Tom Morello Supports Rage's "Killing in the Name" in U.K. Christmas Sales Battle

In case you haven't been keeping track of this year's fight for the Number One Christmas Single in the U.K., a Facebook campaign has been launched to help Rage Against the Machine's 1992 hit "Killing in the Name" defeat the latest X Factor winner Joe McElderry's "The Climb." As we inch toward December 25th and sales continues to be tight between the two competitors, Rage guitarist Tom Morello has lent his support to grassroots campaign, writing on his Twitter, "Rage's Killing in the Name & the X-Factor's goofy Christmas single are neck and neck for num one spot on UK chart. England! Now is your time."

The X Factor has been responsible for the last four Christmas Number Ones, thanks to winners Shayne Ward, Leona Lewis, Leon Jackson and Alexandre Burke. The movement by RATM fans to end the Simon Cowell-produced juggernaut's streak has already gained 767,500 fans on Facebook, which provides links to download "Killing in the Name" so its digital sales count toward the Christmas Number One. "Are you getting fed up about the possibility of ANOTHER X-Factor Christmas No.1? ...us too...so we're going to do something about it," the Rage Against the X-Factor group writes on their Facebook page.

The winner will be announced this Sunday, December 20th, so there's still time to aid Rage. Cowell has already spoken out against the Facebook group, calling the plot to land "Killing in the Name" Number One "stupid" and "cynical," NME reports. Cowell's harsh words haven't prevented "Killing" from storming to Number One on both iTunes U.K. and Amazon.co.uk's Singles Chart. If Rage win the 2009 Christmas Number One, they'll join Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2" in 1979, Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 1991, four Beatles hits (1963-65, 67) and two versions of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984 and 2004.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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