I swear to all things holy, there has never been nor will there every be a better Christmas song than the late, great Kirsty MacColl joining the Pogues for "Fairytale of New York." Tell me I'm wrong. You can't. The drunken dispair of poor Shane. The feisty barbs of Kirsty. Sentiment that manages to be both schlocky and rebellious at the same time. It's pure holiday magic!!
you scumbag, you maggotPosted by mikewolf at December 12, 2004 03:52 PM
you cheap lousy faggot
happy christmas your arse
i pray god it's our last
We've been playing it at Christmas for years. I never did understand the lyrics 'till I heard a cover by Grover -The boys of the NYPD Choir are singing Galway Bay. So there's one of life's mysteries solved
Annette
I love the lines "I kept 'em with me babe/They're down here with my own/Can't make it out alone/I built my dreams around you". There's a thirty minute documentary about the song that can be downloaded at Easytree.org. I've seen the first half and it's a must for anyone who loves this song. Of course, I can hardly make out a word Shane says about it. Also downloaded a 2001 Pogues reunion concert, and when the opening piano chords of Fairytale are played, the crowd goes crazy. When it gets to the lines "I could have been someone...", the crowd screams "Well, so could anyone!" with such enthusiasm I got chills.
Posted by: Bruce on December 13, 2004 09:15 AMWith that in mind, your party this weekend ought to be just oh so festive.
I too love the song though.
Posted by: Dennis on December 13, 2004 11:29 AMMajor, major thanks on the tip for the documentary, Bruce. I downloaded it today at the office. Ah.. perks.
Anyhow, I watched the entirety of the Shane doc "If I Should Fall From Grace With God" more than once (which the interview clips for this doc also seem to come from) so I now think I speak Shane.
The thing about it is, though, that the Shane parts of the song are so Shane that nobody else can really begin to give it justice. He clearly was the song's life.
Posted by: mrw on December 13, 2004 07:01 PMI too am a huge fan of the song. Perfection! Will try to get the documentary.
Posted by: Mark on December 14, 2004 07:18 AMA tidbit here -- http://news.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=1430392004 -- that was news to me. See the very last item.
Posted by: VC on December 15, 2004 07:32 PMOne of my very favorites too.
And I'm surprised by the info in the article Tom posted above.
Posted by: Leigh Anne on December 16, 2004 01:04 AMMore news on the song:
http://www.rte.ie/arts/2004/1216/thepogues.html
Posted by: Mark on December 16, 2004 07:12 AM