Wham secure final number one of 2022 with Last Christmas

Wham have secured another number one single for Last Christmas as they return to the top of charts for the final week of 2022.

The Official Charts Company said the hit festive track, performed by duo George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, grabbed the top spot for a second time this year.

Some 38 years after it was first released, the track sold more than 79,000 units and was the UK’s most-streamed track of the week.

Originally released in 1984, the track once held the record for the best-selling single never to have hit number one in the UK, being famously kept at number two by Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?

It first reached the top spot on New Year’s Day in 2021, at the time breaking a chart record for the longest time a track has taken to top the singles chart, which is now held by Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill.

Frontman turned solo singer Michael died on Christmas Day in 2016 at the age of 53.

Michael and Wham’s management said in a social media post on Friday: “We’re delighted that ‘Last Christmas’ by WHAM! has hit Number 1 on the UK @officialcharts for the second time within a month!

“Thank you all, what a wonderful way to end the year.  …you wait thirty six years for a number one and then they come like buses!”

Last week, social media star LadBaby, real name Mark Hoyle and his wife Roxanne – known as LadBaby Mum, made chart history by securing the Christmas number one for a fifth consecutive year.

They claimed the top spot with their single Food Aid, which reworks the Band Aid song Do They Know It’s Christmas? with lyrics about the cost-of-living crisis and vocals from MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis.

This week, US singer Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You climbed back up the charts to number two and Ed Sheeran and Sir Elton John’s Merry Christmas hit number three.

Other Christmas hit Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree, reached number four while the highest-charting non-Christmas song is Stormzy’s Firebabe at number five.

Staying with the festive theme, the album charts sees Canadian singer Michael Buble’s Christmas return to the number one spot this week.

While US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift moves to number two with her 10th studio album Midnights after returning to the top of the charts last week with a Christmas number one.

American singer SZA’s second studio album SOS reaches number three while singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran’s Equals lands at number five.

Superstar Sir Elton John’s greatest hits album Diamonds returns to the top five as it lands at number five in the charts.