THE INDEPENDENT: Rock band Rage Against the Machine ended Simon Cowell’s four year domination of the Christmas charts tonight after a hugely popular Facebook campaign helped the Los Angeles nu-metallers snatch the Christmas number one slot from X-factor’s Joe McEdlerry. More than half a million people downloaded the band’s famously anti-authoritarian and expletive laden track “Killing in the Name” in what was seen as a broad protest against the increasing influence of manufactured pop music. It is the first time a non-X-Factor song has made it to Christmas number one for four years and represents a major snub to the show’s creator Cowell who angrily described the campaign to him another number one slot as “very Scrooge.” X-Factor winner McElderry was less than a year old when Rage Against the Machine stormed onto the LA rock scene in 1992 with their self-titled debut album which went triple platinum and effectively gave birth to the nu-metal rock scene by blending heavy metal guitar riffs with politically charged rap lyrics. Earlier in the week he listened to “Killing in the Name” for the first time and described it as “dreadful”. But last night the 18-year-old Geordie singer, whose cover of Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” sold 50,000 fewer copies than his rivals, was noticeably more magnanimous in defeat. “Fair play to the guys who have organised the Facebook campaign — it’s been exciting to be part of a much-hyped battle and they definitely deserve congratulations,” he said. “This time last year I never thought for one minute that I’d win The X Factor, never mind about having a debut single out, so I’m just delighted to be in the charts.” Speaking on BBC Radio 1’s Chart Show, Rage frontman Zach de la Rocha said his band getting to number one said “more about the spontaneous action taken by young people throughout the UK to topple this very sterile pop monopoly and less about the song and the band. We are very proud to have had the song chosen as the vehicle by which to do this.” MORE
PREVIOUSLY: The Battle To Make RATM’s “Killing In The Name” The Number One Christmas Song In Great Britain