It had to be bells ringing: the battle for Christmas Number One

[...] Muso’s Guide » Columns » It had to be bells ringing: the battle for Chrismas Number One musosguide.com/it-had-to-be-bells-ringing-the-battle-for-chrismas-number-one/ – view page – cached The X Factor is arguably the best thing to happen to Pop Music since the advent of MTV. Yet for the last two years a number of spiteful people have attempted to derail the fairytale, and prevent the… Read moreThe X Factor is arguably the best thing to happen to Pop Music since the advent of MTV. Yet for the last two years a number of spiteful people have attempted to derail the fairytale, and prevent the deserved winner of the popular singing contest of becoming number one in the charts. Simon Cowell has revived Pop Music, he’s made us care again about Pop, we invest in the dreams of the contestants, and we buy into their journey. View page [...]

I am a bit embarrassed RATM is the best alternative people can come up with, but I don't think The X Factor's domination of the Christmas number one slot, and indeed the charts, is anything to celebrate at all.

And I can only assume you're joking about calling it the best thing to have happened to pop music since MTV. Only Girls Aloud and Will Young have made proper, meaningful, critically acclaimed careers from the 10 year format.

“The X Factor is arguably the best thing to happen to Pop Music since the advent of MTV”.

I hope that's sarcasm.

The show 's format merely creates puppets for Simon Cowell. It doesn't allow for any creativity from the fame hungry contestants who appear to have no love of music at all.

You might not like Rage Against The Machine, you might not agree with what they are saying but you can't deny the genius behind the music or the passion behind the lyrics, something which is lacking from most TV talent shows.

This might not be important to the members Rage Against The Machine but it's not really about them it's more about breaking the boredom of X-Factor becoming christmas number one for the zillionth year in a row.

Also by purchasing the song instead of purchasing no song at all isn't that an attempt to stimulate our ailing economy??

It's xmas..people having a bit of fun – lighten up! Im not the biggest RATM fan and agree they prob don't care but heres hoping xmas no.1 isn't a predictable pile of crapolla from a sonn-to-be-forgotten x factor winner.

You are so wrong! I mean when since was it fair for some kareoke act to get the coveted number one at xmas!? http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2228594104

Are you guys kidding?

‘I can’t quite believe that people would consider supporting a bunch of commies, when really we should be embracing consumerism’

this is obviously 100% sarcasm, and pretty funny. Bravo for ‘fuck this band, I’m voting Joe McElderry.’

Can’t wait to buy the single as many times as i’m allowed!

Indirectly, The X Factor has raised the bar for pop music. Where we once had declining audience-figures tuning in to TOTP, we've now got an unavoidable phenomenon on our hands. And while I'm not advocating that at all, it has gone some way to getting rid of this stupid 2000s concept of enjoying pop as a guilty pleasure.

Reality TV show acts are crashing and burning, and the big labels are investing more in pop artists that truly stand out. And this one-hint wonder knock-down thing? So what. Remember 'Doop'? No complaints.

And instead of RaTM, let's push this one: http://open.spotify.com/track/0HHhd47wSP0IxKRR4…

bless, come and have a hug……

Shayne Ward has sold a million albums in the UK alone, and still holds the record for biggest first week X Factor related sales (742,000 copies of 'That's My Goal' in just one week). He's done two
solo arena tours – the last one in 2008, and is currently recording his third album (due out in March 2010) and still with the Syco label. Perhaps you would like to reconsider some of your comments.

Not bad for a cricketer.

“Alexandra Burke’s glorious cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’”

I REALLY hope that was sarcasm…. out of the many versions of the song out there this is one of the blandest.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=222859410…

People just don't get it.
Like RATM had a message back in the day, this is another one. X-factor is taking over the UK Music Charts producing probably some of the worst artists and song covers ever.
Simply, X-factor is ruining music. UK music is getting worse and worse, year by year.
If this is successful, boy oh boy, will the wee poof, no wait, will the the wee richard be a little dissapointed.

Alexandra Burke's cover of Hallelujah is 'glorious', Tony Blair is 'the best PM since Churchill' and the tracks on Renegades were 'piss poor'.

Clearly, you haven't got a fucking clue about anything.

You are soft in the head…
if the best thing in pop music is old recycled material because talentless singers cannot write their own music then pop music is dead.
You need to step outside your living room on a saturday/sunday night. I don't know how old you are but you obviously had a mis-spent youth.
The facebook group does not care about the “sony umbrella”, its a matter of principle, and not money. Its a great cause and a great movement. It represents truth and reality. Unlike Simon Cowell standing to applause the miming Janet Jackson.

I'm hoping there's quite a bit of tongue in cheek in here but I will not stand for this Sir:
'an album of piss poor covers'

Renegades is one of the few good covers albums. Not that it has many challengers.

I've never read such utter bollocks in my life!

If you dont like RATM then thats fine but the idea is the people are sick of having one-hit wonder, untalented, boring, fame hungry so called “artists” that have their music and lyrics written for them not buy them getting even anywhere in the music world, the fact that it is the christmas number one that people are aiming rob these no-bodys of is nothing to dowith it actually being christmas number one its because this willl stirr up the most controversy. There is real people writing real music and real lyrics out there and they are been shot to the ground by these pathetic excuses.

Also you are obviously a little simple as i can clearly see that NOONE really cares who's pocket the money from this goes in as long as its not Simon Cowell and his comrades that recieve it. This is an iconic song and one that a lot of people have heard while it still being controvesial.

Also if they are a “ropey old rap metal band” as you said then how come the mentioned tour was SOLD OUT?

If this is your opinion then thats fine, but i seriously suggest you check your “facts” before publishing them you uneducated biggot.

Fuck you I won't do what you tell me

cunt

I couldn't read any of your so called article without thinking it was all sarcasm.
I think you need to seriously look back at what you haven written about the current state of the music industry.

And is as premanufactured as the rest of Cowells drivel. Listen to some real music.

“the finest British Prime Minister since Churchill – Tony Blair”

LOL best troll ever. I salute you, sir.

Top article. Haven't laughed at something so much for a while.

I love how people in this country say that Americans don't understand irony, yet I don't think there's a word here that isn't tongue-in-cheek. Of course this isn't a serious article people!

That's not Journalism, that's Objective Criticism you FUCK. Don't write ANYTHING if it's not worth the time to read it. I hope that you don't get paid for writing.

And cheer the fuck up you grumpy basterd, your not funny.

Ta.

Wink, you've missed the point here I think.

All this is designed to do is stir things up a little and provide a bit of banter for the Festive season.

There maybe many people that agree with your take on benign, trival, talentless mass marketed shite. But you can't ignore the 420.000 and counting swell of a group that is trying to, at the very least, put a dent in the hull of the Cowell's “SS Poptastic”.

Punk smashed Glam –
Grunge smashed Spandex –
I can't wait for something to smash “X Factor”.

P.S – I'm with Robbiem89!!

how are we 'spiteful people' for trying to knock some shoddy pop covers off the top of the charts, and replace this with proper music which isnt manufactured crap?

Jesus Christ, you are one very deluded individual. Pop music is nothing but the same talentless shit, year after year. It's the reason modern music is in the dire state it's in today. When the image of an artist becomes more important than the music, you know something has to be wrong.

And you honestly think consumerism is good? You lost all credibility with that statement.

Get a clue before writing something so fundamentally wrong.

well said

Internet: publicising idiocy and doing it well!

“so all these fools are doing is doubling the Sony Christmas bonuses”

With 500,000 sales? Even at a pound a time that's nothing to Sony.

“I can’t quite believe that people would consider supporting a bunch of commies, when really we should be embracing consumerism, and attempting to stimulate our ailing economy.”

Well perhaps you'd understand if you realised that this about music, not politics, not the economy, just music.

The X-factor is a cynical factory of mediocrity – if you can't understand why anyone would dislike it then you need to get out more.

“and attempting to stimulate our ailing economy”

People buying more records = what exactly?

I don't think we expected everyone to understand.

Your a sad cunt

alexandra burke's cover of hallelujah was a pile of BS.
X factor has taken over the xmas charts for the past 4 years. you can't blame people for wanting something decent at number one instead of the manufactured tripe that comes out of that show.
and no, not everyone who wins the x factor goes on to have success. leon jackson? he had one hit then disappeared. shane ward had like 2 hits.
why are we idiots anyway? just because we want something different and actually decent for christmas number one?
YOU, my friend, are the moron. get a decent taste in music.

You're an idiot.

That is about the only comment I can make to somebody who would describe the awfully bland cover of Jeff Buckley's classic as “glorious” and then go on to critisise RATM making an album of covers. For such a huge fan of X-Factor it seems to have escaped your notice that all they churn out is poor imitations of classic songs:

Steve Brookstein – Against All Odds (Phil Collins)
G4 – Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen)
Leon Jackson – When You Believe (Whitney & Mariah)
Shayne Ward – No Promises (Bryan Rice)
Leona Lewis – A Moment Like This (Kelly Clarkeson)
Leona Lewis – Run (Snow Patrol)
Alexandra Burke – Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley)
X-Factor Finalists 2008 – Hero (Mariah)
X-Factor Finalists 2009 – You Are Not Alone (Michael Jackson)

You claim that Simon Cowell has made us “care again about pop”. What complete and utter rubbish. What Simon Cowell has done has taken talented and promising artists and turned them into samey-samey, manufactured crap.

Oh and you might want to understand the story behind the lyrics of 'Killing in the Name of' before you you make a fool of yourself publicly by calling it a “childish strop”. Moron.

I seriously hope this is sarcasm, as some previous comments have said, if not then it's no wonder music is in such a poor state with idiots like you queuing in HMV.

What rubbish. The X Factor being the greatest thing to happen to pop music? It's glorified kareoke, essentially the bastard son of Stars In Their Eyes. Alexandra Burke's version of Hallehlujah could best be described as 'ear rape', and – to quote Charlie Brooker – is a song for thick people to play at their funerals.

Crying about the whole RATM being signed to Sony thing is ridiculous as well – do you think we care? We're well aware of the contradictions, and frankly to write a thesis about the rights and wrongs is ridiculous. We're doing this not to make a moral stand, but because it's funny.

As for the refrain of “fuck you I won't do what you tell me”, rather than a childish strop the song is a salute to American police officers from the deep south who dared to stand up and challenge the institutionalised racism that saw many police officers support or even join the Klu Klux Klan. Or does that count as a lefty commie cause for you? And how exactly does not spending money on buying music stimulate an ailing economy?

You're right about one thing though – it's a non-story. It's a bit of fun, a joke. Whilst it would be fun to see them get to no 1 to wipe the grins of imbeciles everywhere (call it revenge for the millions of facebook statuses, tweets and column inches devoted to Jedward and the other clones), no-ones seriously expecting it – it's a laugh. So take your patronising, moralistic, holier-than-thou, misguided attitude (Tony Blair 'best PM since Churchill'? WTF?) and piss off. Buy the X Factor single if you want – no-one cares. No-one ever will. But hey – you've got the controversy and people coming to an otherwise boring website eh?

“awfully bland cover of Jeff Buckley's classic”

Amazing.

As for the point, It would be nice if the battle for #1 at Christmas wasn't pre-ordained as an X-Factor winner every year. It would have also been nice if the last five prior numbers ones to the Children In Need single, stretching back to October weren't related to the show either.

Aside from the hilarious irony of Rage being on Sony as well the whole campaign, like last year's, reeks of musical elitism. As much as taste is subjective, (Half the internet should really consider this before they smash out HOW DARE SUCH AND SUCH NOT BE ON THE LIST on their keypads at end of year time.), I certainly would rather listen to Buckley's cover of 'Hallelujah' than Burke's but that's not to say anyone should take this as an opportunity to wave their 'superior' taste in peoples faces. As Peter Robinson in this month's Word magazine says in his piece on Simon Cowell “A tendency in some quarters is to think that these uneducated plebs, who imagine they enjoy records by Il Divo, are simply in need of education. If they could only hear just one Mars Volta album, they would realise how trite and pathetic their plastic lives are. But that's not how culture works”

This Christmas release week will see me buying singles, like I do most weeks of the year, by acts I like. I hope they do well enough in the charts and get more exposure but other than that it's not important. Each to their own, and there's many many more than consider X-factor to be their own than do a 17 year old pseudo-grunge song about the failings of the US administration with the word fuck in it. Especially if that righteous and justified anger is now being pointed at Simon Cowell.

As everyone is being ironic I assume to say “So take your patronising, moralistic, holier-than-thou, misguided attitude” having called millions of people 'imbeciles' is part of that.

You want to something more LOL satire, get everyone to download 4″33' by John Cage in the same week.

I don't really think it's about the band who get number 1 as long as its anyone other than x factor.
Why should someone whos been a recognised for a couple of months do a terrible cover of someone else's work (Alexandra Burke? Glorious cover!?) be able to win the top slot over musicians that have been working hard for years.
Its comic value, RATM aren't likely to get it, but at least it'd be a change rather than the same old generic covers from manfactured singers year in year out.

Do you live in Bath or any of the surrounding area Richard Wink?
Would you like a fight?

Seriously.

You sound like you own the exact character profile of a man who need his nose flattened.
Please contact me.

ha ha. This article has to be a joke.”the finest British Prime Minister since Churchill” –
Tony Blair Tony Blaire is a warmongering shit who has directly contributed to the death of hundreds of thousands of people across the globe with his illegal war that we're still embroiled in. Everyone knows that you funny fucker.

If it's not a joke then you have to give yourself a serious talking to and a (bitch slap) for misreading public opinion

Thanks. After reading your fawning to cowells honey pot show, which has done nothing for music except downgrade it i can only say ill be buying RATM tune and hope it dethrones the X factor empires callous plastic kareoke fodder and gets a few sheep to start thinking they can be sheperds.

F**k u i wont buy what u tell me !!

Hello Richard Wank, I mean Wink. Well I don't really. This article made my eyes bleed, you are quite clearly a complete and utter 'moron'. Why should it be acceptable that talentless karaoke acts are guaranteed a Christmas number 1 every year that they haven't even written themselves, bought not by music fans but by fans of the whole Cowell Circus. Why should I have to hear a piss poor cover version overplayed night and day just because Cowell wants me to.
I will be buying at least 9 copies of 'killing in the name of' come the 13th of December, by a band who write and perform their own music that has heart and meaning. Christmas is about people coming together, so lets come together and send RATM to the top of the charts!!

This is either a brilliant satire of internet troll culture or a very sad page in the book of objective journalism.

Either way its bloody hilarious, but who knows if its kudos worthy…

This is unbelievable! I keep thinking that I am missing something here and that this column is a very very clever joke! But its not!

One thing i have to get straight is that Renegades (the so called 'piss poor covers album') is not one of, but THE best covers album ever to be made. It sources a very wide range of material for its covers and the final thing is a well produced an a well thought out album.

Second of all surely that fact that Killing In The Name is such an old track and has been chosen at the track proves that RATM can stand the test of time! People wont remember Alexandra Burke in 15 years!

C'MON, YOU GUYS. This is comedy frickin' gold!

Everyone is taking this a bit too seriously! We were just bored of the same thing at number 1 every Christmas. I fondly remember wondering what would be number one as a girl.
http://www.justgiving.com/ratm4xmas this is the best bit about our campaign!

Richard, how can you run a “muso” blog when you're clearly so full of sh!t? Epic fail.

okay, so Epic actually win when RATM hit the top spot, we all know that, but this isn't about the money…I could go on…but you're not wotth it.

Me referring to millions as 'imbeciles' isn't patronising, moralistic or holier than thou. I'll accept you may have a point with misguided, though that's a matter of opinion. But given that people are already pre-ordering the X factor winners single on the ITV website – without even knowing who's going to win or what the song will be – i'd stand by my original choice of words. In the words of one wise sage “I'll buy it but if it's Olly I won't listen to it!” (paraphrased admittedly, but only because I can't be bothered to dig out the full quote again).

Amazing stuff, this. Well done Richard, you're well on course to smash that Mando Diao comments record. More idiot-bating please dude!

I think to insinuate that millions of people are imbeciles because they like the X-Factor would be slightly patronising. I don't mind watching the show, as a bit of Saturday night entertainment, do I think any of this year's lot are anywhere as good as Alexandra Burke let alone Leona or Kelly Clarkson. No, not at all. Would I buy any of their records? Very unlikely.

I follow that pre-ordering a single of a still 100% confirmed song (although likely 'The Climb') is a bit daft. Is it any more stupid than me paying put a couple of hundred quid on albums by The Beatles I already owned? Probably not.

“number of spiteful people have attempted to derail the fairytale”

I must apologise to you, for it seems as though you must have been put under some sort of duress to come up with utter kackbabble such as this.

If not then all you are is a disgrace to media, journalism and an offence to taste. If the latter be true by god i hope someone removes you from your post and you join the ever-growing unemployment staticstics for that is where you belong

And we have it! 50 replies in, and the stupidest one yet. Crossed your mind that he wasn't 100% serious, has it? Idiot.

Regardless of that, to wish someone into unemployment is just uncalled for.

Everybody just buy what you want (so long as it’s Joa) and let evryone else do the same (so long as it’s Joa.) And give money to charity anyway. It’s Christmas, you miserable scrooges

I'm going for a dummy vote myself. Steel Panther ohhhh yeah!

On RATM's side. Tom Morrello's donating a considerable amount of his royalities to charity and also RATM fans have raised almost 50k for Shelter. That alone makes it better…

As much as I don't want to hear a great over played song over played some more. If they are doing good to the world. Fuck it.

Does this idiot actually get paid for writing this drivel?
Gawd help us…………………….

Nope, we don't get paid for writing for this site. We do it for the love of music and winding up half-wits on the Internet.

Who the hell is PAUL BROWN?
I was referring to some article by MUSO……

RICHARD WINK ?
If this pap is typical of his writings then I bet this isn’t the first time that’s been pointed out.
Where do they get these people I wonder…..?