George Michael s classic single Last Christmas has reached number one over 36 years after its release.
The iconic track, which the late singer released as part of Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley has become the first number one of 2021, according to Official Charts.
The song has set a new record for longest time taken for a single to reach number one at 36 years, beating Tony Christie s (Is This The Way To) Amarillo which took 33 years and four months to reach the top spot.
Achievement: George Michael s classic single Last Christmas has reached number one over 36 years after its release
Last Christmas climbed from three to one in the charts after it got an impressive 9.2 million streams over the past week.
01 January 2021
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Wham’s Last Christmas finally claims Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart 36 years after its release and breaks a new Official Chart record in the process, the Official Charts Company can confirm.
The festive favourite climbs from 3 to 1 after racking up 9.2 million streams over the past week, reaching the summit on the fourth anniversary of George Michael’s death.
Last Christmas sets a new record for the longest time taken to for a single to reach Number 1, at 36 years, overtaking Tony Christie’s (Is This The Way To) Amarillo, which took 33 years and 4 months to claim the top spot (March, 2005).
Media release: Vinyl and cassette sales surge as streamers collect the music they love in lockdown
NEW figures released by record labels’ association, the BPI, using Official Charts Company data will show that alongside continued growth in streaming, which now accounts for around 80 per cent of UK music consumption, sales of vinyl LPs and audio cassettes surged ahead in 2020.
Fans turned to their favourite music in ever greater numbers to escape the lockdown blues, the figures will show.
There has never been so much choice in terms of how to discover, access and enjoy music. Most fans turn to the immediacy of streaming for much of their daily listening, but increasingly they complement this by collecting much-loved albums on vinyl, CD, download and even on cassette.
The latest figures for UK vinyl sales show a 10% increase during 2020.
The pandemic forced many to work from home, and to beat lockdown blues it seems music fans turned to vinyl.
A surge in sales for physical formats saw vinyl shelves heaving, with a 10% rise year on year.
It s more than double 2019 s increase, and represents the 13th consecutive year of growth since 2020.
Classics by Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana, and Oasis lead the way, while new releases from AC/DC, IDLES, and the Arctic Monkeys live LP all make an appearance in the end-of-year rundown.
Predicted best-selling vinyl albums for 2020 (based on Official Charts Company data)