Rage Against The Machine beats X Factor Winner to Xmas #1

Brad · **Posted:** December 20th, 2009, 1:48 pm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8423340.stm

I bought the RATM single earlier this week but thought, as did everyone I know, that the sheer number of X Factor-lovers would easily propel Joe McElderry to #1. Ahh.. victory is sweet.

Adbot · **Posted:** December 20th, 2009, 1:48 pm

Marco · **Posted:** December 20th, 2009, 3:03 pm

Great band and song. Good pick UK!

Hairy Munky · **Posted:** December 20th, 2009, 3:10 pm

I shrugged the facebook group off when I first saw friends joining it. Never thought they'd actually do it.
I do think it's a bit of an ironic song, though. The lyrics go "**** you, I won't do what you tell me" yet 500,000 just did exactly what a group on facebook told them to - bought a single.

Brad · **Posted:** December 20th, 2009, 3:16 pm

Hairy Munky wrote:

I shrugged the facebook group off when I first saw friends joining it. Never thought they'd actually do it.
I do think it's a bit of an ironic song, though. The lyrics go "**** you, I won't do what you tell me" yet 500,000 just did exactly what a group on facebook told them to - bought a single.

It's not an endorsement of the songs message, if anything the "**** you, I won't do what you tell me" was aimed at the fact the for the past few years X Factor winners have always got the Christmas #1.

Oh and someone is bound to mention sooner or later than both artists (X Factor guy & RATM) are signed to record labels that are owned by Sony so hence Cowell wins either way - but this isn't about Record Labels, they win whatever anyway, this is about the fact that for at least one year the X Factor didn't get the Christmas #1 single, as so many (including me) had already assumed they would. Nothing deeper. The X Factor winner lost for the first time, that's all it's about. Anyone who reads any deeper in to it than that is taking it too seriously.

Hairy Munky · **Posted:** December 20th, 2009, 3:24 pm

It's a shame that the X Factor didn't get his #1 spot imo. People obviously like him, people who usually listen to pop music, buy pop albums, watch pop charts. Which is what the Christmas chart is - a pop chart. The same goes for the last 4 years where X Factor winners have been Christmas #1.
Then a group of people who wouldn't usually give a **** about the charts, people who wouldn't listen to them on Christmas day or any day for that matter decided that Simon Cowell and the X Factor winner doesn't deserve to be #1 and ruins it for them. A bit of a pointless exercise imo. They'd be better off rebelling against something worthwhile.

and for the record, I don't like X Factor and I do like RATM.

King Kulla · **Posted:** December 20th, 2009, 3:30 pm

Lol, this whole thing is very funny.

Tbh, I'm not very fond of either, but it's always good to score one against mainstream.

Adbot · **Posted:** December 20th, 2009, 3:30 pm

Brad · **Posted:** December 20th, 2009, 4:17 pm

"Better of rebelling against something worthwhile"?

Because we should all spend our times on serious matters like solving world hunger and world peace and climate change and poverty and nothing else? This was no serious rebellion, it was a bit of fun and a break in the monotony of the cycle of X Factor winners getting the Christmas #1 by default. Plus it took me all of 30 seconds and 29p to buy the single online a few days back, real waste of time and money eh?!

The UK music chart is not a pop chart either, it's a music chart. It's not like the US where they have all manner of charts for different genres, just because its oversaturated with pop because that happens to be the biggest selling genre.

If you're a fan of Music at all (as you claim to be) you should see it as at least a minor victory that a band that wasn't manufactured by a TV reality show got the top spot. Not be apathetic to the X Factor.

Hairy Munky · **Posted:** December 20th, 2009, 4:40 pm

Like I said, they're not getting Christmas #1 by default, they're getting Christmas #1 because they are the most liked artist in the charts at the time. Manufactured by a reality TV show or not X Factor winners are, when it comes down to it, good singers, and deserve to be where they get to once they emerge from X Factor. They're not stealing Christmas #1s from anyone, they're working hard to become #1 just like every other artist.
I don't understand why just because X Factor winners have been #1 for a few years running it has to stop. They're artists just like every other person/band in the charts.
Being a fan of music doesn't automatically mean I shouldn't be apathetic towards X Factor (or rather the X Factor winner), that's a ridiculous statement to make. I don't consider this a victory nor do I consider it a loss. I've never listened to/watched the Christmas chart and don't plan to any time soon, and I'm sure most of the people who joined the RATM facebook group or even bought the single never bothered with it either, it doesn't affect them in any way, it was done to spite X Factor/Simon Cowell which in turn ruined the X Factor winner's chance of getting a Christmas #1.

Ryan · **Posted:** December 21st, 2009, 5:46 am

The X Factor winner is not working hard to get their Number 1, they are winning a talent show which finishes 2 weeks before Christmas, so therefore their product is obviously going to sell loads means as it has just come out. Obviously the X Factor creators think its a good idea to make the Christmas number 1 their own for so many years, because they haven't bothered to change the time of year the show is on. The idea of this protest was to stop the same thing happening like 5 times in a row, which we have succeeded in doing. I can't remember why they decided to pick that song, but it seems to me like they wanted to just pick an aggressive and non-festive song.

Anyway yeah, internet 1, X factor 0

CreepyPirate · **Posted:** December 21st, 2009, 6:06 am

Someone want to link me to this facebook thing or whatever so i can see where it started? I'd not heard of it till i caught it on the radio coming into work this morning I'd have bought the single if i knew.

Mostly because I'm sick and tired of trashy reality tv and glorified talent contests. The fact that whenever i see someone discussing X factor or other reality tv shows there talking like an idiot, they look like an idiot and i get an urge to punch them in the nose says all that needs to be said about the audiences these shows attract. Brad said this was in fun to break the trend well I'd just like to announce for me this was about proving the countries not full of ***** after all. Even though i only learned of this protest this morning.

That is all.

edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuIa5NoPH9c

Radio 5 interview. 1:23 through to 2:24 says it all. Just bought my copy.

Hairy Munky · **Posted:** December 21st, 2009, 6:07 am

Ryan wrote:

The X Factor winner is not working hard to get their Number 1, they are winning a talent show which finishes 2 weeks before Christmas,

Because they don't do any work prior to the X Factor finals, right?
They don't work hard doing gigs/trying to get noticed by record labels to no avail. They don't go through a difficult application process, they don't sing infront of millions of people each week, after practicing the same song over and over prior to that week. They're not put infront of 4 judges, some of which can be down right *****, they're not given constructive criticism and then told to go off and work on it.
They magically appear 2 weeks before Christmas, with their voice magically trained so they can step on the stage, blurt out some song Simon Cowell has given them and win the X Factor and subsequently the Christmas #1.
No, they don't work hard at all, you're right.

Brad · **Posted:** December 21st, 2009, 9:04 am

Hairy Munky wrote:

Ryan wrote:

The X Factor winner is not working hard to get their Number 1, they are winning a talent show which finishes 2 weeks before Christmas,

Because they don't do any work prior to the X Factor finals, right?
They don't work hard doing gigs/trying to get noticed by record labels to no avail. They don't go through a difficult application process, they don't sing infront of millions of people each week, after practicing the same song over and over prior to that week. They're not put infront of 4 judges, some of which can be down right *****, they're not given constructive criticism and then told to go off and work on it.
They magically appear 2 weeks before Christmas, with their voice magically trained so they can step on the stage, blurt out some song Simon Cowell has given them and win the X Factor and subsequently the Christmas #1.
No, they don't work hard at all, you're right.

I think your "this is coming from someone who likes RATM and doesn't like X Factor" was somewhat of a lie. Pretending to hate something you're defending doesn't instantly make your points valid or add credence to them, you know.

Obviously anyone who goes through the X Factor does some work (calling it hard work is a real stretch though, isn't it?), but all he had to do was sing. Did he come up with the guitar riffs or bass line or lyrics or beat or anything else for "The Climb"? No, it was a cover, and even the original artist didn't write it, it was written for them. Did RATM come up with the guitar riffs, bass line, lyrics for "Killing in the name"? Yes they did, hence a real band who writes their own music beat a pretender who happens to have a half decent voice. Whos image and publicity has all been manufactured by a reality television show for the pure purpose of being a cash cow for Simon Cowell. The main point here, as I've tried to explain to you so many times, is that it is good a real band beat a mere imitation. No matter how orchestrated that victory might have been (although having a reality show pick its winner, who then releases a single, the week before the Xmas number one is announced is somewhat more of a planned operation, don't you think?)

If you like real music you can not argue that point.

Mushroom Queen · **Posted:** December 21st, 2009, 9:49 am

+1 to Morello for using the word "schmaltzy" in that article.