Fairytale of New York controversy explained and why lyrics to The Pogues’ hit Christmas song were changed

metro.co.uk ^ | 12/8/23 | Rebecca Sayce

[DallasBiff]

Hearing The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s iconic Christmas ditty Fairytale of New York will be poignant for fans this year following the death of Shane MacGowan.

The Pogues frontman’s death at the age of 65 was announced on November 30, 2023, following years of battling health issues. His funeral is taking place today (December 8) with Johnny Depp arriving in Nenagh, Tipperary to give a reading.

Often voted the nation’s favourite Yuletide song, it is the UK’s most-played Christmas single, and you can often find it getting everyone on their feet during annual parties.

It has been sold more than 1.5million times worldwide, and in 2022, the song was certified quintuple platinum in the UK for three million combined sales.

[DallasBiff]

Well it is an Irish Christmas song, about a dysfunctional Irish couple in NYC, but they still believe in Christmas.

Vaguely remember hearing about The Pogues in the late 80's.

Never knew this is the UK's most popular Christmas song.

The official video of the song is at the link.

[Red Badger]

Looks like Matt Dillon in the Video................

[discostu]

England doesn’t play the same ol same ol at Christmas. So they have way better Christmas music than us. We only ever seem to add something to the Christmas catalog when something truly awful like Santa Baby comes along.

[j.havenfarm]

Never heard of it before. Listened to it just now for the first and last time. Not sure what the appeal is, but to each his own

[moreisee]

“Fairytale of New York” always reminds me of the J.P Donleavy novel of the same name. The book must have been the inspiration for the song?

[Trailerpark Badass]

Ugh, Wham, John Lennon, McCartney, Band Aid, all those Brit Christmas songs are insipid.

[dfwgator]

I like the Kinks’ “Father Christmas”.

[RightOnTheBorder]

Like the “Die Hard” debate, is this a Christmas song or a song set during Christmas time. I vote for the latter as the song is so depressing.

[discostu]

Those are the Brit songs we get over here. Cause they suck and America only adopts bad songs for Christmas.

But the songs England actually adopts and plays this time of year are much better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJS9TjjHxx8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfY4b1NszpY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgDgQbhHuZw&list=PLR7sPawuzFmIYLesXGbhxzGko-DBuYgFh&index=5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFR0MFdHr9w&list=PLR7sPawuzFmIYLesXGbhxzGko-DBuYgFh&index=40

they also do better Christmas episodes.

[Robert DeLong]

Apparently

MacGowan had decided to name the song after J. P. Donleavy's 1973 novel A Fairy Tale of New York, which Finer was reading at the time and had left lying around the recording studio.

Source

See first sentence after indented paragraph within the division labeled: Background and song development

[Dr. Sivana]

all those Brit Christmas songs are insipid.

You can add Elton John's "Step Into Christmas"/"Ho Ho Ho"

[BudgieRamone]

If anyone stops at this song as their range for the Pogues, I encourage them to listen to Turkish Song of the Damned, If I should Fall from Grace With God, Irish Rover with the Dubliners, Poor Paddy, and Shane MacGowan and the Popes Paddy Public Enemy Number One and Paddy Rolling Stone.

May not be every ones cup of tea, but Its good fun Irish music. Yes I am a fan and listen to this song at Christmas at least once as well as the similar themed Ramones Merry Christmas, I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight.

[Robert DeLong]

The song's lyrical content attracted attention from the start due to language contained in its second verse, where MacGowan's character refers to MacColl's character as "an old slut on junk", to which MacColl responds with a tirade that includes the words "faggot" and "arse". When the song was performed on Top of the Pops on its initial release, the BBC requested that MacColl's singing of "arse" be replaced with the perceived-less-offensive "ass". During a live performance on Top of the Pops in January 1992, MacColl changed the lyric further, singing "You're cheap and you're haggard". When Katie Melua performed the song with the Pogues on CD:UK in December 2005, ITV censored the word "arse", but left "faggot" uncensored.

On 18 December 2007, BBC Radio 1 edited the words "faggot" and "slut" from the track to "avoid offence". MacColl's mother described the ban as "too ridiculous", while the Pogues said they found it "amusing". The BBC stated, "We are playing an edited version because some members of the audience might find it offensive"

Source

See first 2 paragraphs within division with the heading of: Lyrical controversy and censorship

[Sirius Lee]

I love the song. Have performed it many times.

[Farmerbob]

I tried to bring the song into a family die hard debate one time. None of my gen z nieces/nephews knew what I was talking about.

[Chode]

yup...

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Because it used the phase "you lousy ol faggot"

[TalBlack]

After 35 seconds I’d had enough. Bloody awful.

[Deaf Smith]

I like Jimi Hendrix’s Little Drummer Boy/Silent Night.

[Trailerpark Badass]

Yes, those couple are pretty nice. Unfortunately, those don't seem to make it on whatever Pandora/Spotify Christmas playlist I have to listen to at work for 10 hours a day between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Thank God for quality ear pro.