Wham’s “Last Christmas” reaches a new peak on several Billboard charts at once, and that success … [+]
Wham enjoyed an incredible run during the half-decade they were together in the ‘80s. The duo only released three albums, but all performed well, and they managed more beloved pop smashes in that time than many acts will muster in much longer careers.
One of the group’s most successful tunes, “Last Christmas,” has become an annual hit. The tune returns to the charts every year, spurred back to the Billboard lists by a surge in streams, sales, and radio plays around November and December. Despite the fact that the song is now decades old, this week may be the biggest yet for the tune in the U.S.
“Last Christmas” currently sits at No. 3 on the Hot 100. That remains the single’s all-time peak, and it only reached that position earlier this season. The song climbs one rung to return to that position, and it’s yet to be seen if it can improve that number next year.
Helping “Last Christmas” rise so high on the Hot 100 are strong sales, streams, and attention at radio stations throughout the U.S. As it reaches No. 3 on the main list of the most-consumed cuts in the country, it also settles in that same position on the Streaming Songs chart, making its way back to its previously-set high.
“Last Christmas” also manages to climb to a new peak on two other tallies, which both feed directly into where a title lands on the Hot 100. Wham’s smash reaches No. 2 on the Digital Song Sales chart this week, which is a slot the tune has never even approached before. In fact, the track, which bolts from No. 14 to the runner-up space, brings the duo to the top 10 for the very first time.
The single even manages to rise to a newly-established high point on the Radio Songs chart at the same time it succeeds on streaming and digital sales platforms. “Last Christmas” dances its way to No. 29 on the all-genre Radio Songs ranking, up from No. 35.
“Last Christmas” is also a top-five win on every one of Billboard’s Holiday charts, which are only active around this time of the year. The tune can’t quite dominate, as it’s currently being beaten by just a few tunes—namely Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You”—but it lives inside the upper reaches of the Holiday 100, Holiday Streaming Songs, Holiday Digital Song Sales, and Holiday Airplay lists. Wham ascends to a new peak on the latter list, as “Last Christmas” lands at No. 3.
