Anti-Thatcher 'Witch Is Dead' Song a Big Hit

So not everyone is weeping over Margaret Thatcher's death: The song "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" from The Wizard of Oz has climbed to No. 2 on Britain's charts and sold over 52,000 copies, the BBC reports. Meanwhile, a pro-Thatcher tune—the punk song "I'm in Love With Margaret Thatcher"—has entered at No. 35. All this proved a minor headache for decision-makers at BBC Radio 1's Official Chart show, who opted not to play the full 51-second "Ding Dong!" song.

Instead, a host played two parts of it during a news report on the song's online anti-Thatcher campaign. The report included two opinions from people on the street, one condemning the campaign as "disgraceful" and the other calling it "quite funny." But the report ran nearly 40 seconds longer than the actual song. "I'm in Love With Margaret Thatcher," however, was played in full. Neat factoid: "Ding Dong!" became the first song shorter than 60 seconds to reach Britain's top 10. (More Margaret Thatcher stories.)