Wham!’s Andrew Ridgeley Reflects on ‘Last Christmas’ Hot 100 Success

Wham!’s 40-year-old hit “Last Christmas” continues to find new fans, and new chart accolades, as the evergreen tune reached a new peak recently on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, rising to No. 3 on the Dec. 14-dated tally.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast recently caught up with one-half of the English pop duo Wham! – Andrew Ridgeley – to chat about all things “Last Christmas,” and asked him what it’s been like to see the song scale to new heights on the Hot 100.

“Well, extremely satisfying. You know, Yog [a nickname for Wham!’s other half, the late George Michael, who died in 2016], we placed a great deal of importance on being a success in the States. It was, for any artist, of that era… you were nowhere unless you were a big deal in the States. You could be a big noise in the U.K., but the States was the golden prize, really. We were fortunate enough… and one or two of our contemporaries, we had great success in the States.

“So, for the song to achieve its current chart placing … George would have been utterly delighted, as I am. And it would have meant a great deal to him.”

The Pop Shop’s full interview with Ridgeley will premiere on Dec. 23.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider.