted Christmas number one spot in Britain seemed set to be between Wham! and the year's other big act, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, who had achieved a third No. Chart performance United Kingdom Sleeve back of 1985 UK release, titled Christmas 85 ![]() According to Porter, lyrically "you've got the happiness of the rhythm track, but against that you've got the sadness of the unrequited love". The only other people in the studio were engineer Chris Porter and two assistants. With a LinnDrum drum machine, a Roland Juno-60 synth and sleigh bells, they began recording the song in the summer, Michael having "plastered in Christmas decorations to set the mood". George Michael wrote, performed, produced and played every single instrument on the track. The song was recorded in August 1984, at Advision Studios, London, England. Michael played Ridgeley the introduction and chorus melody to "Last Christmas", which Ridgeley later called "a moment of wonder". It was written by Michael in his childhood bedroom. "Last Christmas" had its beginnings in 1983, while George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley were visiting Michael's parents. Development Wham! in 1985: George Michael (left) and Andrew Ridgeley It was the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century in the UK until it was overtaken by " Fairytale of New York" in 2015. In a UK-wide poll in December 2012, it was voted eighth on the ITV television special The Nation's Favourite Christmas Song and was voted most popular song of the 1980s in Channel 5's Christmas 2020 countdown Britain's Favourite 80's Songs. Wham! donated all of their royalties to relief efforts for the Ethiopian famine. Outside the United Kingdom, the song topped the charts in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Slovenia, and Sweden and peaked within the top ten of the charts in several countries including Australia, Canada and the United States. The song reached number one in the UK after it was streamed 9.2 million times in the last week of 2020 and sold 1,555 downloads, resulting in a total of 40,149 combined sales. This record is now held by " Moves like Jagger" by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera. Prior to it reaching number one, "Last Christmas" had for many years held the record as the highest-selling single never to top the charts by the Official Charts Company (OCC) with 1.9 million copies sold (not including streams). In doing so, it became the fifth UK number one single for the duo. ![]() After many chart runs in subsequent years, which included three more weeks at number two, and which saw the recording become part of RCA Records' catalogue, the song finally reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on New Year's Day 2021 (chart week ending date 7 January 2021), more than 36 years after its initial release. Upon its initial release in 1984, "Last Christmas" spent five consecutive weeks at number two in the UK Singles Chart-it was held off the top spot at Christmas by Band Aid's " Do They Know It's Christmas?" (on which Michael also performed). The song has been covered by many artists since its original release, including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Jimmy Eat World, and Backstreet Boys. Written and produced by George Michael, it was released on Decemvia CBS Records internationally and as a double A-side via Epic Records with " Everything She Wants" in several European countries. " Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham!. Back cover of original 1984 UK gatefold edition
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