I didn't know that!  That's brilliant.  Really glad it's sold nearly half a mill then!

Don't you think it might have resulted in more copies of the X Factor song being sold, though, with people knowing they were competing against RATM?

Absolutely!  Best chart news all year LOL! 

 Good for RATM getting to number 1 and very good Joe  was no2 considering
  pity Simon's still getting the money and more as it's SONY BMG

   Hollow Victory.... I'm sure there's better no1's out there than Ratm. Christmas NO1 
 

Well said GG   And Joe has STILL sold 400,000 copies or more.  Still makes him one of the best selling songs of the decade! 

I don't like the song but am v pleased X Factor not number 1!

Me too Liverbird.  As I said earlier, I think many people are glad.  It's nothing against Joe, but it's against the fact that X factor ALWAYS dominates Christmas number one.  Not this year though LOL. 

Gosh it's a bit dead on here tonight.  I'm off to watch the fattest man in Britain  Ta-ra a bit. 

*Is gonna start a campaign to get Slade back to number one next Christmas*

 I think that's been done before, and it didn't work. Neither did the numerous 'Fairytale of New York to number 1' campaigns, or the 'get Jeff Buckley's version of Hallelujah to number 1' campaign.

Who knew that a bit of anarchic, anti-establishment, non-conformist (although people had to conform to the campaign to get it to work...) angry metal was what it would take to succeed...

  please don't

More important things to rage about IMO!
A win win situation for sony anyway!
  

Just as she did with Alexandra Burkes Bad Boys, must be an ego thing...and yes, her new song is terrible!

Just as she did with Alexandra Burkes Bad Boys, must be an ego thing...and yes, her new song is terrible!

An interesting bunch of generalisations on both sides.
Simon Cowell says that, "OK some people don't like the X-Factor!" Au contraire! The X-factor is one of the best progs of the year on so many levels. IMO it's the music that sucks.
Zach would like to thank the young people of the UK for buying his song (and placing him within the machine) Mrs Crossy and I are Grandparents We like good sounds though!

Its a bit ironic that in order to protest against the so called "machine" that you have to spend money in order to further enrich it.
I think the whole thing is just another cynical marketing ploy and people have been duped by all the hype.
I mean some people are actually boasting that they have bought the songs more than once.
Its even more costly than paying for multiple phone votes for bb or the x factor.
Simon Cowell and sony are laughing all the way to the banks.

I wanted Joe to get to No1 its a shame he has been punished because these people dont want the x factor winner to be No1,I dont care if they dont like Simon for whatever reason,I feel sorry for Joe.. very bad spirited IMO

Mrs Crossy used the term "Mean spirited" but the bottom line is that it's a crap song and more of the same.

I haven't even heard the song that is no 1, but I am just so pleased that boring Joe and his vile song didn't reach the top - is should never be assumed that being Christmas no 1 is a definite for the X factor winner, and this has proved it.
Would have liked it to be the Pet Shop Boys one though - that is really Christmassy and I Love it!!

Short of downloading it, I'm not certain that you ever will. Can't even find it on Virgin catch up.

Oh Dear

What a load of rubbish no1 is

Thrilled! What makes Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and their teenage puppet think they have a divine right to be number one anyway? The only reason X Factor 'songs' are ever number one at Christmas is because of Cowell's relentless PR machine and media saturation.
There are millions of more talented musicians out there who don't have a chance against that kind of publicity juggernaut.
Here's hoping we can do this every year from now on!

I'm sure that if Cowell thought that there was a market for music he would do that too.

I just think it is a shame that the RATM track is so crappy. Couldn't we have had a real Beastie Boys one and not this imitation  

If people who bought this - time and again in some instances - DON'T think they were manipulated then they are very naive.

I don't - real musicians with opinions, skills and agendas of their own aren't as easily controlled as cover-singing puppets like the X Factor types, who rely totally on Cowell to pick 'their' songs and get session musicians to play them.

Pleased about this news. Now lets get The Muppet's to Christmas No 1 next year

How many people now applauding the fact that the X Factor's chosen one failed to make number one will be tuning in to Cowell's next offering?  Surely the best way to 'Rage against his Machine' is to boycott  these tripe-fests?  Just a thought

Oh, I do, Avalon. The only time I've been subjected to any of it was in work at weekends when some colleagues insisted on having it on the office telly. It has NEVER darkened my living room, I can tell you..

  Pleased to hear it Demantoid!

  Pleased to hear it Demantoid!  Trouble is he's everywhere and trying to avoid him is like trying to avoid getting swine flu

Think you might be right here.  Whatever you think about X Factor RATM is brutal.  
Shame Simon couldn't have come up with a better one for Joe.  It was never going to be No 1.

We bought it in the 90's and didn't think we were being manipulated. How naive we were.