Margaret Thatcher is proving good for music sales in the UK. The ‘Wizard of Oz’ classic ‘Ding Dong The Witch is Dead’ by Judy Garland has now leapt to number 2 on the iTunes chart. It also went to number 1 on Amazon.
The Wizard of Oz
The 1939 classic started selling when the announcement of Thatcher’s death was announced on Monday.
Thatcher’s was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979-1990. Her ‘the rich get richer the poor get the picture’ policies divided Britain. She was so tough that it was the Russians who gave her the nickname ‘The Iron Lady’.
23 years after leaving office the working class British still remember the economic pain she put them through. Never before has the reporting of the death of a Western leader been so venomous. The Sun ran the headline “Maggie Dead in Bed at Ritz.”
In the USA the Los Angeles Times wrote, “She wasn’t just the “Iron Lady,” she was “Atilla the Hen.”
‘Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead’ was the 54th biggest selling song so far for the week overall, according to the Official Charts Company of Britain.
According to the Official Charts Company, “Three versions of the song are currently figuring in the Top 200 – Judy Garland’s version at 54, Ella Fitzgerald’s 1961 cover is at 146 and the Munchkins’ version at 183. Contrary to some reports, all three versions qualify under industry chart rules.
“If the sales of all three were combined, the song would be in 40th place today, with almost 2,500 sales combined – but the leading contender by Judy Garland is likely to move into the Official Singles Chart Top 40 in its own right by Sunday if it maintains its current momentum”.
The UK midweek chart will be published on Wednesday and then the official chart for the week will be released on Sunday night.
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