Rage Against the Machine vs Simon Cowell:The U.K.'s unexpected American Idols

Don't expect to hear Rage Against The Machine on American Idol judge Simon Cowell's Christmas playlist this holiday season.

The reunited Los Angeles rockers - backed by the 500,000-member Facebook group 'Rage Against The Machine for Christmas No. 1' - beat X-Factor winner Joe McElderry for the coveted top spot on the U.K. singles chart this week... With a song that is as old as McElderry.

Referred to as 'Christmas No. 1,' the top of the Christmas-week U.K. singles chart used to be a hard-fought prize of the British music scene - until Cowell's X-Factor [think British American Idol] emerged and left all the competition in its wake.

For four years running, the annual X-Factor champion has claimed the Christmas No. 1.

But not this year, when a grass roots campaign begun by Rage fans Jon and Tracy Morter helped make the band's "Killing in the Name" the fastest-selling download in U.K. history, and the first download-only Christmas No. 1...

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Paul Gargano is the National Music Examiner for eXaminer.com.
Click here to visit his Examiner homepage.