Does it matter who the UK’s Christmas No.1 is?
So, it’s been discussed time and time again over the last week. Various points have been made: Simon Cowell is the great Satan (true, IMHO). Rage Against the Machine are great. Rage against the machine and the the X-Factor track are both on Sony so ultimately Simon Cowell and his ilk win. It’s pointless and no-one cares anyway. It matter a great deal. No-one cares about chart positions anymore. Simon Cowell is aiming to be Prime Minister and is a closet Tory.
OK, so I made that last one up, though it would be yet another perfectly reason to hate Simon Cowell. As to whether it’s a battle between pop and metal…let’s face it, the ultimate battle in music is between good and bad music. The Fall have a stylist. The Sugababes may be becoming a brand name, but I’d rather listen to them than Travis, Stereophonics, Nickleback…
…and is there not something secretly rather pleasurable about seeing a band like Rage Against The Machine reach #1, or at least, be serious contenders? Will it change the world? No, it won’t; and Sony are going to be quids in this Christmas. But the facebook campaign was not started by Sony, but by a husband and wife team making a protest. And whilst the Rage track may be old, may be on a major label, and may ruin some cherubs life because of us being scrooge-like to be a track on download…it’s Christmas.
To paraphrase Bill Nighy as Billy Mack in Love Actually: ‘Wouldn’t it be great this Christmas if the number one wasn’t yet another one of Simon Cowell’s puppets but a metal band who wiped the grin off that smug, evil, pseudo-svengali’s face and it was down to the general public?’
It won’t change the world, it won’t make Cowell stop making records (unfortunately) or bring an end to this ridiculous obssession with celebrity at any price. But it might show that the public have had enough.
You’d rather listen to the Sugarbabes than Travis or The Stereophonics? Really?
I have no quibble re Nickelback though…
hear hear, that’s exactly how I feel about it. I don’t usually give a damn about these kind of gimmicky campaigns but I do think it’s worth while downloading this just in case it works. Though I suspect 20 million x Factor fans will still triumph..
In the 80’s we hated SAW. In the 90’s it was Simon Fuller and Ian Levine. At the moment it is Simon Cowell.
However I find the campaign amusing. “Fuck You I Won’t Do What You Tell Me” - indeed.
I don’t agree that it will show that the public have had enough Ed, as it is the public who watched and voted in their millions for the x-factor.
Is it really any worse than Cliff Richard being number 1. In my opinion in directing my ire at someone like Simon Cowell, I’m missing the real target the bastards that make Cowell and his like possible.
I prefer this version…
http://fadesinslowly.com/2009/12/17/my-choice-for-christmas-number-one/