UKC

Interesting for a song to get potentially banned from Radio 1 because of context rather than content...

The BBC's top bod is expected to make the call as to whether Radio 1 will play 'Ding Dong the Witch is Dead' on this sunday's chart (it's currently at no. 3 in the charts, no. 1 iTunes download)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/apr/12/bbc-chief-ding-dong-thatcher

In reply to FrankBooth: they will play a clip of the song in "a news environment"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21241791

In reply to FrankBooth:

If the 'outraged of Tunbridge Wells' mob are so upset by it then why don't they find a song that Thatcher liked and buy that instead?

In reply to Toby S:
You can't just go letting the market decide like that - we need more state control!

In reply to FrankBooth:

There was a very good Tweet earlier today suggesting that the BBC plays the tune but with the words spoken by an actor.

In reply to FrankBooth:

How about Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady (But not on my terms)?

In reply to Douglas Griffin:


My vote would be for Brian Blessed to intone the words in his usual rather louder than necessary style.

In reply to FrankBooth:

I was pondering on this subject today while walking into uni! It's interesting that a song may be banned or refused play not because of the content of the song, but because of the reasons of the people who are buying it! An authoritarian stance that even Reith himself would have baulked at.

Even I as a Thatcher-hater has to concede that it is in rather poor taste however, so I can understand the consternation at the top about whether or not to air the track. But my trying to be fair thought was that they certainly should play it as usual as part of the chart. Otherwise consistency demands that all such cynical manipulations of music buying should also be met with a ban or a 'newsbeat' story snippeting the track to mask the banning. I seem to remember that 'Killing in the name' was played (albeit sanitised of the naughty words) when it last charted, even though the purchasing of the song was more about a demonstration against Simon Cowell, rather than appreciation toward Rage against the Machine.

I did think though that a similar thing happened back in 1977 when the Sex Pistols' "God save the Queen" was also banned because of its anti-royalist sentiment at the time of the silver Jubilee. As far as I'm aware, there is no swearing or overtly obviously offensive lyrics in the song. Yet because of the context, the disdain of the establishment and probable pressure brought to bear on the BBC, it was banned and not played.

36 years later we've hardly moved on.

God Save the Queen was a good one, in those days you had to make a bit more effort to buy a single. There is also a suspicion that the BBC fiddled the charts, as it was No.1 in the NME and Melody Maker charts.

BBC painted into a corner and forced into censorship, a bit of a result for those buying the track. I just hope that some pro-Thatcher tracks make it up the chart now, that will really expose the BBC.

In reply to Douglas Griffin:

Like !!

In reply to Fat Bumbly2:
like this..?
youtube.com/watch?v=-bzWSJG93P8&

In reply to paul-1970:

Well absolutely, and in even poorer taste to download it as a ringtone onto your smartphone from Googleplay for 99p.

In reply to Dom Brown:

The BBC at it's most spineless. Just play the bloody song.

In reply to Removed User:

Absolutely. I would totally deplore anyone who might be tempted to click on this link http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ding-Dong-The-Witch-Dead/dp/B0023NDFFO/ref=sr_1_1?i... and download it for just 69p. Imagine how dreadful it would be if it got to No. 1?

In reply to paul-1970: capitalist making money out of commies, maggie would be having a good laugh at that, oh the irony!

In reply to paul-1970:


I felt the same about the "get Rage Against the Machine to number 1" thing.
The number 1 song should be the song that has been bought by the most people who like the song, rather than the song that has been bought by people trying to make some sort of point (you may argue the same about FGTH's Relax, but at least that was in fact a current release and popular and going to be somewhere in the charts anyway)

In reply to Postmanpat:

I agree that this appears to be weak leadership.

My personal view is that the song should not be played as it is in obvious poor taste and will be offensive to a proportion of the population. As a publically funded broadcaster, this would have been a reasonable stance to take. I don't believe the BBC are obliged to play any song, regardless of chart position.

If the opposite decision was made, however, whilst disagreeing with it, I would not be unduly perturbed.

Part of the sizeable licence fee could perhaps be devoted to management capable of making the necessary judgement...

John.

In reply to John Foster:

Who of course wouldn't be listening to the Top 40 show anyway, but there seems to be a tendency for people to get outraged about things they haven't seen/read/heard other than in the media.

Kent police are apparently bound to investigate complaints about tweets from paris thingy two years after they were posted because some nobheads decided they'd been offended by them when they read them in the bloody Mail on Sunday.

In reply to andy:

Unnecessary outrage is definitely an unattractive spectacle. Indignation at something as outrageous as the BBC playing 'Ding Dong the Witch is Dead' in the aftermath of Margaret Thatcher's death is probably fair enough though, to a reasonable observer.

John.

In reply to John Foster: Just imagine if everyone ignored this story. Sales would be lower, it will have gone away. Nothing to see here.

Streisland effect again. Ella Fitzgerald's version of the Munchin Song is climbing and Tramp the Dirt Down is no 5 in Amazon's chart.

Mind much of the usual chart which is hosting this intrusion is pretty offensive - well to my ears at least.

In reply to Fat Bumbly2:

Is that the Barbara Streisland effect? It would be good to see her in the charts again - the 1970s were clearly not all bad!

I guess you are right - I should not add further to the brouhaha.

John.

In reply to John Foster:

Go on John explain why it would be outrageous!

In reply to FrankBooth:

Thatcher would have chosen in your face confrontation rather than political correctness or care about the social consequences of her actions, and would have done an obsequious and patronising interview for TV defending her position, whilst being strident and bossy in Parliament about exactly the same issue.

She would not have a problem with this.


My first reaction on hearing that she had died was exactly "ding dong the witch is dead"

She was / still is one of the most influential politicians of the 20th Century, in Britain at least, and she was incredibly divisive - I would say deliberately divisive - in order to engineer social divisions specifically so that she could use social pressures (often via Rupert Murdoch leading the way in tabloid journalism - nowadays called "spin") so she could pass legislation that she could have passed anyway as she had a majority in both the Commons and the Lords.

But she needed an engineered public hate campaign to justify her legislation, and she did not give a toss about the social consequences,

So I reckon she would appreciate the campaign, She never walked away from deliberately sticking a finger up at people she wanted to destroy.

In reply to The New NickB:

Because this would be seen as a contributing to the celebration of another human being's death.

I would be disappointed to see the BBC provide such endorsement.

John.

I see that I'm In Love With Margaret Thatcher is no. 2 in the Amazon downloads. Hope it keeps selling, that would really put the BBC in a corner.

Or would they just lump them all together with the" Now Children, I am going to tell you a story" presenter.

In reply to Dom Brown:

Seems to me like the best compromise would be to put in the newsbeat "header and footer" but still play the song. That way, there can be no accusation of censorship (which playing a 5 second clip is) and the edge can be taken off the disrespectful nature of the BBC playing for the song for those who want to dance around /singalong to.

Doubtless, the disapproving announcement would not be enough for some people, but those people need to have a think about the difference between what is harmful and what is tasteless and where they think the line for censorship should be drawn.

In reply to paul-1970:

Thank you for deploring that, I have now actually paid for and downloaded my first ever mp3 from a commercial site... with a bit of luck it'll get to number 1

I've got the original on a VHS cassette but it was high time I went digital on this very important work of art.

In reply to John Foster:


Tough. Let them be offended. They're allowed to be.

In reply to John Foster:

But if a bunch of Geordies managed to get Fog on the Tyne played to celebrate Newcastle winning the FA Cup, no one would be saying that the BBC were celebrating or endorsing Newcastle, would they?

In reply to Dominion:

Well said, Dominion. Every word you say is true, and cannot be denied, though for many it's an uncomfortable truth, it seems.

In reply to winhill:

I'm in favour of just playing the song. But say Alex ferguson keeled over and Liverpool and City fans were downloading "The old bastard's dead" or whatever. Should the BBC play it?

In reply to Postmanpat:

I hear perfectly elocouted laughing from beyond the grave, with the song Two Little Boys playing quietly in the background

In reply to Toby S:

I guess this just boils down to the fact that I find this rejoicing in death a sad reflection on humanity.

I am not offended that others would adopt a different view.

I suspect the BBC have succeeded in not pleasing anyone with their compromise on this issue.

On reflection, this is probably the fairest outcome!

In reply to John Foster:

It is a song from a 70 year old film, there is nothing offensive about it's content. The chart is the chart and the BBC play the chart on a Sunday afternoon. Whilst many may find the reason why this particular song has been bought offensive the song isn't.

In reply to Postmanpat:

Not much chance of them playing this one, then:

youtube.com/watch?v=wcXi-VYy_Yw&

In reply to Dominion:

She didn't walk away.. I think she actually enjoyed it.. because she often came out on top... which is why, now dead, people can get the upper hand.. because they rarely could when she was alive..

I'm not in favour of this celebrating but have had a chuckle at a few of the jokes going around..

Leaving the BBC aside for a moment, this whole Ding Dong ding dong has generated a great Sun headline.

In reply to John Foster:

Pretty substantial fence you're sitting on there!

In reply to FrankBooth: If the media hadn't "Hyped" the whole thing sky high in their desire to make headlines(sell newspapers and profit from the whole issue) the song probably wouldn't have made it into the charts. Even if it did make it to number one (doubtful if it would without all the Hype) it probably wouldn't have even been noticed.