U.K. CHARTS: CHRISTMAS CLASSICS CLAIM TOP SPOTS

Wham!’s “Last Christmas” (RCA) has finally reached #1 on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart 36 years after its release. Over on albums, Michael Bublé’s Christmas (Reprise) has climbed to #1.

“Last Christmas” rose two places to #1 this week with 9.2m streams, setting a new record in the process; the track claims the title of longest time taken for a single to hit #1, overtaking Tony Christie’s “Amarillo,” which took 33 years and four months to reach the summit, in 2005.

“Last Christmas,” which has accumulated 1.9m in pure sales to date, had previously been the U.K.’s best-selling single to never reach #1. That distinction now goes to Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger” f/Christina Aguilera (Polydor), which peaked at #2 in 2011. It has generated 1.55m in pure sales.

The remaining singles Top 5 today consists of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (Columbia) by Mariah Carey at #2, “This Christmas” by Jess Glynne for Amazon at #3, Justin Bieber’s cover of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” which was also released as an Amazon Original, at #4 and “Fairytale of New York” (Parlophone) by The Pogues at #5.

On the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart, Bublé’s Christmas returns to the top for the first time in nine years, securing a fourth non-consecutive week at #1.

Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia (Warner Records) flies 15 places to #3, Little Mix rises four to #4 with Confetti (RCA) and Pop Smoke’s posthumous Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon (Polydor) is up 17 spots to #5.

Sam Smith’s Love Goes (Capitol) rises four to return to the Top 10 at #9, while Ariana Grande’s Positions (Island) is up 18 places to #11. Taylor Swift’s folklore (EMI) rebounds 15 places to #15.