Download campaign to give Moz a #1 song -- Can it work like it worked for Rage?

King Leer

Leering since '97
Been out of the loop for a while but was shocked today to hear Rage's Killing in the Name (an undeniably thunderous track whatever your taste in music) is #1 in the UK due to a Facebook campaign to beat out X-factor's latest dross. Sure Sony (and by extension Cowell) still win in the end, but I thought it was very cool to see this old nasty bit of work from '92 take the crown.

I remember "we" tried this with Life is a Pigsty and it failed miserably, but as far as I remember it was just contained to Moz-solo. Could we at least get Moz in the top 10 with a more concerted effort involving Facebook, Twitter et al? The devotion of Morrissey's fanbase is one of rock music's most fervent but will they spend yet more $ on a track they already have, even if it is for Viva Moz glory?
 
I would definitely do that, but I remember the last time we tried this... Remember all the sourpusses who bitched about it? I think there is a certain kind of Morrissey fan who will never be interested in giving him a gift like this.

... But I'll do it -- I promise. :)
 
For your interest

We tried it in Feb 2007, but failed. :(


X-Factor thing got a huge publicity because the timing of Christmas No.1 which was the secret of success.

Good to hear that they donate the money to a homeless charity Shelter.


*edit*
In 2008 X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke released 'Hallelujah', some people started downloading Jeff Buckley and Leonard Cohen's version.

As long as X-Factor is on, some people will do similar thing in 2010.
 
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It is not as simple as just getting on Facebook or Twatter. The publicity surrounding this was huge. Radio stations and even the BBC ran with it (doubt the BBC would have done that if X Factor was on their channel!).

The public ran with it because there was a genuine backlash against the manipulation of the charts by this programme.

Organising a campaign to get Morrissey to number 1 on the basis that we would like him to have a number 1 simply would not attract any publicity other than on here and amongst fans and would once again be a waste of effort.
Who else would be interested to take part.
Also, I believe last time around, only sales from within the UK counted towards the charts, further diminising the number of people able to take part.

Sorry if this sounds negative, I prefer to use the term 'real'.

Jukebox Jury
 
Re: For your interest

I'd be thrilled to do something like this.
But I think it would work best with a new single.
Hopefully we'll get the chance to try it.
We fans have got to do something.
Lord knows the press and the record companies can't be trusted.
 
Re: For your interest

Jeff was more deserving of a christmas #1 than Rage, because Jeff is beautiful

though i think there's more people who dislike Moz that would buy the rival single so he didn't make it to #1 lol
 
Re: For your interest

I'd be thrilled to do something like this.
But I think it would work best with a new single.
Hopefully we'll get the chance to try it.
We fans have got to do something.
Lord knows the press and the record companies can't be trusted.

When the next new single comes out we need to have a massive media blitz. For some it can be as easy as asking their local radio station to play it or writing a short note to programming directors. You don't even have to phone anymore as many stations take requests over their websites.
 
Re: For your interest

I think most fans buy the 2 cds and 7'' vinyl, so if everyone did it on here, i'm sure he'd come somewhere in the charts...
 
So if people download a track through a UK website but reside (IP address) outside it doesn't count?

Haven't followed the whole story but are there that many Rage fans in the UK? Most of the people who like that brand of music now weren't born or were barely out of the crib when that track was released. Or was it chosen simply because of it's F-You attitude?

While the Pigsty effort failed I still think it's possible to get Moz in the top 10. But with the tour over and things looking quiet for 2010 it might not be possible.

It is not as simple as just getting on Facebook or Twatter. The publicity surrounding this was huge. Radio stations and even the BBC ran with it (doubt the BBC would have done that if X Factor was on their channel!).

The public ran with it because there was a genuine backlash against the manipulation of the charts by this programme.

Organising a campaign to get Morrissey to number 1 on the basis that we would like him to have a number 1 simply would not attract any publicity other than on here and amongst fans and would once again be a waste of effort.
Who else would be interested to take part.
Also, I believe last time around, only sales from within the UK counted towards the charts, further diminising the number of people able to take part.

Sorry if this sounds negative, I prefer to use the term 'real'.

Jukebox Jury
 
Yeah, the lyrics and what the band stood/stand for is why it was picked.

And i think it sold over 300,000.

though, i only bought it once, i know some people who bought it 10 times.
 
the responsibility to get in the top 10 is that of Morrissey and even more of his record company. He is going to have to give them a song that will appeal to most people, which means something different than his norm, something like "Let Me Kiss You" minus the parts about "someone you despise", and they are going to have to pay to put it on the charts. He is going to have to go on tv and not offend anyone, which is going to be a little different, also.

See, Life is a Pigsty was a great song, but it's also a weird song, and it's not something that most people want to hear or hum along with. If he wants a number one he can have it any time. He's going to have to put out a hit single to get it though. And the songs he releases are not hit singles.

With The Smiths it was a different time, and he was a lot more appealing, physically, being younger and able to get away with more, and in his personality, when it was all fresh. He's made so many off-putting statements since then, many of them fairly pointless, such as saying he supports the actions of extreme animal rights activists. The tasteless comments that roll of his tongue about anything from Madonna's "African child" to whatever it was he said to the NME, do not help him get to number one.

He isn't connected with other big celebrities, doesn't use a different producer on every track, and Jay-Z never makes a cameo.

Morrissey is doing it his own way, and for him to have the career he has at this point is a huge achievement. He does not need to be vindicated by the masses. I think that buying him into the number one spot would embarrass him anyway, but then he does play that same game as everyone else, of releasing two versions of the single to get fans to buy both. He's going to have to do more than that. He's going to have to sell to non-fans.
 
I think we could give him a Christmas number one in 2010.

If Morrissey and his fans conspired, I am convinced it could happen.

I would be happy to purchase it five or six times to get it to number 1. If it's a single not on any album - and it's of sufficient quality - he can easily sell 150 000 to his hardcore fanbase, especially with good b-sides. And if we could get a little campaign organised as early as October 2010, I think 3 000 or 4 000 of us would willingly purchase multiple copies!

It could be Morrissey's 'challenge for 2010.' No album, no tour, just the most magnificent christmas number 1 and three stunning b-sides. How good would it be to see him finally hit the top spot for Christmas?

It's not inconceivable. He has people like Russell Brand, Jonathan Ross, Jeremy Vine, and others who could function as a very effective publicity machine. If he went on J Ross 3 weeks before Christmas and Ross announced his campaign 'to get Mozza to number 1,' that would carry a certain amount of weight. I honestly think if Morrissey wants to do it, he should set up a blog entitled "Morrissey - christmas number 1 2010" when he's penned his sure-fire hit. Stories have a tendency to develop a momentum all of their own once the wheels are in motion.
 
Yeah, the lyrics and what the band stood/stand for is why it was picked.

And i think it sold over 300,000.

though, i only bought it once, i know some people who bought it 10 times.

dont we end up buying morrisseys stuff 10 times one way or another?
 
...See, Life is a Pigsty was a great song, but it's also a weird song, and it's not something that most people want to hear or hum along with. If he wants a number one he can have it any time. He's going to have to put out a hit single to get it though. And the songs he releases are not hit singles.

I think we could give him a Christmas number one in 2010.

If Morrissey and his fans conspired, I am convinced it could happen... Stories have a tendency to develop a momentum all of their own once the wheels are in motion.

Dave, I agree about Life is a Pigsty, though not so much about necessarily censoring lines in songs like 'you despise', especially when you think of nearly everything to do with this year's surprise number 1. It's more to do with the zeitgeist; how are a lot of people feeling about something, to remind them of that in a way that makes it seem like it's coming from themselves. A song that showcases Morrissey's beautiful voice and lyrical prowess, and the band's master-strokes, would also be nice. The popularity of ...Paris without extra propellant, has been interesting and shows the potential if we could energetically self-organise and infiltrate the media, spawning millions of replicating tentacles, with determination, as 'bailiffwithbadbreath' spurs. :guitar:
 
It's more to do with the zeitgeist; how are a lot of people feeling about something, to remind them of that in a way that makes it seem like it's coming from themselves.

I totally agree with this and you state it brilliantly. This is what Pop Music is about and why it matters more than other art forms. It's a great defense of the whole idea that something other than a manufactured hit should be at the top of the charts. Pop artists are always manipulated and so are the charts, but within this certain things still come through and connect.

I don't know X Factor, but it seems to be the same as Pop Idol or American Idol. It's about "craft" often to the detriment of art, for example the singers who go the Christina Aguilera route and show how they can sing every note in the scale rather than how well they can put the song across. I guess they are always auditioning and never really performing, and I can't blame them. This is probably what they are coached to do. X Factor and other similar shows are not about Art at all. They create the equivalent of a guitarist who can "shred" through every known scale but can't play a melodic line.

Then you get these tricks and gimmicks, since a quality voice is not enough by itself. You need a Susan Boyle who everyone was stunned to hear sing for the very first time on live television. Does anyone believe that she had not been heard by Simon Cowell and the others on the panel until that moment? Did she just wander in the door and ask where the stage was?

She has a technically great voice but if she looked like a pop star would her voice have the same impact? No. People root for her because she looks plain and average. In a way, she is also the voice of the people that want to take back the pop charts. But it's not in revolt against manufactured pop stars, it's more out of a sense of rooting for the underdog. Is she ever going to do a song or a performance that matters? Probably not. It doesn't take a technically good voice. You just have to connect with the people, and that gets back to your point. It's about tapping into the mood of the times. Really important pop songs, or moments in pop music, can't be manufactured.

I'm a little off-topic there, sorry. but I thought you made a great point.
 
My arguments against are the same as against Rage - Morrissey wouldn't have got to the top of the charts, he'd have been put there. Nobody who was going to buy Joe McElderry's single suddenly changed their mind when they heard the Rage song for the first time. Is there any point being on the top of the charts without having earned the position?

Also, I REALLY don't think if it was a serious campaign it should be an old song - getting Suedehead does nothing but prove to a non-casual listener that he's done anything worth listening to since 1988. I think if he has a brilliant song that deserves number one then I'd be happy to buy it, if it looked like he'd make number one then I'd happily pay for an extra copy or two - but I'm not buying an old song for the sake of it.
 
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I think we could give him a Christmas number one in 2010.

If Morrissey and his fans conspired, I am convinced it could happen.

I would be happy to purchase it five or six times to get it to number 1. If it's a single not on any album - and it's of sufficient quality - he can easily sell 150 000 to his hardcore fanbase, especially with good b-sides. And if we could get a little campaign organised as early as October 2010, I think 3 000 or 4 000 of us would willingly purchase multiple copies!

It could be Morrissey's 'challenge for 2010.' No album, no tour, just the most magnificent christmas number 1 and three stunning b-sides. How good would it be to see him finally hit the top spot for Christmas?

It's not inconceivable. He has people like Russell Brand, Jonathan Ross, Jeremy Vine, and others who could function as a very effective publicity machine. If he went on J Ross 3 weeks before Christmas and Ross announced his campaign 'to get Mozza to number 1,' that would carry a certain amount of weight. I honestly think if Morrissey wants to do it, he should set up a blog entitled "Morrissey - christmas number 1 2010" when he's penned his sure-fire hit. Stories have a tendency to develop a momentum all of their own once the wheels are in motion.

absolutely no chance. his last single didn't even reach the top 40 - sold around 5,000.
if many of us here wouldn't even be interested in such a campaign, what chance does it have in the real world?
don't get me wrong - I'd love Moz to have a number one single but he'll need a very good (i.e. miles better than most of the stuff on the last three albums) and, preferably, brand new song to achieve it. his only other chance would be if he had a song on the soundtrack of a very successful film, or a cover version by an X-Factor (etc) artist as happened with Len Cohen...
 
I think most fans buy the 2 cds and 7'' vinyl, so if everyone did it on here, i'm sure he'd come somewhere in the charts...

I only buy the 2 CD's and vinyl where there is new B-sides. If the single is on the album and the B-sides are a collection of live tracks then I'm not interested.

are there that many Rage fans in the UK? Most of the people who like that brand of music now weren't born or were barely out of the crib when that track was released. Or was it chosen simply because of it's F-You attitude?

Yes (to the latter bit of your post). It wasn't about RITM, it was about not having X Factor as the Xmas number one for the 5th (or was it the 6th:confused:) year running. It could have been any band / song chosen.

I think we could give him a Christmas number one in 2010.

If Morrissey and his fans conspired, I am convinced it could happen.

I would be happy to purchase it five or six times to get it to number 1. If it's a single not on any album - and it's of sufficient quality - he can easily sell 150 000 to his hardcore fanbase, especially with good b-sides. And if we could get a little campaign organised as early as October 2010, I think 3 000 or 4 000 of us would willingly purchase multiple copies!

It could be Morrissey's 'challenge for 2010.' No album, no tour, just the most magnificent christmas number 1 and three stunning b-sides. How good would it be to see him finally hit the top spot for Christmas?


It's not inconceivable. He has people like Russell Brand, Jonathan Ross, Jeremy Vine, and others who could function as a very effective publicity machine. If he went on J Ross 3 weeks before Christmas and Ross announced his campaign 'to get Mozza to number 1,' that would carry a certain amount of weight. I honestly think if Morrissey wants to do it, he should set up a blog entitled "Morrissey - christmas number 1 2010" when he's penned his sure-fire hit. Stories have a tendency to develop a momentum all of their own once the wheels are in motion.

I really don't think Morrissey would lower himself to go to his 'chums' such as Wossy and ask him to organise a campaign to get him to number one.
I think some people on here want this more than Morrissey probably does...... and when was the last UK single he released that sold 150,000 copies to his 150,000 hard core fan base that you mention?

Jukebox Jury
 
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