RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE SUCCESSFUL IN RAGING AGAINST SIMON COWELL

Somewhat unexpectedly but undoubtedly awesomely, the bid to propel Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” to the top of the U.K. Christmas Singles chart has actually been successful. The initial download sales figures showed Rage ahead, but X Factor winner Joe McElderry was expected to overtake them when his track was released on CD. Snow, ice and a general boredom with X Factor prevented that from happening as Rage held onto the coveted top spot, ending a four-year run of #1 tracks by winners of Simon Cowell’s X Factor (the U.K.’s version of American Idol).

News like this is ultimately pretty inconsequential, but it always feels like a victory when an artist of merit overtakes generic pop tripe. Check out a live, expletive-ridden performance of “Killing in the Name” that Rage did on the BBC last week.

-VN