Mariah Carey has done it. And now Wham! could be about to repeat her trick of taking a Christmas classic to No.1.
Last Christmas (Sony CG) could finally reach a new peak at the top of the charts on Friday (January 1). The single (actually a double A-side with Everything She Wants) by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley was famously held off the top spot by Band Aid for five weeks during December 1984.
In the Midweek sales flash, the beloved ’80s pop duo were just 89 sales behind Mariah Carey, who was on 34,888 by the end of Tuesday (Official Charts Company).
All I Want For Christmas Is You is attempting a return to the summit after LadBaby usurped Carey’s hit on Christmas Day. Carey’s festive favourite has already earned two weeks at No.1 and is chasing a third non-consecutive week at the top.
Crucially, though, Wham! have sales momentum. As festive streaming continues in late December, Last Christmas’ sales were up 11.2% week-on-week compared to 4.5% for Mariah Carey by the end of Tuesday. Wham! could now have pulled ahead of their chart rival.
Wham!’s last No.1 single was The Edge Of Heaven in 1986. The duo had four No.1s between 1984 and 1986.
Last Christmas has so far spent eight non-consecutive weeks at No.2 since 1984.
And there's a vintage feel to the albums chart, too. Michael Buble's 2011 LP Christmas is ahead of Taylor Swift's Evermore in the battle for the year-end No.1. It would be the first time that Buble's festive collection has reached the summit since its initial release nine years ago.
Sales for Michael Buble's Christmas (Warner Records) have now topped 3.1 million.
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