McCartney on X Factor chart battle, video for (I Want To) Come Home

Sir Paul McCartney has described the chart battle between US rock band Rage Against The Machine and the 2009 X Factor winner Joe McElderry as “funny”.

A Facebook group campaigning to make Rage Against The Machine’s 1992 single ‘Killing In The Name’ the UK’s Christmas number one, in protest against the X Factor and Simon Cowell, has attracted more than 875,000 members.

McCartney, who performed ‘Drive My Car’ and ‘Live And Let Die’ on the show’s final on Sunday 13 December, told Sky News that if RATM topped the chart it would “prove a point”.

Mid-week sales figures showed Rage Against The Machine outselling McElderry’s ‘The Climb’. The group plan to donate part of the proceeds from their sales to a UK-based music charity.

Everyone expects Joe to do it. If he goes to number one then good luck to him. He’s just some kid with a career ahead. I’ve got nothing against that, but it would be kind of funny if Rage Against The Machine got it because it would prove a point.
Sir Paul McCartney

McCartney also spoke about the reaction to his appearance on the X Factor final. “We got great feedback on the streets the next day,” he said. “It’s my claim to fame now.”

Meanwhile, the official video for McCartney’s new song ‘(I Want To) Come Home’ was posted on YouTube this week. The song features in the film Everybody’s Fine, starring Robert De Niro.

Last updated: 6 June 2023
Paul McCartney live: Kölnarena, Cologne
Paul McCartney live: The O2, Dublin
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