It's not an attempt to topple consumerism or a massive political statement, it's just a bit of fun in the name of futile teenage rebellion. Why? Because we're fed up of pointless nobodies spewing out some bile with no humour every Christmas.
The argument that the Christmas number has always been a bit of a joke, holds some, but little, water. A quick look on Wikipedia will show that since 1952 the majority of Christmas number ones in the UK have been genuine offerings from respectable recording artists. Of course there are the Rolf Harris songs, the Renne and Renatos, the Boney M's and other novelty singles but at least the majority of those, like Mr Blobby and Bob The Builder in recent times, knew it was a bit of fun and released songs with tongues in cheeks and a sense of playful, festive joy.
With the exception of Gary Jules and the charitable Band Aid 20, the last seven years have been dominated by Cowell sponsored acts. Acts that have, in my view, ruined part of the fun of Christmas. Their cold, calculated, grating and often instantly forgettable moanings (Shane Ward, Leon Jackson, Joe McElderry - yes, he will win - anyone?) are inevitably installed as favourites for the number one slot before the audition stages are even over. Just another step along the way in the complete bastardisation of Christmas.
There is no doubt in my mind that shows like Fame Academy, Pop Idol and X-Factor have encouraged the public to reveal our cruel sides in laughing at those unsuccessful auditions and resulted in countless thoroughly average singers being lauded as potential megastars only to find that after one single and an album many of them are never remembered. And like all those who slate it, I watch it most weeks.
Anyway, that is starting to wander off topic slightly. There are many criticisms that can be levelled at the Rage for Christmas campaign. The NME blog that I previously linked rightly mentions some of them,
"After all, there's no better way to stick it to The Man than by swelling the coffers of a major label rock act who've sold over 20 million albums worldwide...Plus, if you really want to rage against the Simon Cowell machine, 'Killing In The Name' is a bizarre song to pick, since it's a Sony BMG catalogue track – just like 'Hallelujah', 'Don't Stop Believin', and all those other tunes which mysteriously crop up on The X Factor time and again...politically, the campaign is at best misguided, at worst vaguely offensive. Rage Against The Machine wrote the song about the racism deeply embedded in American society – the police officers who "burn crosses" are closet members of the Ku Klux Klan. Lynch mob scum."but I can't help feeling that it's missing the point slightly. Yes, the song was written about something infinitely more important and applying it to X-Factor is trivial at best, but in all honesty I struggle to believe that the majority of those, myself included, who have grown up listening to RATM in their teenage years ever really knew what it was written about and instead appropriated the lyrics to situations in their own life. Situations as trivial as doing homework, or chores, or being asked to stop skateboarding on their school playground. This is not about some grand political or social gesture. It's about the spirit of the song. The simple concept of rebellion.
Yes, it probably will mean Cowell gets more money through his business ties with RATM's mother label, but it's not about that either. It's about voicing a distain for the concept of his TV shows which have become tiresome at best, derivative and uninspiring at worst. Whether the vehicle for that will line his pockets any more is of no concern to me, the message is what is important.
Rage are an inspirational band and if it encourages people to challenge things, be they as ultimately inconsequential as X-Factor or as important as political activism, then that is surely a good thing.
On a personal note, with "Reality" TV on the wane after Big Brother announced it was wrapping up proceedings on Channel 4 earlier this year, I feel this is an opportunity to hurry the demise of one of the worst things to happen to television and music in my lifetime.
More importantly, I just think it'll be brilliant to have RATM at #1 this Christmas because Killing In The Name is a damn good song and I'd rather hear that than some awful, sickly-sweet rendition of Journey sung by a boy with a face that looks like it's copyright of Disney and makes me feel genuine, violent anger. The campaign is immature, it's slightly misguided, hypocritical and it's probably 100% pointless considering it'll take over half a million people to buy it if it's to top the charts, but it's going to put a mischievous smile on the face of hundreds of thousands of people this Christmas even if it proves unsuccessful and in the end, that's what it's all about isn't it?
Don't over analyse it.
Send a message this Christmas.









