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Rage Against The Machine named number one Christmas number one

By | Published on Friday 17 December 2021

Rage Against The Machine

They’ve only gone and done it. Rage Against The Machine are Christmas number one again. Well, they’re the number one Christmas number one, having topped a poll that set out to identify the UK’s favourite Christmas number one of all time.

Launched by the Official Charts Company and Nine Eight Books to promote a thing called the ‘The Official Christmas Number One Singles Book’, the race to the top was as tight as any festive chart battle. It could have been Al Martino, who had the first Christmas number one in 1952 with ‘Here In My Heart’, or Benny Hill, who got there with ‘Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)’ in 1971. But in the end, their online fanbases let them down.

No, it came down to who had the most fans who could be bothered to carpet bomb a nonsense, inconsequential poll. And, probably appropriately, it was the Rage Against The Machine fans what won it – just beating the slightly less fervent Spice Girls fanbase.

Rage Against The Machine, of course, topped the UK’s festive chart in 2009, not because of their yuletide credentials, but as a result of a fan-led protest at the perceived hijacking of the Christmas number one race by ‘X Factor’ winners in the years prior.

Jon and Tracy Morter launched an online campaign to try and get RATM to the festive chart top spot ahead of that year’s ‘X-Factor’ champion, which initially seemed optimistic but then really took flight and ultimately reigned successful.

And now forever more, the highlight of Christmas Day will be waiting to see when ‘Killing In The Name’ will arrive on any festive playlist you might be listening too.

“I’m humbled to think that a small idea in a kitchen in Essex a few years back has been officially crowned the ‘Nation’s Favourite Christmas Number One'”, says Jon Morter. “It was the people’s number one, using the people’s song… a song that even the band themselves now claim is owned by all of us, not them, so I’m not surprised it has won considering these challenging times we’re living in. Rage on!”

Today, of course, marks the beginning of the race for this year’s Christmas number one, with the single that will be atop the chart on Christmas Day announced next Friday.

This year’s main contenders are Ed Sheeran and Elton John versus LadBaby (featuring Ed Sheeran and Elton John). Wham!, Adele, Mariah Carey and The Kunts are also in the running. Who will it be? You have until 11.59pm on Thursday 23 Dec to buy and stream the track you want to win.



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