it's a really weird record anyway, easily as strange a chrimbo present as that Gary Jules one was.
Only the x factor... er... Factor could get such a miserable and whiny version of anything reach the number one spot.
Also, i have this great image in my head of Simon Cowell reading all 80 odd verses to pick the most x factor friendly ones. Seems he failed in his search though.
Like all x factor winning records, the song is impossible to take seriously in a version with something as unsubtle as the full orchestra and gospel choir approach thrown at it. i've not heard the full version but i wouldn't be surprised if they've added a key change and a 'stand up' moment too. i'm not moaning about the song itself, which remains a morose classic, but the sheer stupidity of using the bombastic approach in its execution. Yuck.
It has an evil twin in purveyor of crap, Leona Lewis' version of Run, a lovely little break up song, quite likable indies style, turned into a horrific musical theatre piece with added vocal ad libs (which i always hate) over the cookie cutter gospel choir and full orchestra backgrounds. it's like hell on toast!
What happened to subtlety? Or at least, since it's christmas, a sense of self deprecating irony? A christmas number one should contain one or the other, you know, like that one by The Darkness...
The best christmas song remains, for me, The Fairytale of New York, which is so much better than the usual line up of novelty singles and x factor winners it made the top ten yet again last year. If only we could have it at number one every year.
To be fair, i expect an x factor winners version of it soon that will rival even Ronan Keating's version for missing the point entirely.
I am equally sure that this years inevitable victor has missed it by miles.
Ah well, it'll be another merry christmas at the Cowell household anyhow.
Have a lovely weekend readers!
A
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Hasn't Jeff Buckley's Halleluliah become number two, though, as millions of disgruntled music fans (including myself) make their slightly passive-aggressive point? Haven't even actually listened to the X Factor one all the way through - as soon as the otherwise nicely voiced singer went off on a Mariah Carey style warble around every available note in the key I curled into a ball and started whimpering.
ReplyDeleteRonan Keating's Fairytale in New York makes me want to deafen myself with claxon horn earmuffs just to make it stop. 'You're cheap and you're haggard'...? FUCK OFF AND DIE YOU TWINKLY-EYED, GRANNY-CHARMING BASTARD!!!!
Happy Christmas!
Gabstar
xxx
Well I think I con honestly say we're in total agreement here.
ReplyDeleteThe Fairytale of New York is the best Christmas song ever written - although I do like what Noddy Holder said about the Slade Christmas song - "When I wrote that back in the 70's I never realised I was writing my own pension plan'
'X- Factor'? what's that then?
Compliments of the season Algo, to you and your followers/ readers (and Mrs Algo of course).
Hope to see you on a movie set sometime soon.