If you walked into a shop or turned on a radio this past December, you probably heard that familiar, jangly synth line. You know the one. It’s the sound of George Michael’s heartbreak and a 40-year-old masterpiece that refuses to quit. Honestly, it feels like we’re living in a time loop. Last Christmas by Wham! has officially claimed the title of the number 1 christmas song 2024 in the UK, and it did something no other song has ever managed in the history of the Official Charts.
It went back-to-back.
Usually, the festive top spot is a chaotic battleground. One year it’s a charity record about pastry, the next it’s an X-Factor winner, and then maybe a social media viral hit. But for 2024, the crown stayed exactly where it was in 2023. This isn't just a win; it’s a total cultural takeover that has basically rewritten the rules of how the holiday charts work.
The Record-Breaking Run of Wham!
Let’s be real. It took 39 years for this song to actually hit Number 1 at Christmas for the first time. It was famously blocked in 1984 by Band Aid, which is one of those pop culture injustices people still talk about at pubs. But 2024 was different. To mark the 40th anniversary, the "Wham! machine" went into overdrive. We saw limited-edition vinyl, 12-inch collectibles, and enough streaming momentum to crush everyone else.
Andrew Ridgeley, George’s partner in crime, summed it up perfectly when he told the Official Charts Company that these wins are "like London buses." You wait nearly four decades for one, and then two show up at once.
It’s kinda bittersweet, isn't it? George Michael passed away on Christmas Day in 2016. Seeing his "fabulous Christmas composition," as Andrew calls it, dominate the world decades later is a hell of a legacy. This year, they didn't just win by a small margin. They held off some massive modern competition.
Who Almost Took the Crown?
- Gracie Abrams: The rising US star was the "dark horse" this year. Her track That’s So True was a streaming monster. For a minute there, it looked like she might actually pull off an upset. She ended up at Number 2, which is still huge.
- Mariah Carey: The "Queen of Christmas" is always lurking. In the US, she reclaimed her throne on the Billboard Hot 100, but in the UK, she had to settle for Number 3.
- Tom Grennan: He went all out. He even got a tattoo as part of his campaign for It Can't Be Christmas. He landed at Number 4, proving that even with a big marketing push, it’s nearly impossible to move a legacy titan like Wham!.
Why 2024 Felt Different for Festive Music
You’ve probably noticed that the "new" Christmas song is becoming a rare species. Or at least, a rare species that actually survives.
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Apart from Tom Grennan and a few others, the top of the charts looked like a 1980s playlist. Brenda Lee’s Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and Bobby Helms’ Jingle Bell Rock are still pulling numbers that would make modern pop stars weep. It’s basically a nostalgia economy at this point.
But there was one major outlier: Sabrina Carpenter.
While she didn't hit the Number 1 singles spot, her Fruitcake EP saw a staggering 27,000% jump in activity after her Netflix special, A Nonsense Christmas. She actually managed to hit the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with a holiday release. That’s nearly unheard of for a "new" artist in the current climate. It shows there is a path for modern artists, but you sort of have to pair the music with a massive streaming event to break through the "All I Want For Christmas" wall.
The "Wham-ageddon" Factor
There's this game people play called Wham-ageddon. The rules are simple: don't hear the original version of Last Christmas from December 1st until midnight on Christmas Eve.
The fact that this song is the number 1 christmas song 2024 makes that game virtually impossible to win. The song was everywhere. It was the most-streamed track and the most-purchased physical single of the week. People weren't just passively listening on Spotify; they were actually going out and buying the 40th-anniversary vinyl.
That’s the secret sauce.
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In a world where everything is digital and fleeting, Wham! has managed to stay physical. The 2024 chart race proved that "super-fans" who buy physical media can still outmuscle the casual streamers if they’re organized enough.
The Stats Behind the Win
In the UK, the song racked up over 12.6 million streams in the final week alone. In the US, the story was slightly different but equally impressive. While Mariah Carey took the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for the 16th time (total weeks), Wham! hit a new peak at Number 3.
It’s interesting to see the regional divide. The UK is obsessed with the "Christmas Number 1" as a specific event, a cultural moment. In the US, it’s more about the slow burn of the Billboard Holiday 100, which Mariah has basically owned since 2011.
Is the "New" Christmas Song Dead?
Sorta. But maybe not entirely.
The problem is the "User Experience" of the holidays. When people want to feel "Christmassy," they reach for the familiar. They want the songs their parents played. This creates a feedback loop where the old songs get more streams, which puts them higher on the playlists, which leads to more streams.
However, looking at 2024, we see a few cracks in the wall:
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- Originality pays off: Tom Grennan’s It Can’t Be Christmas worked because it didn't sound like a cheap knock-off.
- Streaming Specials: Sabrina Carpenter used Netflix to bypass the radio gatekeepers.
- Collaborations: Seeing artists like Rosé and Bruno Mars (APT.) stay in the Top 10 during December shows that a non-festive "mega-hit" can still survive the tinsel onslaught.
What This Means for 2025
If you're an artist planning a Christmas release for 2025, the number 1 christmas song 2024 results should be a wake-up call. You aren't just competing with Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran. You’re competing with the ghosts of 1984.
The strategy is shifting. You can’t just drop a song and hope for the best. You need a "hook"—whether that’s a 40th-anniversary vinyl, a Netflix variety show, or a viral TikTok trend.
Wham! winning twice in a row is a massive achievement. It’s a testament to George Michael’s songwriting—the fact that a song about a failed relationship can become the ultimate holiday anthem is kind of hilarious if you think about it. But more than that, it shows that we, as listeners, aren't quite ready to let go of the classics yet.
Key Takeaways for Music Fans:
- Check out the "Physical" charts next year if you want to see who’s actually winning.
- Don't count out the newcomers; Sabrina Carpenter proved you can still "peak" in December without being a legacy act.
- If you want to win Wham-ageddon, you might need to stay in a soundproof bunker until 2026.
Keep an eye on the mid-December "Chart Updates" next year. That's where the real drama happens. If you want to support a specific artist, remember that physical sales (CDs/Vinyl) usually carry more weight than a single stream.
Now that the 2024 race is over, we're seeing the charts reset. The Christmas songs have vanished from the Top 40 almost overnight, replaced by the big hits of the new year. But don't worry—they'll be back in about ten months. And honestly? Wham! will probably be right there at the top again.
To stay ahead of next year's trends, you can start tracking the "Early Christmas" playlists on Spotify as early as November. Look for which "new" songs are being added to the big editorial lists. That is usually the first indicator of whether a modern track has the legs to challenge the titans like George and Mariah.