February 6, 20232 yr Joe mcelderry vs Rage against the machine was quite controversial actually. Not least because the irony of the song choice was lost on the people who were team RATM. ? Elaborate please? x
February 6, 20232 yr Well the song has lyrics about being non-conforming, eg, “f*** you, I won't do what you tell me.” But everyone conformed to the whole “buy against the X factor” thing… with a song about not conforming. It just didn’t make any sense.
February 6, 20232 yr Yes, with people saying, buy the song!! When the lyrics are f*** you, ah winet de what ya tellin iz tae de!
February 6, 20232 yr It was pushing against the predictable X Factor #1s, not the concept of the chart itself. By that logic you could call opposition to literally anything 'conforming'.
February 6, 20232 yr But the song itself is literally a shout out on non conforming. I’m not arguing with the well needed anti X factor push as it was long overdue, but choosing that song just made the whole thing seem hypocritical. “Buy our song about not conforming… but conform to the anti X factor brigade by buying it.”
February 6, 20232 yr Of course it wasn’t as hypocritical as Joe himself, whinging about not entering at no.1 whilst singing about how it’s the journey rather than the destination that’s important ‘ain’t about how fast I get there…’
February 6, 20232 yr But the campaigners couldn't have known the song would've caught on the way it did, it was chosen as it was an anti-establishment song that had lyrics about fighting back against higher powers that were fitting to the situation given Cowell's stranglehold over the charts. It wasn't asking people to conform, it was purposefully putting a song completely different from the status quo against something completely lazy and conventional. Just like God Save the Queen being released in Jubilee week of 1977 or Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead being downloaded on the week of Thatcher's death, it's about making a statement. A lot of people just happened to get behind that point. I mean, what song should they have gone for? I can't think of a better one that clearly showed the message they were going for. The band are even called Rage Against the Machine!
February 6, 20232 yr How though? I don't understand your point. The song was written about anarchy, going against the elite, by a band that hadn't had any hits, a very niche sound, and something that sounds light years away from anything that usually gets to number 1. To make an effective protest, you have to disrupt, choose something striking, and stand out that people may not enjoy but will remember and talk about, and people sure did with this! That wouldn't have happened with an ordinary pop song, it dilutes the message and wouldn't have pissed off all the right people. You can criticise the campaign for some things, but I certainly don't think the song choice could've been more fitting
February 6, 20232 yr I strongly disagree and still feel the song’s message makes the campaign hypocritical but if we all agreed the world would be boring :heart: The debate this has evoked has shown it was and still is a controversial moment though!
February 6, 20232 yr Well, exactly! Anyway, yes, fine to agree to disagree. It was glorious fun to follow at the time as a chart geek anyway, probably never gonna get another golden chart moment like that. To contribute something else to this thread, the Dixie Chicks getting lambasted for being anti-Iraq war sentiments. Seems so weird and a little chilling to think about these days, you can see how Green Day always had that feeling x
February 6, 20232 yr Oh I know it’s more recent but the whole Lady Antebellum changing their name to Lady A and then suing the original artist with that name and actually winning. Not cool.
February 7, 20232 yr The debate this has evoked has shown it was and still is a controversial moment though! Nah I think it just shows that you have a weird take that I've never seen anyone else make :ph34r: :kink: (just kidding x but in all seriousness I definitely do not remember this being an argument at the time! but maybe that's just my memory being bad x) Oh I know it’s more recent but the whole Lady Antebellum changing their name to Lady A and then suing the original artist with that name and actually winning. Not cool. This I agree with though. Completely undoing any goodwill they could possibly have earned by the decision to change the name in the first place.
February 7, 20232 yr Omg ikonek. Still waiting for them to be invited back, I feel like they'd be embraced these days tbh If anyone in R&L's demographic knows who they are!
February 7, 20232 yr Who remembers Scooter - Jumping All Over The World knocking Madonna - Hard Candy off the top of the albums chart after she was there for just one week? I remember that being quite a big moment lmao. Also, similarly, Cascada - Evacuate the Dancefloor getting number one over Michael Jackson - Man In the Mirror after the news of his death.
February 7, 20232 yr To this day Cascada are never forgiven x I really wish you'd just admit you're a secret Cascada stan
February 7, 20232 yr My controversial moment is that I haven’t yet shared a controversial moment from this decade… I will work on it though.
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