Rage Against The Machine Kick 'X Factor' Franchise In The Balls, Beat Joe McElderry To #1

This year's X Factor winner, 18-year-old Joe McElderry, found his supposed sure-fire trip to Christmas #1 fortune sideswiped on the U.K. chart by a 16-year-old Rage Against The Machine song.

A Facebook campaign launched early in the month by two people laid the groundwork for derailing The X Factor's grip on the top of the British singles chart each holiday—the Simon Cowell series has locked up the #1 single the week of Christmas every year since 2005. (Holla, Shayne Ward!)



Alas, RATM's "Killing In The Name" was the chosen tune anti-X Factor buyers chose to thwart Cowell And McElderry, and the 1993 song ended up selling 502,000 downloads to beat Joe's by-the-numbers cover of Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" (which sold about 450,000 copies).

Both dirges belong on the scrap heap if you ask me. Moving on, two new festive entries arrive from pop's elder gay statesmen. First up is George Michael's "December Song (I Dreamed Of Christmas)," which debuts at #14 and becomes his highest-charting entry since his godawful 2006 single "An Easier Affair" crawled in at #13.

Next up are Pet Shop Boys, who scrape their way to #40 with the Christmas EP. Brava to those old broads, I say, for still managing to add another Top 40 hit to their canon.

A final mention should go to Alexandra Burke, who debuts at #36 with her RedOne-produced jam "Broken Heels" a few weeks ahead of its official release. Last year she had the #1 single at Christmas with "Hallelujah."

Amen.

The U.K. Top 10:

1. "Killing In The Name" - Rage Against The Machine *new* *1 week*
2. "The Climb" - Joe McElderry *new*
3. "Bad Romance" - Lady Gaga
4. "BBC Children In Need Medley" - Peter Kay
5. "Starstrukk" - 3OH!3 feat. Katy Perry *new*
6. "You know Me" - Robbie Williams
7. "3 Words" - Cheryl Cole

8. "Russian Roulette" - Rihanna
9. "Don't Stop Believin'" - Journey *new*

10. "Meet Me Halfway" - The Black Eyed Peas