The problem is that the reason why the song is in the chart is much more serious, as much as I disagree with the song not being played.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21241791

 

Confirmed that just a short clip will be played as part of a Newsbeat report.

I don't exactly mind that, at least they're not ignoring the song. They've got to keep the Thatcher lovers happy as well and this is the best way of compromising in my opinion.

I agree. I think that they have to create the right balance as many criticise the BBC at the drop of a hat so this middle line is the only possible way that they can satisfy both parties.

I've just seen this:

 

Ding Dong!, attributed to Garland and the cast of the movie, is also expected to feature in the Capital Chart's Big Top 40.

 

A spokesman for Capital FM said the station was currently "reviewing the situation".

This statement is from Ben Copper, who is the Controller of Radio 1.

 

There are times as Controller of Radio 1 when you find yourself caught between a rock and a hard place. The rise up the charts of the Judy Garland song “Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead” is one of those moments.

 

I find the campaign to promote the song in response to the death of Baroness Thatcher as distasteful as anyone and I’ve thought long and hard about how to respond.

 

On one side there is the understandable anger of large numbers of people who are appalled by this campaign. On the other there is the question of whether the chart show – which has run since the birth of Radio 1 in 1967 – can ignore a high new entry which clearly reflects the views of a big enough portion of the record buying public to propel it up the charts. Above all, in the middle of this furore is a grieving family.

 

Nobody at Radio 1 wishes to cause offence but nor do I believe that we can ignore the song in the chart show, which is traditionally a formal record of the biggest selling singles of the week. That in turn means that all songs in the chart become an historic fact.

 

I’ve therefore decided exceptionally that we should treat the rise of the song, based as it is on a political campaign to denigrate Lady Thatcher’s memory, as a news story. So we will play a brief excerpt of it in a short news report during the show which explains to our audience why a 70-year-old song is at the top of the charts. Most of them are too young to remember Lady Thatcher and many will be baffled by the sound of the Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz.

 

To ban the record from our airwaves completely would risk giving the campaign the oxygen of further publicity and might inflame an already delicate situation.

 

He's also just added in a BBC News interview that the length of the clip they'll play will be "4 or 5 seconds". :manson:

 

I agree. I think that they have to create the right balance as many criticise the BBC at the drop of a hat so this middle line is the only possible way that they can satisfy both parties.

As has been pointed out though, the anti-Blair/Iraq song in 2007 was played in full. Seems it's one rule for PMs of one party and another rule for others.

As has been pointed out though, the anti-Blair/Iraq song in 2007 was played in full. Seems it's one rule for PMs of one party and another rule for others.

 

Yeah, but a song that's against a political figure is not as bad as a song that celebrates a political figure's death.

Expect the complaints about the BBC to start flooding in over the news of a 5-second clip being played on Newsbeat on Radio 1. How many people from the Thatcher era would be watching the chart show anyway?

As has been pointed out though, the anti-Blair/Iraq song in 2007 was played in full. Seems it's one rule for PMs of one party and another rule for others.

 

Plan B's 'ill Manors' falls into this category as well surely - I agree with Griff on this matter, the issue is about the fact it's celebrating a death, not that it's against a politician.

 

I'd prefer them to just play the song in full but at least they've made a decent compromise and they aren't just ignoring the song completely as they so easily could have done.

I wonder what they're going to do if Notsensibles enter the top 40 as well (now #29 on iTunes, probably a bit late in the week but they're climbing very quickly so could make the top 40 if they make the top 10 on iTunes maybe).

I agree. I think that they have to create the right balance as many criticise the BBC at the drop of a hat so this middle line is the only possible way that they can satisfy both parties.

Or end up satisying neither?

They'll be protests from one side that it will be acknowledged at all, and protests from the other that it won't be played in full.

It's a 'fudge' basically. They should either play it because it's in the charts and that's what the chart show does, or refuse to play it as many people find it in poor taste, just as they do with tracks with offensive lyrics.

There's a feature about this on Radio 1 right now - I'll link the feature on here later this evening.

Remember this is the woman who brought in Section 28 into law

 

This stated that a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".

 

So don't have too much sympathy for the vile woman as she made the lives of thousands of gay people at school so much harder than it should have been for many years. Bullying of these young people was accepted. No support was available for these young people as being gay was in law deemed 'unacceptable'.

 

She continued to support this right until it was repealed in 2003!

 

So I will quite happily sing along to "Ding Dong! The witch is dead!" She was indeed a witch.

 

Yeah, but a song that's against a political figure is not as bad as a song that celebrates a political figure's death.

 

 

Plan B's 'ill Manors' falls into this category as well surely - I agree with Griff on this matter, the issue is about the fact it's celebrating a death, not that it's against a politician.

 

I'd prefer them to just play the song in full but at least they've made a decent compromise and they aren't just ignoring the song completely as they so easily could have done.

 

Again though, my counter to that would be that for most people, this isn't celebrating her death, it's more a protest against the glorification of her policies, and this was the easiest vehicle to express that opposition. I'll concede it would've been preferrable if there was some sort of popular anti-Thatcher song in general, which didn't talk about her death, that everyone could've got onboard with, but oh well.

Again though, my counter to that would be that for most people, this isn't celebrating her death, it's more a protest against the glorification of her policies, and this was the easiest vehicle to express that opposition. I'll concede it would've been preferrable if there was some sort of popular anti-Thatcher song in general, which didn't talk about her death, that everyone could've got onboard with, but oh well.

Yeah, I've heard people say Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead! isn't the correct song to have been chosen. If it's a protest against her political views and rules, then why pick a song which lyrically celebrates her death? Like you say, making an anti-Thatcher-policies song would have been something which I guess Thatcher's supporters would be able to understand and it wouldn't be disrespectful.

The only thing I find appalling is that our freedom of speech is being silenced with their refusal to play this. Maybe if she had shown some compassion in life, she would receive some in death.

On the plus-side, atleast Music Week should give us an idea of how much it had been selling in recent years up until this week. I have a feeling it will make Pink's Feel Good Time look like a monster trickle-seller :lol:

Edited April 12, 201312 yr by Danny

Yeah, I've heard people say Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead! isn't the correct song to have been chosen. If it's a protest against her political views and rules, then why pick a song which lyrically celebrates her death? Like you say, making an anti-Thatcher-policies song would have been something which I guess Thatcher's supporters would be able to understand and it wouldn't be disrespectful.

I would definitely understand it if it was against her policies. I'm neutral in the view of Thatcher and so what I disagree about the whole campaign is that it is celebrating someone's death but if it was a song that was against her policies then I would find it a LOT more acceptable.

Y'see, I'd understand if it was a five minute song with lots of swear words/vulgar featured, but this whole song is only fifty one seconds and twenty of that is made up of just music which they could easily cut off. I'm not on board with this campaign, but if it charts, it deserves to be played.

Expect the complaints about the BBC to start flooding in over the news of a 5-second clip being played on Newsbeat on Radio 1. How many people from the Thatcher era would be watching the chart show anyway?

 

probably hardly anybody really, sort of my problem with the campaign as it's mostly kids who have seen this on Twitter/Facebook and have more likely decided to download it so they can be part of something. I'd be surprised if it's too many that have been directly involved with what happened in the 80s with the mines and all the other things that led to the hatred of her

 

lived through quite a bit of her reign and I'm not a fan of her believe me but I just find it a bit sad to try and get a song to chart to celebrate her passing