Written by: Alex Green

Wham! are Number One.

The legendary pop duo’s perennial holiday classic “Last Christmas” has secured the Number One position 39 years after its release.

Written by the late George Michael, who penned the track in 1984, upon its release, “Last Christmas” was prevented from topping the charts by Band-Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” the charity single which also featured Michael. The song was originally released in early December as a double A-side with “Everything She Wants.”

The band donated the royalties of the song, which peaked at #2, to the Ethiopian Famine Relief Fund.

Over the years, the song has been covered by Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift and Crazy Frog.

While topping the charts is always an achievement, what makes the decades-long journey of  “Last Christmas” so remarkable is that it now holds the record for taking the longest trip to get to the coveted UK Christmas Number One slot.

In a press release Wham!’s Andrew Ridgeley said of the accomplishment: “‘Last Christmas’ has finally ascended to the much-cherished and sought-after Official Christmas Number One, which was always the main goal. George would be beside himself [that] after all of these years, [we’ve] finally obtained Christmas Number One. Yog [George] said that he wrote ‘Last Christmas’ with the intention of writing a Christmas Number One. It’s mission accomplished!”

Formed in 1981, over the course of their decorated career, the Bushey duo sold over thirty million albums worldwide before disbanding in 1986.