That Song!

[macadamia]

Note with interest that the Network Chart Show on Radio One reports disappointing sales.

" Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead has failed to reach the number one spot in the music charts.
The Wizard of Oz song, which has been at the centre of an online campaign by opponents of Baroness Thatcher, reached number two after selling 52,605 copies."

Another resounding triumph, from the boys and girls who brought you "500 grubby folk enjoy a curse and a swallow in Trafalgar Square".

Ah well, there's still the Scottish debate to come on Wednesday, at the same time as the funeral. Bad timing really, with a major international event on in London........

[Flynn]

Another thread which should be in the Margaret Thatcher thread.

[golach]

Ah well, there's still the Scottish debate to come on Wednesday, at the same time as the funeral. Bad timing really, with a major international event on in London........
And pray tell what international event will that be?

[macadamia]

I can't put it in there, Flynn, because it will get buried in your perennial drip feed of bitterness. At least here it stands a chance of being seen. Also, it is really a stand-alone point of fact, I will not be advised by you as to expressing freely my opinion in this place. You are not Mr. Speaker!

[Flynn]

Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead at number two. Not bad, and 34 places higher in the chart than the song the Tories were trying to push to number one.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/singles

[macadamia]

Good to know that out of a country of 60m, a phalanx of 52,000 paid 10p each to hear a 51 second song which normally they wouldn't have bothered with. The whole idea was to make a point about how much they hated the Iron Lady. So now we know that it was a magnificent .087% of the UK population who felt strongly about making this vital protest, at a cost of about £5,200. Impressive?

The song "the Tories were trying to push" was never really a starter, as the idea received little and late publicity. Also , most of the "pro" brigade are keeping their powder dry for the ceremonial funeral on Wednesday.

[Flynn]

Good to know that out of a country of 60m, a phalanx of 52,000 paid 10p each to hear a 51 second song which normally they wouldn't have bothered with. The whole idea was to make a point about how much they hated the Iron Lady. So now we know that it was a magnificent .087% of the UK population who felt strongly about making this vital protest, at a cost of about £5,200. Impressive?

The song "the Tories were trying to push" was never really a starter, as the idea received little and late publicity. Also , most of the "pro" brigade are keeping their powder dry for the ceremonial funeral on Wednesday.

Where do you get this 10p from? On both Amazon and iTunes tracks cost a minimum of 69p. And 52,000 is no small number. I think it's a great achievement getting it to number two in the chart. It was a resounding success, the story has been all over the news media for a week, and the BBC have disappeared up their own Jacksie over it. Great result! :lol:

[M Swanson]

:lol: And poor old Flynn, can't see how even more ridiculous the figures quoted by Mac, makes this exercise in futility look. No return, whatsoever. Besides which, I believe it was 79p. :lol:

[macadamia]

I was erring on this side of caution - if it WAS 69p- 79p (let's call it 75p) then the Forces of Pointlessness threw away the princely sum of £39K! Think of all that Special Brew and Iced Diamond!

And think that next week it will be totally forgotten. £39K for just a moment of glory. Looks a bit thin against a Memorial Library.........

[Flynn]

I was erring on this side of caution - if it WAS 69p- 79p (let's call it 75p) then the Forces of Pointlessness threw away the princely sum of £39K! Think of all that Special Brew and Iced Diamond!

And think that next week it will be totally forgotten. £39K for just a moment of glory. Looks a bit thin against a Memorial Library.........

It won't be forgotten. Every time the Wizard Of Oz is on TV from now on, people will remember. It's a huge victory. :cool:

[macadamia]

If you say so. All 52000 of them. The rest of the population will be rather more occupied with reality, dreams or putting lard on the cat's boil.

[golach]

I was erring on this side of caution - if it WAS 69p- 79p (let's call it 75p) then the Forces of Pointlessness threw away the princely sum of £39K! Think of all that Special Brew and Iced Diamond!

And think that next week it will be totally forgotten. £39K for just a moment of glory. Looks a bit thin against a Memorial Library.........

How dare you!!!!!! I downloaded the record, and I do not drink Special Brew or Iced Diamond, I take that as a personal insult. my preferred tipple is that famous tonic wine.....Buckfast!!!!!

[Phill]

For me, it seems that a few with a party political axe to grind are revelling in this blatant erosion of democracy and freedom of speech driven by socialist mentality, funded by the taxpayer and with no serious recourse by the masses.


This man, Director General of the British Broadcasting Corporation (Lord) Tony Hall:
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/04/03/article-2303134-190ABAF7000005DC-14_308x425.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/04/03/article-2303134-190ABD8E000005DC-774_308x427.jpg

... has decided to censor the UK singles chart broadcast, and in part put a propaganda 'News' item in its place.
Something akin to Nazi Germany, or maybe North Korea except it made Childrens Newsround seem very highbrow. I realise that BBC R1 demographics are now for the under twenties but I do have a passing interest in the popular music charts off of the wireless and I do not expect to listen to blatantly biased 'news' in its place.

And by law I am obliged to pay for this propaganda aimed at brainwashing those that were not alive during this premier's period in office.


In my eyes there is no other option but to reduce the BBC to a technical providor of broadcast services and remove all media content from its control.

[macadamia]

Golach, my sincere apologies. I would not like to be accused of being Buckfastist, what with the legendary brew being made by Holy Men and drunk by Wholly Men.

Phill - you must understand the BBC has a licence which we pay for to do what it likes, including putting the lives of LSE students at risk by putting them in what the North Koreans might have construed as an espionage situation. I am still boiling at the cold arrogance of the BBC Producer who attempted to justify this breach of ethics and trust "in the public interest". He was rightly mauled by a REAL BBC journalist with some little grey cells.

To all - it's been fun. Everything and nothing. An ephemeral song, come and gone. Left a bit of a bad taste, but no matter. The world will continue to go round, and we've all been spared! Endex.

[Phill]

How I wish it was all just an exercise. True, the world will continue to turn, for now.

Where has this 'real BBC jounalist' been hiding? Too little, too late maybe.

Maybe I am getting old, grumpy and mature. But I do prefer to choose which propaganda and general cobblers I pay for, when forced to pay for receiving equipment I expect it to be able to receive balanced, unbiased crap music.

#justsaying

Golach, my sincere apologies. I would not like to be accused of being Buckfastist, what with the legendary brew being made by Holy Men and drunk by Wholly Men.

Phill - you must understand the BBC has a licence which we pay for to do what it likes, including putting the lives of LSE students at risk by putting them in what the North Koreans might have construed as an espionage situation. I am still boiling at the cold arrogance of the BBC Producer who attempted to justify this breach of ethics and trust "in the public interest". He was rightly mauled by a REAL BBC journalist with some little grey cells.

To all - it's been fun. Everything and nothing. An ephemeral song, come and gone. Left a bit of a bad taste, but no matter. The world will continue to go round, and we've all been spared! Endex.

[Dadie]

prefer the muppets song phenomenon....at least if it gets stuck in your heads it will be worth it!
The kids downloading the song from the wizard of OZ (and yup I mean kids) are following suit like sheep thinking its a cool thing to do.
They do not realise someone died that had a load of hard choices as she was top dog and not all choices were good in hindsight...
But she was voted in...
Let her rest in peace as she was only one lady who tried to change our world, trying to better it ....forgiven/forgotten(for mistakes done ) does it matter we respect our dead.
..and deserves dignity in death....including a service the friends and family can feel safe attending...afterall a funeral is for those left living...

[ducati]

prefer the muppets song phenomenon....at least if it gets stuck in your heads it will be worth it!
The kids downloading the song from the wizard of OZ (and yup I mean kids) are following suit like sheep thinking its a cool thing to do.
They do not realise someone died that had a load of hard choices as she was top dog and not all choices were good in hindsight...
But she was voted in...
Let her rest in peace as she was only one lady who tried to change our world, trying to better it ....forgiven/forgotten(for mistakes done ) does it matter we respect our dead.
..and deserves dignity in death....including a service the friends and family can feel safe attending...afterall a funeral is for those left living...

I agree Dadie. I doubt that, so many people who were around at the time and can really put that part of our history in context, actually know how to download music. I'm still getting my head around CDs, they don't fit in the slot in my car! [lol]

[Flynn]

The kids downloading the song from the wizard of OZ (and yup I mean kids) are following suit like sheep thinking its a cool thing to do.


I'm no kid, I'm 51, and neither are my friends and family. We all downloaded the song because we all despised Thatcher and everything she did and stood for. There are many thousands of miners, steelworkers, dockers, shipyard workers, Hillsborough families and more whose lives and communities were destroyed by the old hag who would have happily downloaded the song.

[M Swanson]

prefer the muppets song phenomenon....at least if it gets stuck in your heads it will be worth it!
The kids downloading the song from the wizard of OZ (and yup I mean kids) are following suit like sheep thinking its a cool thing to do.
They do not realise someone died that had a load of hard choices as she was top dog and not all choices were good in hindsight...
But she was voted in...
Let her rest in peace as she was only one lady who tried to change our world, trying to better it ....forgiven/forgotten(for mistakes done ) does it matter we respect our dead.


..and deserves dignity in death....including a service the friends and family can feel safe attending...afterall a funeral is for those left living...

If Mac is the intellectual giant of the Org and Phill the comic genius, then you Dadie, have the biggest heart. x Repped.

[mi16]

It won't be forgotten. Every time the Wizard Of Oz is on TV from now on, people will remember. It's a huge victory. :cool:Really?I thought the aim was to achieve the number 1 spot.Even in death Baroness Thatcher managed to defeat the idiots.

[Flynn]

Really?I thought the aim was to achieve the number 1 spot.Even in death Baroness Thatcher managed to defeat the idiots.

Not quite, because the Ding dong campaign made Tories go out and by an anti-Thatcher song to try to beat it. So now there are two anti-Thatcher songs in the chart. Tories really are dim. :lol:

[joxville]

Football fans rioting, Maggie dividing the nation, nuclear war threatened and Catchphrase on TV. And people say Britain isn't backward!

[macadamia]

I think Maradona's "Hand of God" played its part. As the nasty minded little ones partied, the centre of their protest was supposed to be the burning in effigy of a red-haired Iron Lady made of very right on Sainsburys' bags. Sadly, the rain rendered the effigy too damp to ignite. So not only the song, but the centrepiece, too. I guess that's what you get when you go grave-dancing.

[Flynn]

Football fans rioting, Maggie dividing the nation, nuclear war threatened and Catchphrase on TV. And people say Britain isn't backward!

When the clocks went back last autumn, Cameron turned them back 30 years.

[mi16]

And it will all be rounded off by getting clobbered by a kosh, a night in the cells and a criminal record on Wednesday.
The muppet show at its best.

[macadamia]

Flynn - the Spartist Book of Revanchist Sloganeering is NOT doing you proud. "The clocks went back, etc" is right up there with "Thanks to Comrade Mao, how Huge the Beansprouts are this Year! You clearly get your deepest thoughts from the back of a corn flakes packet. Some originality, please - something that doesn't sound negative, petulant, life-diminishing, or just bitter.

[Flynn]

Flynn - the Spartist Book of Revanchist Sloganeering is NOT doing you proud. "The clocks went back, etc" is right up there with "Thanks to Comrade Mao, how Huge the Beansprouts are this Year! You clearly get your deepest thoughts from the back of a corn flakes packet. Some originality, please - something that doesn't sound negative, petulant, life-diminishing, or just bitter.

1981: A deeply unpopular government, trying to deal with mass industrial unrest, mass unemployment and the threat of civil unrest, under a shadow of nuclear war, desperately in need of a boost at the polls ignores sabre rattling from Argentina.

2013: A deeply unpopular government, trying to deal with mass industrial unrest, mass unemployment and the threat of civil unrest, under a shadow of nuclear war, desperately in need of a boost at the polls ignores sabre rattling from Argentina.

[macadamia]

That IS original! Apart from a few points:

a) All governments are deeply unpopular when they start doing unpopular things (see ALL governments from the dawn of time!)

b) I don't see mass industrial unrest on the scale of the 1970s & early 80s - I see lots of people who are peeved, but they're not exactly holding the country to ransom.

c) "Under a shadow of nuclear war"? Bit dramatic, old Boy - even foreign embassies, along with ours are saying to their citizens in South Korea - directly in the line of fire - "stay where you are, there's no apparent danger".

b)"Desperately in need of a boost at the polls". They are mid term, when all governments do the nasty things, before easing the wheels just before the next general election.

c) "Ignores sabre rattling from Argentina." In 1981, HMG WAS caught on the hop, having listened to the rather vacuous Foreign Office. This time round the sabre rattling from Buenos Aires is utterly without the means to back up any threat of invasion or attack. And if they went utterly ga ga and tried it, I can assure you from my knowledge of the Falklands military infrastructure and embedded capability that they might get more than their fingers burnt.

Tell you what, Flynn. Go back to the corn flake packet. At least those slogans sounded plausible.......