That, I applaud happily.

This is uncanny. It's like they've hired Max Clifford as their publicist. Reminds me of Simon Cowell turning the first X Factor single into a charity song to boost sales. First rule of publicity - "we did it for charity" is the best defence in the world.

I've got a fantastic plan. I'm not going to to buy The X Factor single or this guff. I'm going to download a few good Christmas songs that I actually like. And I always make a donation to a particular charity at Christmas. And I don't need some guy on Facebook to tell me to do it either.

It's everything to do with Simon Cowell and nothing to do with music or charity. If this song was just promoted as "a charity song for Shelter", nobody would be buying it.

It was part of the plan from the start, people have the choice to donate if they want.

So they've had Max on the books right from the start, then? Because rule number two of publicity - "we're doing it for charity" always gets you more attention.

I can't actually believe that people think this is anything to do with charity or pretend that it is.

And some of these same people are the sorts that would sneer at those who buy The X Factor single and call them sheep.


Everyone has the choice to donate to charity if they want regardless of Facebook campaigns or charity music singles.

Nice to see the season of goodwill has started! You're all heart

Because it was so much better when Mr Blobby and Bob the Builder were getting the Christmas No. 1...

The Top 40 has become irrelevent since we entered the age of MP3 and the Internet. Nowadays it's more about hype and marketing than it is about music. I stopped following the charts years ago - whoever gets the Christmas No. 1 won't affect my enjoyment of the music I listen to in any way, whether it is RATM or the X Factor winner. I'm sure that applies to many of the people who joined this protest - why do they all of a sudden care?

its admirable doing something for charity that also makes a statement op but honestly that track is not a family catch all , a good festive hit is both cringey and great to sing along to with granny replacing an x factor song with another song thats got nothing to do with the festive season is not the solution imho
in fact a traditional christmas song now would be almost a parody of itself x factor and commercial buying public rule this world regarding music and until they change nothing will i think .

I think PopJustice sums it up well;

http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?...257&Itemid=206

I don't see what anyone imagines they're going to achieve, except ofcourse defining themselves as someone who doesn't like the X Factor and is opposed to "manufactured" music.

Nothing, we want to end the decade with someone that writes their own music at number one, heck it could of been Alicia Keys, but we needed a powerful message, Rage Against THe Machine are that powerful, its standing up for Music in general and give artists that have given up hope.

Plus its about raising money for the homeless, and Popjustice lol.

So we’ve now established that it’s not really about charity any more than Steve Brooksteins 2004 #1 was about charity. The Christmas #1’s have nearly always been sh*t so it’s not about that (nor will this single change anything). They can't admit that it's about The X Factor or Simon Cowell, or else the whole thing is pointless (although until today this seemed to be the accepted reason behind the campaign). So here we are on the latest excuse.

Since when has “the last single of the decade” meant anything? Do people reflect on the music of the 60’s and think it sucked because the last song of the decade was Rolf Harris singing “Two Little Boys”? The 50’s ended with a song written by people other than the performers at #1. The 80’s closed with a charity record produced by SAW. And the 90’s finished, funnily enough, with Simon Cowell’s Westlife at #1 with a cover version. All this means is that the 2000's end with a song which is #1 because of The X Factor and Facebook sheep rather than due to musical merit or because people actually like the song.

Also, if it's about making the last single of the decade a #1, why is it being pushed next week and not for the last chart of the decade? Because the likelihood is that even if this campaign gets the Christmas #1, its sales will collapse spectacularly the following week and X Factor will still be the last #1 of the decade.

Btw, any plans to deal with Susan Boyle ending the decade with the #1 album?

You're putting 2+2 together and coming up with 5.

And no, just the X Factor single, Susan is in music because she loves it, she doesnt have that 'POPSTAR OMG' mentality, as Seal stated.

In what way?

You've got 550,000 people who are going to buy a song not because they like it, but because someone on Facebook has told them to do it and to be part of a totally cool campaign.

The campaign is against The X Factor and Simon Cowell. The description on the Facebook page makes that very clear. It makes no mention of acts writing their own material or the integrity of music. It's all about stopping Simon Cowell.


And that's straight from the mouths (or keyboards) of Farmer Jon and his wife Tracey.


Isn't she just "Simon Cowell's latest karaoke act"? She doesn't write her own material. She sings other people's songs, she's signed to Syco and she's from the sister show to The X Factor.

How do you know that none of the contestants on X Factor love music?

Of course, any attempt to get a #1 album would fail. The sheep will follow when the cost is just a 99p download. Ask them to pay for a whole album and I suspect you'd soon find that standing up for "real music" wouldn't be worth quite that much.

To their credit, Farmer Jon and wife Tracey seem to take it as more of a laugh then their followers on here. I'm sure they're loving it, will certainly be one to tell the grandchildren!

Who says they don't like the song? I'd actually bet that most of the people who have joined that group actually like the song. Personally, i like the song and have done for years.

I don't think the song or a followers liking of it has much to do with their joining the group anyway. There's no mention in the group description of the song being good. The attempt to get people to support the campaign relies purely on a desire to see X Factor miss the #1 spot rather than one the musical merits of the song. The song has clearly been chosen as a "statement" rather than because it's a great song.

And I don't think they would be buying the record this week if it wasn't for some guy on Facebook saying that they should and then loads of cool publications and other media outlets backing this idea and instructing their listeners/readers to buy the song. And then more and more people hearing about the campaign and joining in because it's the group that you just have to be a part of.

If the song was so popular, wouldn't it have done a bit better before now? Fair enough, it has gained some novelty value because they say the F word a lot. But it has never exactly prompted this kind of mass buying before. Which would suggest to me that another factor is driving its sales.

Simon Cowell has been beaten twice before by songs which had nothing to do with him. In 2004, Band Aid got the xmas #1. In 2003, the Pop Idol song only made #5. Instead, people bought songs by The Darkness and Michael Andrews and Gary Jules who released songs which prompted a reaction from the public because they actually liked the song. And they are remembered until now in their own right. This particular Christmas #1 will always be remembered as a part of The X Factor dominance, perhaps partly remembered as part of the rise of social networking. Like Bob The Builder is remembered as part of the TV show being a hit. It's just a novelty, some sort of unofficial X Factor #1!

And that's any different to a TV show dictating what CD/MP3 people are going to buy next week? Both the Facebook group and The X Factor are basically just forms of advertising.

Apparently the X Factor winner is going to be singing a cover of 'Don't Stop Believing' by Journey, surely if people liked the song itself they'd go out and buy (the no doubt infinitely superior) Journey version as opposed to the karaoke version that the X Factor winner will be singing.

The first quote doesn't seem to have quite the same principles as the second!

Well that's why they chose the song! But everyone has a different reason for joining the campaign and each to their own! I joined because I want to stand up for real music and talented artists and songwriters. And also because I love RATM!!

Not necessarily, some may prefer the song, some people may prefer the singer but I take your point. OK, people go on about manipulation and so on, but it's still left at "like the song, like the singer, go buy the song". Rather than "who cares about the song, lets stop The X Factor".

Generally, there is a fair point to your argument, it's one that is made regularly against The X Factor. However, that completely undermines any argument that this is a victory for "people power" or real music. It's just different sheep buying a different song.

For this campaign to be what some of its supporters claim it is, it needs to be different to X Factor.

EDIT: The song is reported to be "The Climb" (Miley Cyrus). For the first time, the cover could be better than the original. It's a decent pop song, IMO (go on, shoot me!) but too big for her voice.

It's a song from the viewpoint of a naughty boy not wanting to clean his room from a band who are milking a reunion after Audioslave went down the pan. There are many more powerful messages that could have been chosen if needed.

This song was chosen purely because the last couple of lines can be aimed towards Simon Cowell and X-Factor, as you can see on the campaign slogans.

The time is now so start downloading people.



If you want to that is ( I dont want no goody goody saying "dont tell us what to buy) lol
Last edited by hitnmix : 13-12-2009 at 00:58

For some strange reason i feel compelled to participate - but can't help feeling that it would also have been more apt to back a Christmas song. When was the last time an Xmas No1 was actually about Xmas - Cowell or not.

I agree it wpuld have been better if it was a xmas song but oh well its still a good song. And will be worth it imo to get one over the x factor winning single.

Band Aid 2004. Before that it was "Saviours Day" in 1990 so it's not all Cowells fault!

C14E are you Simon in disguise or perhaps one of his producers or ex's you always seem to defend the man (no offence intended).

Who gives a toss why people participate in the campaign really its not life changing and ultimately it means bugger all.

You can't honestly tell me that everyone that buys the XF winners single buy it because they really like it.

It won't effect Cowell one bit we all know that - it might wipe the smug grin away for 5 secs which would be kind of nice.

For me personally I wouldn't mind seeing a great song by a great band get to number 1 for a change instead of the usual chart stuff. Just have to say RATM are without a doubt one of the best live bands i've ever been lucky enough to see live several times so if they get it great - although yep its very doubtful.

People who are buying a Rage Against The Machine song whether they like it or not just because some campaign says they should are just as gullible as people who buy the X-Factor winner song regardless of what song it is and who sings it.

Top piece of marketing by RATM though. Keep buying it, suckers!