It’s a Christmas miracle! Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ finally hits U.K. No. 1

After 36 years and change, Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ has finally climbed the chart mountain in the U.K., and shed an unwanted record in the process.

George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s holiday classic was released in 1984, but was initially held off the top spot by Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas,’ a fundraising song on which Michael performed.

Each year since 2007, soon after the OCC began counting downloads for the singles chart, ‘Last Christmas’ has made a chart dash in the lead-up to 25th December.

When Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ finally crowned in recent weeks, and LadBaby bagged a third consecutive Christmas chart title, few would have bet on a late win for Wham.

When the Official U.K. Singles Chart was published last Friday (1st January), 'Last Christmas' lifted 3-1.

Wham's classic sets a record for the longest journey for a single to reach No. 1, overtaking Tony Christie’s ‘(Is This The Way To) Amarillo,’ which took 33 years and 4 months to claim the top spot, back in March 2005.

Watch Wham's 'Last Christmas':

Also, it loses the mantle as the U.K.’s best-selling single to never reach No. 1, with 1.9 million sales.

That title now belongs to Maroon 5’s ‘Moves Like Jagger’ featuring Christina Aguilera, which hit No. 2 in 2011 and has chalked up 1.55 million sales but never got to the top.

Ridgeley celebrated the triumph, which comes four years since George Michael’s death.

“Thank u everyone 4 your heartwarming expressions of congratulations & happiness @ #LastChristmas making No 1,” he wrote on Twitter. “Your endeavours over the yrs in support of this long held ambition r much appreciated & I’m v grateful. I hope this wonderful news heralds a brighter year ahead 4 us all.”

With Christmas 2020 done and dusted, expect 'Last Christmas' to make a disappearing act from this Friday's chart, and return once again at year's end.