David Gilmour celebrates Pink Floyd reaching number one in UK Christmas album charts with ‘Wish You Were Here’
Pink Floyd have topped the UK album chart for the second time in 2025 with the 50th anniversary edition of Wish You Were Here taking the coveted Christmas number one spot, which guitarist David Gilmour has taken to social media to celebrate.
After having triumphed in the same chart earlier this year with the release of the live album, At Pompeii – MCMLXXII, the progressive rock band have retaken top spot with the expanded reissue of their seminal 1975 album, which features six new demo versions and alternate takes of songs from the album.
It also marks the longest gap in UK chart history between the first time an album reached number one and its second appearance at the top of the charts, with Wish You Were Here having debuted at the top upon its release 50 years ago.
In a post on X, Gilmour stated: “Raising a glass to the wonderful news that Wish You Were Here is the UK’s Christmas Number 1 album,” accompanied by a photograph of himself holding a glass of champagne with a pleased grin on his face.
Earlier this year, the band sparked discussion among fans after they began teasing a reissue of the album by replacing the artwork for all of their albums on streaming with a plain black shrinkwrap texture and the title emblazoned over the top.
This was a reference to how record stores and other stockists presented the original version of Wish You Were Here on shelves, with it having been distributed in the same plain packaging so as to create an air of mystery surrounding the album, as well as being a functional way of protecting the sleeve.
While Gilmour has celebrated the achievement, it has also been an unfortunate year in relation to the album’s history, with stuntman Ronnie Rondell Jr, who appeared on fire in the infamous cover while shaking hands with another man, having passed away in August, aged 88.
In the Christmas edition of the UK singles charts, Australian singer Kylie Minogue prevented Wham! from reaching number one for a third successive year with their evergreen 1984 hit, ‘Last Christmas’.
Her new single, ‘Xmas’, was released exclusively via Amazon Music on December 13th, and has found its way straight to number one in its first eligible week, marking the first time that Minogue has held top spot over the festive period.
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