George Michael Is Back Inside The Top 10 In America

George Michael returns to the Billboard charts in the United States each year around the holidays, thanks to Wham!’s smash “Last Christmas.” The track is one of the most successful seasonal tunes in American history, and fans just can’t seem to stop streaming or buying it when the weather turns cold. Radio stations begin spinning the cut every at the end of every year — often even before then, as Christmastime seems to kick off right after October these days.

While “Last Christmas” all but guarantees Michael a yearly hit, several other tracks from his catalog bounce back from time to time. This week, one popular hit scores another turn on multiple lists as it becomes a bestseller in the U.S. (and a big one at that).

“Father Figure” Returns to Multiple Billboard Charts

“Father Figure” returns to a pair of Billboard rankings this frame, and in both instances, it performs very well. In one case, it becomes not just a top 10 smash, but one of the bestselling songs of its genre in the country.

The track, taken from Michael’s album Faith, currently sits highest on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart. On that list — which only tracks the bestselling tunes in America classified specifically as R&B — it reappears at No. 3. It’s the highest-rising entry that wasn’t present on the tally last frame.

“Father Figure” can also be found on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales ranking. That list includes hip-hop and rap, in addition to R&B. Michael returns at No. 15, scoring the lowest-ranking return of the week for any title not already present on the roster.

On the Rap Digital Song Sales tally, Michael is bested by a handful of debuts, including tracks from Doechii, Megan Thee Stallion, and Young Thug and Future.

George Michael’s Song is a Hit Decades After Its Release

While “Father Figure” was released as a single in late 1987, it didn’t debut on these Billboard charts until 2017. Of course, neither the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales nor the R&B Digital Song Sales lists existed at the time of its original release, as digital purchases on platforms like iTunes and Amazon wouldn’t become real for decades.

Since debuting in 2017, the song has only spent a handful of frames on these rankings. It rises back onto them, and falls away again every now and then. After arriving years ago, the track reached its all-time peak on both charts in January of this year.