The Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead song comes from the Wizard of Oz film. It has recently become extremely popular after selling 52,605 copies and reaching #2 in the charts on Sunday. However, its success has followed due to the death of Margaret Thatcher, and represents the view of people who didn’t like Margaret Thatcher. Through social media like Facebook and Twitter, the promotion of groups like having a party when thatcher dies and even the promotion of this track, it represents an opinion of British society.
Why was there a celebration of Margaret Thatcher’s death?
Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister between 1979-1990, and has a split opinion in British society. Some she see her as a magnificent leader, who brought economic prosperity to a country hit by a recession whereas others see her as a ruthless woman with little care towards the north and the poor. People were said to have champagne on ice waiting for the day Thatcher died, and where others like the current Prime minister described her as ‘an extraordinary leader, and extraordinary woman’. Colossal contrasts in opinion, however she was the country’s first woman prime minister, and did so through three elections, a feat which many other prime ministers would find it hard to say. It highlights that she must have had the majority of the country on her side, however controversial.
So how did the BBC broadcast the track?
The Radio 1 controller, Ben Cooper, said during the week that they would only broadcast a short clip of the track, followed by a news report about reasons behind the rise of the song. He said ‘There are times as Controller of Radio 1 when you find yourself caught between a rock and a hard place. The rise up the charts of the Judy Garland * song “Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead” is one of those moments.’ This highlights his decision to come to a compromise between the two opposing parties. He then goes on the say, “On one side there is the understandable anger of large numbers of people who are appalled by this campaign. On the other there is the question of whether the chart show – which has run since the birth of Radio 1 in 1967 – can ignore a high new entry which clearly reflects the views of a big enough portion of the record buying public to propel it up the charts. Above all, in the middle of this furore is a grieving family.”
There is the view that this track is an example of freedom of expression, in which people have the right to express their opinion, and if the UK charts inform people on the tracks that are being bought then it should be representative of this. It also highlights how a online campaign can never be underestimated, like the campaign to get Rage Against The Machine as Christmas #1. However, Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead didn’t knock Duke Dumont and A*M*E with Need U (100%) of the top spot which could portray that this track doesn’t represent the view of the majority of Britain.
What does this show about England today?
It could be said that there still are some underlying issues in society today, over the reaction of Thatcher’s death like whether there is a division between the north and south, and is there a huge divide between the rich and poor in Britain. A view which is explored by Larry Elliot of the Guardian. Symmetries between the then and current economic climate could be drawn as the country tries to come out of a recession. However controversial this song has been it has drawn some questions to how society can support a song which celebrates someones death.
Lewis Kavanagh's Student Blog 