Joe McElderry Gets His Number One

Having missed out on the Christmas number one spot after a Facebook campaign to get Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Killing in the Name’ to number one was a huge success, Joe McElderry has now got the number one that he was after, and ‘The Climb’ is the last number one of the decade.

This week saw ‘Killing in the Name’ slip back to number two, and with sales figures having dropped for both singles, 196,000 sales was enough to see Joe McElderry take the top spot by over 130,000.

Joe McElderry may not have had the Christmas number one that he was hoping for, the young singer has still ultimately been able to claim the top spot however, and time will only tell as to how long he can remain at the top.

In just two weeks on sale, Joe McElderry’s ‘The Climb’ has now shifted 650,000 copies, a figure that should see the young artist claim the sixth most successful single of 2009.

Rage Against the Machine Wins the Race for Christmas Number One

All week there has been great interest in the Official UK Singles Chart as Rage Against the Machine and Joe McElderry have been battling it out for the 2009 Christmas Number One spot. Rage Against the Machine had been ahead all week, with the physical release of Joe McElderry’s ‘The Climb’ the X-Factor artist began to start catching up however, leading to a very tense weekend where it could have gone either way. Rage Against the Machine has ultimately won the bottle, with ‘Killing in the Name’ officially revealed as the UK Christmas Number One 2009.

In beating off the competition from Joe McElderry, Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Killing in the Name’ has become the first ever track to reach the number one spot on downloads alone. ‘Killing in the Name’ amassed total sales in excess of 500,000 for the week, and the Facebook group ‘RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE FOR CHRISTMAS NO.1’ has been a huge success, not just in getting Rage Against the Machine to Number One, but also in raising over £70,000 for the Shelter charity.

This is the first time since 2004 that an X-Factor artist has not occupied the UK Christmas Number One spot.

Rage Against the X-Factor: Mid-Week Chart Shows ‘Killing In The Name’ to be Ahead

With Rage Against The Machine ahead in the mid-week charts, Simon Cowell looks to have quite a battle on his hands in the race for this year’s Christmas number one. “F**k you, I won’t do what you tell me” seems to be the message to Simon Cowell here, with people fed up of being told what single to buy each year in the week leading up to Christmas.

‘The Climb’ from Hannah Montana the Movie was the X-Factor single of choice this year, and as Joe McElderry was the winner of the X-Factor 2009, his version of ‘The Climb’ was released at 12am on Monday December 14th as his first single as a solo artist.

The Facebook group ‘RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE FOR CHRISTMAS NO.1’ currently has close to 800,000 members, and the people behind it have been able to raise over £35,000 for the Shelter charity as a result of the group’s great success. Even if ‘Killing In The Name’ doesn’t reach Number One this Christmas then the group will still have done a great deal of good, and if you’d like to make a donation then you can do so here.

The Christmas Number One will definitely be an interesting one this year, and from 4-7pm on Sunday December 20th, I for one will most definitely be tuned into 98.8 for the Radio 1 Official Chart Show.

X-Factor Final Sees Joe Face Olly

Olly Murs is up against Joe McElderry in the X-Factor Final 2009, and bookies favourite Joe may just have to step it up a gear if he’s to win the public over with his final performance tomorrow. Stacey Solomon was the unlucky contestant to just miss out and finish third, and now that Stacey is out of the running; the whole of Essex may just be getting behind Olly as he looks to beat off Joe and emerge as the X-Factor Champion 2009.

It’ll be a phenomenal achievement for former call centre worker Olly Murs if he is able to win the X-Factor, regardless of who wins the show tomorrow however Olly Murs’ life will surely be changed forever and a return to the call centre seems somewhat unlikely. Murs performed with Robbie Williams for the December 12th X-Factor show, and if Simon Cowell has his way then it’ll only be a matter of time before Olly Murs himself is a successful solo pop star.

Both Joe and Olly will be feeling the nerves as they prepare for the final show, they’ll both be aiming to channel any pressure into a positive performance though, and it’s not long now before we find out who will emerge victorious as the X-Factor champion 2009.