I wonder if a similar debate was held in Oz when this song was sung to celebrate the wicked witch's demise? We're there some Munchkins who couldn't see the funny side of this little ditty? Doesn't look like it from the footage back then.

 

Liza Minelli? Why? :unsure:

 

Voted Amusing of course. It's a shame Judy Garland is not credited though. Wizard Of Oz Film Cast? Oh, well...

 

She's Judy Garland's daughter

The campaign itself can be comfortably described as lacking in compassion, feelings or any kind of respect for a family going though a difficult time. Perhaps if Thatcher hadn't conducted herself in exactly that sort of manner in her political career maybe the society that she claimed never existed would exercise a bit more compasion in her death. You reap what you sow.

 

As for the feelings of her family. I doubt they really care. They knew how hated she was by many and everybody who lived through her reign knew this kind of response was coming. I'm surprised people are surprised by it.

I think many who didn't live through the 80s are aware of her reputation and equate the current government as being similar in some way too. I've heard a few teenagers make casual remarks but when anyone over 40 says the same sort of things you can genuinely feel the venom in it. Many of us just want the world to know how they and many others felt they were discarded and treated with contempt by a woman who benefitted those voices are usually the loudest.

 

Personally I think comparing Thatcher to the Wicked Witch of the West is far too comedic to do justice to her legacy. And I expect the Witch would be offended too

Precisely. I doubt they even know. After all, they have other things on their mind at the moment. The only way they are likely to know about it is if some journalist asks them for a comment.

the only good thing about this campaign is that Liza Minelli will make a few bucks out of it.... i'm.sure she.needs.every penny...

 

She won't.

 

Under current law, the copyright for sound recordings expires fifty years after the song has been recorded. For this song, that would be 1989, over twenty years ago.

 

As for the song itself, its copyright expires 75 years after the death of the last songwriter. As you are probably aware, Judy Garland didn't write the song, that was EY Harberg & Harold Arden. Their estates will continue to profit from that song until 2061, 75 years after Arden's death.

 

So no, Minelli won't get a penny.

Voted Amusing of course. It's a shame Judy Garland is not credited though. Motion Picture Cast Recording? Oh, well...

 

Judy Garland doesn't sing a note of the song! The 51-second track currently at #1 is just 30 seconds of the Munchkins and then another 20 of instrumental, at least if it's the same as this (which seems to be the case):

So the OCC have the right credit.

 

Confusingly the whole album's credited to 'Judy Garland (Et Al.)', hence the original credit. It's like if Band Aid was credited to 'Bob Geldof (Et Al.)'...

Celebrating death is just disgusting beyond compare. Even if she ruined the country, how does celebrating her death, which many are grieving (children, grandchildren, friends, other family members), change what she did? I'd understand if people were campaigning for an apology during her lifetime - so once again how is this going to change anything? It just shows how vile humanity can be.

 

Or just how badly screwed the North of England/Scotland/Wales really felt they were by her?

 

 

The campaign itself can be comfortably described as lacking in compassion, feelings or any kind of respect for a family going though a difficult time. Perhaps if Thatcher hadn't conducted herself in exactly that sort of manner in her political career maybe the society that she claimed never existed would exercise a bit more compasion in her death. You reap what you sow.

 

You make a very good point.

Sure, rant and protest at the time of her power. Celebrate and rejoice at her withdrawal from politics. But at the time of her death? It's nothing short of depravity.

Why is it so bad to speak ill of the dead?

I don't understand why people are up in arms over this.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/...ding-dong-chart

 

 

Why is it so bad to speak ill of the dead?

 

I don't think this is the point. There has been a number of more or less official obituaries of a negative character. Her legacy has been democratically discussed in Parliament, with her opponents freely commenting on her. So people have spoken ill of her and this has not been condemned here. What is "bad" to many is for her death to be celebrated. Regardless of whether this is moral or immoral, it seems to be strongly illogical.

It's just awful.

I intensely disliked Mrs. Thatcher, but I think that it is wrong to celebrate her death.

It is not as if she was as evil as Hitler or Stalin.

 

However, if some people want to celebrate her death, & are helping to make a

big Hit out of 'Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead', then that is up to them.

 

I hear that many are calling for the Song to be banned from the Charts, but I

do not believe in banning Hits, just because others disapprove of them.

 

Incidently, it is right that Judy Garland is not credited with the Song. If you

watch 'The Wizard Of Oz', you can see that Judy does not sing a note of that

Song. The Munchkins sing it. She is in the same scene, but she does not sing.

 

Radio One may ignore the Song, in Sunday's Top 40 - afraid of the Right Wing

Press creating a huge fuss, if they play it.

Edited April 11, 201312 yr by zeus555

It is completely horrible, she was a human being, not some movie character!

I'm not quite sure why people are thinking you can't speak your mind about the dead? It's not as if Margaret Thatcher was a saint in any way.

Not as appalling as some people's comments, people could just bandwagon on this because they find it amusing, but still quite appalling.

Or just how badly screwed the North of England/Scotland/Wales really felt they were by her?

 

The "and Northern Ireland" part of your reply seems to have vanished.... <_<

she wasn't a murderer

That's debatable http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comm...er-exhumed.html.

 

Oh, and she supported apartheid and described Nelson Mandela as a "terrorist".... mm....

Edited April 11, 201312 yr by André

I find it fairly amusing. I'm sure the old lady would think it was funny as well. Bless her!

 

 

For the record, her policies contributed to plenty of deaths. Suicide rates rocketed when she was in power.

She didn't ask or tell the people to kill themselves. It's their own fault for taking their own lives, don't push it on to Thatcher.

 

That said, she did do a lot of bad things, but she wasn't a horrible person and she wasn't evil.

 

The campaign is definitely in poor taste, but I don't care very much. To each their own, I suppose.

I'm not quite sure why people are thinking you can't speak your mind about the dead?

 

 

As I said before, people here are not condemning the idea of speaking one's mind, however negatively, about her. They are condemning the celebration of her death, from ethical and/or logical points of view.

Edited April 11, 201312 yr by Hilderic