Wham!’s “Last Christmas” has returned to the Billboard Hot 100 at number 37 as Christmas music begins to dominate the charts, placing it ahead of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You”, which re-entered at number 39.
The 1984 festive hit has continued to build on its remarkable chart revival, having reached a career-best number two on the US chart in December 2025 — more than four decades after its original release.
The heartbreak behind Wham!’s Christmas classic
Despite its bright seasonal production, “Last Christmas” tells the story of a relationship ending in rejection and betrayal.
The narrator recalls giving their heart to someone during the previous Christmas, only to be spurned. A year later, they remain affected by the experience but are determined to give their love to somebody more deserving.
George Michael wrote and produced the song, pairing its melancholy subject matter with an uplifting festive sound. Andrew Ridgeley described it in a 1984 interview as a Christmas romance that ends in rejection.
Ridgeley later said he had never asked Michael why he chose such a painful theme for a Christmas song. “I never asked him, actually,” he told ABC Audio.
There is no confirmed real-life former partner who inspired the lyrics, despite speculation over the years.
How “Last Christmas” was written
Michael developed the idea in early 1984, while Wham! were enjoying a major breakthrough. He later recalled in a BBC Radio 1 interview that he saw the song as a fitting way to round off an already successful year.
The melody came to him while he and Ridgeley were at Michael’s house watching football. Michael went upstairs to work on it and completed the song before it was recorded several months later.
Ridgeley recalled being immediately struck by the finished track. “The first time I ever heard it, it was absolutely knockout,” he told People in 2023.
Wham!’s complicated chart history
“Last Christmas” was held off the top spot in the UK when it was first released in December 1984 by Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”.
It eventually reached number one on the regular UK singles chart in January 2021, before becoming the UK’s official Christmas number one in December 2023.
Ridgeley celebrated the achievement by telling Official Charts: “It’s mission accomplished!”
In the United States, the song has not yet reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Its return at number 37 this year leaves fans waiting to see whether it can climb higher during the 2026 festive season.
