“Was Raging against the X Factor really a victory against Conformity?” Academic piece

On Sunday the 20^th of December 2009, the Official UK Charts Company managing director Martin Talbot said: "Congratulations to Rage Against The Machine on their number one - as we have seen in recent years, overhauling any X Factor winner in the race for the Christmas number one is no mean achievement.”

This of course is in response to the entirely unpredicted success of the American rap-metal band, soaring to the top spot to claim the Christmas number one. Their single “Killing in the Name”, originally a number 25 hit back in 1993, outsold this years X Factor winner Joe McElderry and his cover version of Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” by 200,000 copies.

The campaign followed the success of getting Jeff Buckley's version Hallelujah to Christmas number 2 spot last year, however it still lost out to last years X Factor winner Alexandra Burke who claimed the number one spot with her version of the same song.

This year’s revolt was started by Tracy and Jon Morter, who launched a Facebook group entitled "Rage Against the Machine for Christmas No 1". Their first advertising post read "Fed up of Simon Cowell's latest karaoke act being Christmas No 1? Me too ... So who's up for a mass-purchase of the track 'Killing in the Name' from December 13^th?” Their reasons for creating the group are straight forward; to oppose the Christmas chart being predictably topped by Simon Cowell’s latest victor. Creator of the Facebook group Jon Morter told NME.com: "It's been taken on by thousands in the group as a defiance to Cowell's 'music machine'. Some certainly see it as a direct response to him personally."

            Cowell has responded to the campaign to get by branding its supporters "a hate mob". He says the Facebook crusade to keep this year's X Factor winner from being the Christmas number one is akin to bullying. 18 year old Joe Mcelderry, the winner himself, has looked at it from a different angle being quoted by the Telegraph saying, "Fair play to the guys who have organised the Facebook campaign - 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.” He has also stated that he is confident it is not a personal attack on him, as the group had already been created prior to the winner of the X Factor being announced.

The outcome that is most apparent when looking at this battle that has musically divided the nation, is one of conformity. The is no doubt that Jon and Tracey Morter made an enterprising stand by saying how they feel and doing something about it, however it can be argued that those who proceeded to obediently purchase Rage Against the Machine’s single were falling straight into the web of the next dictator’s ideals. The great American author Mark Twain once said, “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, is it time to pause and reflect.” So by revolting in mass, the nation has yet again failed to possess individuality.

"Tis the Season..." Descriptive Piece

The season is upon us once again. It’s that time of year when dad clambers into the loft and huffs and puffs the tattered cardboard box marked “XMAS” down to the living room. Ribbons are tied round every banister and baubles are hung on every branch. It’s a fight for whose toilet roll angel gets to go on the top of the tree, and the cat reluctantly adorns a tinsel collar.  The whole country is buzzing as families travel by any means necessary, trains over counties and planes over seas, to be reunited for this special day.

Granny takes up her usual armchair and nods slowly in and out of dreams, while mum and dad dance around the kitchen in a not-quite-perfected choreographic sequence alive with boiling and roasting that results in the Christmas dinner. With occasional obscenities, bangs and crashes, miraculously it always comes together at the last minute. The house is filled with aromas good enough to tear kids of any age away from the “Morecambe and Wise” special showing yet again this year, and the family gathers round like lions to a wilder beast to devour the turkey. Over the jollities of paper hats, cracker toys and jokes of the expected low standard, Mum flicks on the radio to fill the dining room with the festive sounds of Rage against the Machine “Killing in the Name”.

What’s wrong? It all sounded pretty perfect up until that last bit didn’t it! However this picture of Christmas 2009 is not far wrong as this song swept to the top of our charts just in time for Christmas day. Following a head to head battle to diminish the domination of Simon Cowell and his finely oiled pop star making machine, for the first time in 3 years the Christmas number one was claimed by a band who had not been catapulted to success by the phenomenon that is the X Factor. Rage Against the Machine were backed by a couple who created a Facebook fan page with the hope to overthrow King Simon Cowell and his monarchy Lady Cheryl Cole and Lord Joe McElderry, this years winner who unfortunately missed out on his almost guaranteed number 1 hit.

Alarmingly, and going against the judgement of experts, the popularity of Rage’s rebellion and all that it stood for against the destruction of the music industry, struck a violent rock chord with thousands of people up and down the nation who began in their thousands to download and purchase the heavy based, head banging anthem containing more obscenities than all of mum and dad’s Christmas dinner bravados put together!

One must step back and assertively nod ones head in appreciation for the brave civilians who were behind this coop. It shows great courage to send a nation into turmoil, even if the song chosen to cause it is questionable, they have spoken up where so many have failed to. There is, however, one detail that seems to have slipped the nations minds as they obediently follow suit. By purchasing “Killing in the Name” and joining the ranks of the anti X Factor troupe, the only thing that has been achieved is yet another display of sheer conformity, rebelling against one leader only to fall in line behind another. The message of “thinking for ourselves” has been pushed aside, as we all run towards one team.

The real achievement must one day come from inside us all; it is a lesser-ventured ideal down in the pit of our beings known as “being an individual”.  We must fight against the gravity-like urge to follow the ever profiting Sheppard’s and buy music we have listened to, sat back and thought, “do you know what, I actually quite like that”.  The time will come when the Christmas chart will be a thing of wonder once again, not a ferocious battle of the titan that is X Factor and their latest “Let’s make a facebook group” rival.

“With the nation in a Rage, Christmas loses it's X Factor” Marketing piece

On Sunday the 20^th of December 2009 it was announced to the nation that Rage Against the Machine had won the battle for the Christmas number one spot, breaking the tradition of the X Factor winner, Joe McElderry in this years case, jumping straight in at the top spot.

Now considered the greatest Christmas chart battle in history, the American heavy rock band’s single “Killing in the Name” out sold 18 year old Geordie Joe’s debut single “The climb” by 50,000 to clinch the number one spot.

This unpredicted success has come from a Facebook campaign started up to rebel against the X Factor’s almost guaranteed Christmas number one. Simon Cowell was also being targeted as the creator of this predictable regime and for taking the excitement out of our festive chart shows.  It’s not the first rebellion of its kind to take place, last year a similar campaign tried to get Jeff Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah” to number one, but lost out to X Factor’s Alexandra Burkes new recording of the same song.

The big difference this year that seems to have split the nation is the style of song chosen to ride on high at Christmas. Rage’s “Killing in the Name”, initially a number 25 hit in 1993, contains heavy swearing and violent rock tempo, therefore doesn’t exactly strike a chord as being suitable around this primarily religious holiday.  Then on the other hand, McElderry’s “The Climb” seems to be just another cheesy inspirational cover version manufactured to seal his title as the X Factor winner, not ideal for those among us who are not fans of the show.

The main point raised by this chart feud needs to be the realization that as a nation we are not thinking for ourselves and buying the music we personally enjoy, we seem to be following like herds the ideas and tastes dictated to us by other people that have chosen to make a stand. So even though the Rage Against the Machine rebellion won out over the domination of X Factor, it still promoted conformity and started a dictatorship of its own. It is doubtful that anyone who purchased Rage’s single really thought this was a suitable Christmas number one, and even if they are against the success of the X Factor, why not just opt out of buying any record? Or purchase another recent single that you enjoy; Michael Buble and Lady Ga Ga to name a few both had very strong original pop records in the Christmas top 10, yet were also beaten by the 90’s rock song and its obedient following.

So next year let’s all make a conscience effort to think for ourselves! Indeed, purchase the X Factor single if you like it, but don’t be afraid to look elsewhere for music you love. The chart is meant to be a fair record of what songs are most popular in the current market, so there’s no need to drag out singles from decades ago, today’s music really has got a lot to offer if you just take the time to listen and choose for yourselves.