Why you should support Rage Against The Machine for Christmas Number 1
It’s no secret that I’ve been disappointed by this year’s X Factor. And I’ve been impressed by the Facebook campaign to put Rage Against The Machine at the top of the charts this Christmas instead of yet another bland ‘winner’s song’ from X Factor.
The message today is go out and buy the Rage Against The Machine single. Now. And here’s why:
- The X Factor winner doesn’t have a God-given right to the Christmas #1. In fact, it’s easier for them because they’ve been on your TV and in the news for months.
- X Factor may be great TV, but it doesn’t encourage people to go out and write their own tunes. Support a legendary band by buying a song they wrote.
- If you agree with me that the talent on X Factor was rubbish this year – it’s a great way to send a message to Simon Cowell that the show needs to be more serious about talent – buy the RATM single instead!
- Killing In The Name is a frickin’ good song. It’s 100 times better than The Climb.
F**k you Simon, I won’t do what you tell me.
Where can you buy it?
Killing In The Name is available digitally at varying prices. Here are the purchase links from the Facebook group and some advice from the maintainers of the group:
–Buy 1 for yourself, and maximum another 2 as a ‘gift’ for someone–
iTUNES – 99p – track #2 (click on ‘view in itunes’ on the right)
http://bit.ly/ratm-itunesPLAY.COM – 65p – it’s the only track on the page
http://bit.ly/ratm-play7DIGITAL – 50p – track #2
http://bit.ly/rage-7digitalHMV.COM – 79p (careful – this is track #1)
http://bit.ly/ratm-hmv
Apparently, buying bulk copies can flag the campaign as unusual activity, which can get the single removed from the chart.
I should stress that my motives for supporting the campaign are because I think X Factor has been particularly bad this year – for publicity stunts and weak singers making it through to the live shows. I want it back to being about finding a really talented singer who can sell records across the globe.
This isn’t about Joe McElderry, who I supported to win X Factor. It’s about saying the show strayed from being a talent competition to being a way to showcase massive acts like Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Alicia Keys to a massive British audience. And while I loved those guest appearances, they took away from the main point of the show.
Now, since Rage are already in the lead for Christmas Number 1, let’s give them a helping hand: go out and buy a few copies of Killing In The Name now.
Subscribe! Get our free email newsletter or subscribe by RSS
Loading ...
How can there possibly be a competition between the two? They don’t even appeal to the same fan base! I don’t think those who like Joe McElderry would listen to RATM and vice versa. Now, it’s just a question of how large each fan base is, and how many copies of the same song each RATM fan is willing to buy to put their song on top of the chart.
Now, I truly like the recommendations of the RATM campaigners. Buy this, buy that, this way, not that way, from here, not there… but… “F**k you, I won’t do what you tell me”. That just sheep being let down one way or another, and thinking they are smarter.
Count me in.
[...] go out and buy Killing In The Name for Christmas. Get your granny a [...]
Please be aware people, the maximum for a non-flagged track is 2, not 3
Come On People, Lets… Take The Power Back!
nope RATM are shite so will be buying joe mcelderry single today for me friends and family cos ive already bought mine off i tunes as well for me i pod prefer joe voice to theirs like and they have a cheek calling the x factor show cos if it wasn,t that poular no one would care about RATM releasing killing music a mean now although i think i was right the 1st time though joe for xmas number 1 RATM are awful and just sounds like hooligans chanting
well you definitely live up to your name. you are not right in the slightest.
Sorry, couldn’t understand what you were saying there, due to the complete lack of punctuation. My seven year old niece would make a more coherent argument.
So so true – I’m a fan of the show and have it over the years, including this years but my god it’s been pretty rubbish this year. I stopped watching midway (not even Jedward could save it) so I didn’t waste 2 hours of my life every Sat. Also Joe was far from my fave contestant(not that I would buy the winners single in any case as its always full on mediocre cheese, not even good cheese!!)and you know what? It’s about time someone else got a chance to entertain the number 1 xmas spot. True, ‘Killing in the name of’ is hardly a xmas track but I think it brings out the angry rebellious teenager in everyone
Even if RATM fail to get to number 1, at least there was a bit more excitement in the race to number 1 this year (and lots of money raised for Shelter)- isn’t that what we used to look forward to all those years ago?!
No wonder noone gives two monkeys about the charts anymore.
BTW – TO the post above; RATM haven’t ‘released’ Killing in the name of recently, it is a 17 year old track!! Also for likening them to to ‘hooligans’ shows how much you know about the band!
The Rage group is also raising money for Shelter, a charity that helps the homeless. So far we are at a rather good £38,283.00. Regardless of your musical affiliations, if you’d like to help out, go to http://www.justgiving.com/ratm4xmas!
You know that the only winner from all of this is Simon Cowell and the Sony BMG executives?
Both Joe McElderry and Rage are signed to Sony subsidiaries … making every single sale profitable for Sony/Simon.
None of you so-called protesters have a clue… you are just puppets of the media.. just like the two artists in question.
It’s just a closer step towards Globalization.. not very rock ‘n’ roll eh?
….Nice try though. lol.
Actually Anna, we’re well aware of the whole Sony connection and we DON’T CARE. It’s not Sony, or even Simon Cowell that we’re protesting against, it’s the utter crap music that X-Factor gives us and it shouldn’t have an automatic right to get to number 1 at Christmas every year!
They don’t have an automatic right to get the single. They work for it, and deserve it
Anandauk, no one is forcing people to go out and buy Joe’s record. In fact, last year, 14.06m viewers watched Alexandra Burke win the Xfactor, Series 5 and yet only 1.3 million copies of her 2008 Xmas single have been sold to date. (even with the whole Alexandra verses Jeff Buckley nonsense)
Maybe, people just really like these cheezy tracks at Christmas time. If, statistically, this crap is being sold the most.. then it should rightly get to number 1 at Christmas. It’s a bit cheap and tacky that people are campaigning for another band to win this title. To be fair.. Anyone with an ounce of sense would just ignore both… or rip them from youtube without paying 29p for the privilege. I do however agree that X factor does not produce the most talented, sustainable artists, but then it’s Pop! Pop doesn’t need to have a point or be clever. It’s a game played by a lucky few big guys at the top who are going to make a mint this Xmas..Perhaps I just expected everyone just to accept this and get over it. Peace! x
Of course people are aware that they’re signed to Sony. Who says this has anything to do with globalisation?
Being against X Factor having predictable number 1s every Christmas doesn’t mean you have to be against every company in existence! That’s a straw man argument.
Companies have every right to make profits, and no one is disputing it. People are voting with their wallets.
After it was announced RATM were giving away all the money from the track sales to charity, I’m definitely supporting the fan movement. Joe McElderry will get the number 1 single with ‘The Climb’ eventually…but I don’t want that to happen this week, not at Christmas!
f we can’t buy multiple copies of Rage, because we will become disqualified, why don’t we all buy multiple copies of the Xfactor crap, and get it disqualified! Never fight the enemy on their home ground, use their rules against them.
Different men different motives. That’s fine, we find common ground. In this we are united. I’m slightly more militant (it could be said) that yourself, but that’s fine too. A reasoned response attracts more minds to it. You like xfactor and bgt which I can respect. Finding anything to have a modicum of passion over and find the fun in, is in this world to be commended. If you don’t mind, (your blog, your rules of course) I feel the need to silence your detractors….
——-imneverright26: so what would you have picked? This perhaps? So Strong by Labi Siffre? Maybe Band Aid feed the world? Or possibly So here it is Merry Christmas, Noddy Holder all the way. To dismiss the peg on which a hat sits, because you dislike the hat, is lunacy. ———-ChappieChap (wonderful name) and your alternative is? If you propose no solution, only vitriol then maybe it is better not to type in the first place. Think before you use your keyboard in future, please. Right, that done. I’m of a mind to go and buy me an old single. Which reminds me of many a fun evening it the mosh pits in my miss spent youth. Feel free to buy the other if you feel the need. I wouldn’t but that’s just me. I wouldn’t sit on the side lines tutting eather, but that’s just me. Get in the pit, throw a couple of punches, you’ll feel better, honestly. 
Anna: Irrelevant, in fact helpful. Sony get the money FULL STOP. So Sony have no motive to fix the result. In fact you should be celebrating. Descent needs to be exercised, like any muscle in order to be effective. Think of this as the step aerobics of dissent. Oak tree, little acorns, think about it. Please… Your wish for global overthrow will do much better through nurture rather than ‘not big enough, not grand enough’. Any anarchy is good anarchy. Let us not be picky.
The alternative? Think for yourself if you are capable, and do what you think is RIGHT. Who am I to propose solution? Who am I to tell others what they should do? I’m just ChappieChap, not taking myself seriously!
I was hoping you could get the message by yourself, apparently, it’s not the case. And that claims to fight against the establishment. Oh, dear!
Hello, slow afternoon eh? Good. Please don’t get me wrong the comparison is, as you say an odd one. But to dismiss it on the grounds of that and nothing else? You seem like an intellegent person, arguably made complacent by too many easy forum victories but I digress, and think the better of you none the less. But really sir this enigma, enshrined in a mystery trapped in a puzzle twaddle (that you know oh jedi master) doesn’t work on me. The case is plan. Replying to a question with 3 others is at best a mild diversion at worst the last defence of a mind with no where else to go. The question stands, sir.
Come on folks – support the RATM
Join our Bebo Campaign Group
http://www.bebo.com/rage4xmas
This whole campaign is kind of pathetic. So X factor gets the Christmas number 1 each year. So what? People are allowed to buy what they want, and if they want to buy Joe’s single, just let them! Joe’s only 18, why can’t you just let him have a number 1 then go back to your sad little lives?
No one is stopping people buying Joe’s track. Also as you say “People are allowed to buy what they want” thank you, we are. I do feel for Joe (I really do). To some he is the talented lad picked out of obscurity to live his dream, to others he is the innocent but sharp end of a bad machine. Any man trapped in the middle ground between the differing jaws of popular culture must feel the pinch. But then I take solice in remembering that bad things happen to good people every minute of every day. Don’t worry, it will get easier, and by new year it will all be as if none of it ever happened.
“Joe’s only 18, why can’t you just let him have a number 1 [snip ad hominem]”
Blimey, I wasn’t aware that being 18 entitled one to a number 1 at Christmas. Do all 18 year olds get a number 1 at Christmas?
I’m just saying that he’s young and it’s mean that everyone’s trying to stop him having a number one. The thing is, what’s the point? I don’t understand the whole campaign and all that jazz. Can you not just let him be happy and have what he worked for? Come on people, it’s christmas.
@Amy – I think you’re being enormously naive about this. Joe’s only involvement in this single was to sing on the track and do a little bit of extra miming for the video.
The song was chosen for him – or Olly, or Stacey or Danyl. Whoever won, essentially. Really, this single is very little to do with Joe McElderry.
Have you read how much work these popstars-for-hire make after the business gets its cut? He’s practically an employee in this situation. I would understand your point if Joe himself has any creative input in the record – the sad fact is, he hasn’t and probably never will throughout his entire Syco career.
nice to see ppl want Joe to fail wonder if its cos of where he is from though cos no one seemed to mind Alexandra burke getting to number 1 last year did they yet they seem to have it in for joe cos everyone knows it won,t affect simon cowell or his show weather joe is number 1 or not will it joe was the best singer on the x factor over 20million viewers watched it and over 6 million voted for joe to win so why are some sour faced ppl calling him for eh when he can out sing RATM cos none of them would of even made past the 1st auditions let alone the final 12 hope joe does get the xmas number 1 just to see him wipe he smirks off yer faces and unreality t.v your as two faced as ever i see so much for backing joe eh
In the BBC they had 2 methods of assessing audience, both done weekly, one on size (measured by standard on off switches and channel selections in the homes of selected families and extrapolated out to give rough audience figures) the other on perceptive quality (this by the very nature of the question required a more detailed form based response). Generally it was seen that the biggest quantitative figures did not correspond with the quantitative ones. The BBC adjusted their funding of programming accordingly. Ergo; size isn’t everything
Good point well put (see I’m not a complete c**t) maybe just a cu… Anyway I digress. Truth be told this has all gotten very political. As a result some people are fighting with agendas using the weapon of music, other people like the track don’t see the problem. Because there are several different view points operating on several different psychological levels, no one is going to see eye to eye. There are other factors that could possibly be coming into play (sorry for getting techy but semiotics interests me). There may be a generational aspect to this (the kids who bounced around to RATM are now parents themselves), also music genre one. (evil rockers popping up to screw with our Christmas!!!) This all clubs together to make this year possibly the most interesting in the past five (from a media studies point of view). I’m sorry if I came across as abrupt and slightly abnoxous, I’m a sucker for a righous cause. But cold light of day and all that, your absolutely right. Motive wise no one is speaking the same language.
Im not quite sue I understand everything you are saying but seriously, I don’t think a band would apply to the X Factor in the first place (this is not to slag the show off; I watch the show myself). And they have clearly demonstrated after nearly 20 years in the industry they haven’t needed the backing off a TV show to get to number 1/be a globally successful music act – they’ve done that all by themselves.
“no one seemed to mind Alexandra burke getting to number 1 last year” – really? So you didn’t notice the number 2 last Christmas, which was Jeff Buckley’s version of ‘Hallelujah’ – part of a major protest campaign against the X-Factor version – http://www.nme.com/news/alexandra-burke/41791 . And Leonard Cohen’s original also made the chart, albeit only at 36.
ClymAngus seems quite excited. PMS? Need a life?
PMS? On the 16th? Serously if that’s happening time to see the doctor (gods truth, if your periods are coming irregularly then hey, I had friends die from that. You need to get it checked out).
ClymAngus! is that like cunnilingus, you c*nt! use you spell check and save your pathetic half hearted argument for your three year old friends (all two of them). What the hell do you know about RATM? no talent eh! remind me, how many sales have they had in their careers eh? Dumb Ass, get a life!
Sorry already got 5 lives, don’t have room for any more. (and yes part-time troller is in there at number 3.75, you see I annexed it, as it doesn’t really count as a “life”, more of an occassional hobby). Cunnilingus, the noble art of giving pleasure to women. Your insults are boardering on the complimentary. Still your an interesting soul, did you know you have an entry in the urban dictionary? I don’t think John Loch Smith likes you very much. Just a feeling. Anyway,in a couple of days this will all matter very little. Even less in a years time. Maybe you should save your vitriol for the more diserving; John Loch Smith for instance. (spelling errors included, because it slightly annoys you, purile? Yes, but fun.)
1.Who said the X factor winner had a god given right? No-one. But Joe is so much better than RATM or whatever, so pretty much anyone with half a brain should be able to see that therefore he should have the Christmas number 1. It shouldn’t be about whether the artist won the X factor or not, it’s about the quality of the music, and Joe’s music, X factor winner or not, is of much better quality.
2.I watch X factor, and I still write my own stuff. It doesn’t stop people writing their own stuff at all. That is a rubbish argument.
3.Sure, Jedward was rubbish, but the rest were great! They were the most talented bunch yet.
4.I’m sorry, but since when was Killing in the name of a good song. It sounds like hooligans chanting. At least The Climb is listenable.
This campaign is insane and pointless!
Don’t worry. Joe will get number 1. And not later than this weekend.
For the moment, those RATM thugs’ have achieved the reversed effect on me. I didn’t plan to buy Joe’s track originally, but they got on my nerves with their cammpaign that I just bought it. Just one copy. Let’s not be mental like some…
Dear dear dear, why don’t you try reading some of the lyrics little girl. This political band have been around a very long time now. Zac has also done a lot of solo stuff which have a lot of meaningful and thoughtful content. Theres nothing wrong with being angry with the way society is turning out today (just look at you for example). I don’t have to call you an air head as you have just managed to talk yourself into that. Versatility is the spice of life. Try not so hard at being a sheep and give some money to charity by buying this tune. Real life isn’t like X Factor. Grow up!
I’m not an airhead or immature. I’m easily in the top five in my class, I’m taking a GCSE aged 13, and I’m one of the most mature people in my year. There is nothing wrong with the way I have turned out, I am not simply following the crowd as you imply. I have my own opinion, just like you. Except I don’t have to call people an airhead to get mine across.
I’m sorry Zoe-who-doesn’t-like-Joe, but you sound like a bit of an idiot. The way I see it, you are trying to support a song that argues against discrimination, yet you are being very condescending to Zoe-who-likes-Joe, just because she’s younger than you. You sound that the 13 year old, not her. I mean, she’s putting forward a good argument instead of insulting everyone who doesn’t agree, like you.
You’re the airhead here, dear.
Just cause she likes Joe, it doesn’t mean she’s following the crowd. Maybe she just thinks he’s better than rage against the machine in this sense and won’t buy Joe’s music again. Liking something other people like doesn’t automatically make you a sheep.
I should just mention that the four replies above this one are all from the same person. If you can’t back up your argument, don’t create an imaginary army of people to agree with your point.
Jeez some of you guys here make me laugh The comment about Joe’s music being of better quality is at best laughable. The guy is another production line puppet much too naive and brainless to realise how he is being moulded into another ‘fly by nighter’ who will have every lst cent wrung out of him before syco moves onto some other latex and souless vision of bland mediocrity. The quality of the music is so homogenised and bland and devoid of any passion and individuality it is an insult to call it music. To the impressionable muppets who actually buy into this rubbish are the types who probably buy 2 cds a year during their shop to Asda and probably think Robbie williams is a genius – check – no sorry probably think wesstlife are talented. RATM have never been my cup of tea BUT they t least have a message, can write their own music, are not forcefed into doing this and doing thatbut most of ll are REAL PEOPLE. Joe, Jedward on the other hand are robots….
lool this is so pathetic.. i feel srry for Joe. hes had to work so hard to get where he is now. This is his first single and already ppl are trying to mess it up for him. Personaly i think that ;rage; song is aload of crap! who wants to listen to that at christmas? not me. its so pathetic that ppl are trying to urge other ppl not to buy joes song. Let ppl make up their own minds. im behind joe regardless
“hes had to work so hard to get where he is now.”
Oh, please. Entering a competition and appearing on a TV show is nothing compared to what most musicians have to do. Years of touring crappy venues, living in a van, earning next to nothing. X-Factor makes a mockery of what real musicians have always had to do. If you want to see what hard work in the music business really is, I recommend you want “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” – http://www.anvilthemovie.com/
If I say so myself
I, like most of you, was against John And Edward in the final 12
I thought Danyl on week 4 did an appalling job and he deserved to be in the bottom 2 again, and I don’t understand Simon santifying him all the time
I didn’t agree with Simon not saving Lucie against John and Edward even tho J & E had a few more votes
AND
I don’t know why Olly was in the top 2, it should have been Stacey and Joe
BUT
It doesn’t mean I will buy RATM because I heard that it was recorded on Simon’s label anyway
AND
I don’t want Joe to be punished, he is still a fantastic singer and I look forward to hearing his own new songs next year
It’s funny that unreality tv wanted Joe to win, and now they don’t want him to have a number one. Two-faced much?
Hey, when it comes to Janus complexes and the media. It’s whatever sells. In this instance whatever gets the most hits. It’s nothing personal. It’s business. By being pro both the site can jump on the band wagon whoever wins. It’s a loki kind of backstabbing buddy buddy. I know, I’ll be recommending this site to all my mates, well maybe, well possibly, actually I hate the very magnetic plastic this site is written on. See? All bases covered. Its all the devotion but none of the commitment.
No, I don’t think it’s two-faced at all. We supported Joe to win X Factor because he was the best singer left in the competition.
However, there’s a new competition for the #1 spot in the charts. And I will always rate a talented band or artist who writes their own material over a singer who’s been given a cover version to sing.
This is my opinion – The Climb wasn’t even a great song when Miley Cyrus did it. Joe’s version is actually a few degrees more bland. The fact of the matter is, people are buying the song more in support of the X Factor or Joe, rather than judging it on how good it is.
It’s actually a really bad song, and doesn’t deserve to be #1. And the fact that so many people think the X Factor single should be Xmas #1 scares me.
i will be supporting RATM because i’m sick of the sugary sweet crap which is being shoved down our throats. And i hate miley cyrus, so i would never buy her music especially in the form of a generic, boring cover by a karoke singer.
Gerard,
You said before that the 4 replies above yours were from the same person, The two Amy’s were me. I was replying to one of the comments, and than realised I had another thing to say, so I wrote that. (Zoe’s my sister, so we share the computer) The Zoe saying she isn’t an airhead or immature is replying yo the person who called her an airhead and immature. I’m not sure who Lily is though.
I won’t use expletive as in your favotite song, but I still agree with them for not doing what you tell me. I buy what I want! So what?