"Fairytale of New York"
Single by The Pogues from the album If I Should Fall from Grace with God
Released	1987
Genre	Anglo-Irish folk-rock
Length	4:33
The Pogues singles chronology
Irish Rover Fairytale of New York If I Should Fall from Grace with God

"Fairytale of New York" is a popular Christmas song by Irish folk-rock group The Pogues, and featuring the English singer Kirsty MacColl. The song is an Irish folk style ballad, written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan, and featured on The Pogues' album If I Should Fall from Grace with God. The song features string arrangements by Fiachra Trench. Image File history File linksMetadata FairytaleOfNewYork. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... The Pogues are a band of mixed Irish and English background, playing traditional Irish folk with influences from the English punk rock movement. ... If I Should Fall From Grace With God is a 1988 album by The Pogues. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Anglo-Irish was a term used historically to describe a ruling class inhabitants of Ireland who were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy[1], mostly belonging to the Anglican Church of Ireland or to a lesser extent one of the English dissenting churches, such as the Methodist church. ... Folk rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. ... The Pogues are a band of mixed Irish and English background, playing traditional Irish folk with influences from the English punk rock movement. ... The Irish Rover is a traditional Irish song made famous by The Dubliners and The Pogues collaboration. ... If I Should Fall From Grace With God is a 1988 album by The Pogues. ... A Fairy Tale of New York is a novel by Irish American author J. P. Donleavy, published in 1973. ... The 1995 re-release album cover of White Christmas A Christmas song is a song which is normally sung during the Christmas period, and usually has lyrical content addressing the holiday, the winter season, or both. ... Folk rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. ... The Pogues are a band of mixed Irish and English background, playing traditional Irish folk with influences from the English punk rock movement. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was an English singer-songwriter. ... Folk song redirects here. ... Jeremy Jem Finer (born July 20, 1955) is a British musician and composer. ... Shane Patrick MacGowan (born December 25, 1957 in Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom) is best known as the original singer and songwriter with The Pogues, and is considered one of the most important and poetic Irish songwriters of the last thirty years, often echoing his influences such as Irish playwright Brendan... If I Should Fall From Grace With God is a 1988 album by The Pogues. ... Trench recording with Paul Brady. ...

Overview

"Fairytale of New York" was released as a single in 1987 and reached #1 in the Irish charts and #2 in the British charts, over Christmas (the time of peak sales). The song has become a festive classic in the UK and Ireland over the years, and was voted the best Christmas song of all time three years running in 2004^[1] and 2005^[2] and 2006 in polls by music channel VH1 UK. It was also voted as the 27th greatest song never to reach UK#1 in another VH1 poll, despite not achieving Christmas Number One when it was released, and also voted as the 84th greatest song of all time by BBC Radio 2 listeners in their "Sold on Song" top 100 poll. Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... VH1 UK is a music television channel from MTV Networks Europe. ... Each year, record companies compete for the Christmas number one single spot on the British charts. ... BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBCs national radio stations and is by far the most popular station in the UK, reaching some 27% of the available audience in 2006[1]. It broadcasts throughout the UK on FM radio between 88 and 91 MHz from its studios in...

The song takes the form of a drunken man's Christmas Eve reverie about holidays past while sleeping off a binge in a New York City drunk tank. After an inebriated old man also incarcerated in the jail cell sings a passage from the Irish drinking ballad The Rare Old Mountain Dew, the drunken man (MacGowan) begins to dream about a failed relationship. The remainder of the song (which may be an internal monologue) takes the form of a call and response between two Irish immigrants, lovers or ex-lovers, their youthful hopes crushed by alcoholism and drug addiction, reminiscing and bickering on Christmas Eve in New York City. MacColl's melodious singing contrasts with the harsh sound of MacGowan's voice and the lyrics are sometimes bittersweet, sometimes plain bitter: "Happy Christmas your arse/ I pray God it's our last". The lyric "Sinatra was swinging" has been taken by some to suggest an unspecified period after World War II; however, it is possible that the song is actually set in the early 1980s, when one of Sinatra's last chart hits, his 1980 recording of John Kander and Fred Ebb's theme from the movie "New York, New York", was a fixture of New York City airwaves and a standard singalong record in the city's many neighborhood bars. The title, taken from author J. P. Donleavy's novel A Fairy Tale of New York, was chosen after the song had been written and recorded. Lyrics Chorus Let the grasses grow and the waters flow, In a free and easy way, But give me enough of that rare old stuff, Thats made near Galway Bay. ... Immigration is the movement of people into one place from another. ... Alcoholism is the consumption of, or preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the drinkers normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical or mental harm. ... Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ... For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Sinatra redirects here. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927 in Kansas City, Missouri) is the American composer of a series of musical theatre successes as part of the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb. ... Fred Ebb (April 8, 1933 - September 11, 2004) was a musical theatre lyricist. ... For other uses, see New York, New York (disambiguation). ... J.P. Donleavy James Patrick Donleavy is an Irish American author, born April 23, 1926 in New York to Irish immigrants. ... A Fairy Tale of New York is a novel by Irish American author J. P. Donleavy, published in 1973. ...

MacColl was not originally to have appeared on the song, the female vocal being intended for the band's bassist, Cait O'Riordan. However, she left the band in 1986, before the song was completed. The Pogues were at the time being produced by Steve Lillywhite, MacColl's then-husband, who asked his wife to provide a guide vocal of the female part for a demo version of the song. The Pogues, however, liked MacColl's contribution so much that they asked her to sing the part on the actual recording. Caitlín Cáit ORiordan (born 4 January 1965) was the bass player for Irish punk/folk band, The Pogues from 1983-1986. ... Steve Lillywhite (born in 1955) is a well-known Grammy Award winning English music producer. ...

The song was released in the United Kingdom in early December 1987, and swiftly became a hit. On December 17, 1987, the Pogues and MacColl performed the song on the BBC's popular television show Top of the Pops, and it was propelled to #2 on the UK charts. For the Top of the Pops appearance, the BBC insisted that MacColl's singing of "arse" be replaced with the less offensive "ass", although as she mimed the word MacColl slapped the relevant part of her body to make it clear what was meant. Although it finished the year as the #48 song based on a single month's sales, it was infamously denied the Christmas #1 spot by the Pet Shop Boys' cover of "Always on My Mind". MacGowan commented on this in his typically forthright manner: "We were beaten by two queens and a drum machine." December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, was a long-running British music chart television programme, made and broadcast by the BBC. It was originally shown each week, mostly on BBC One, from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. ... Each year, record companies compete for the Christmas number one single spot on the British charts. ... Pet Shop Boys are a Grammy Award nominated British synthpop/pop music/electronic music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant who provides main vocals, keyboards and very occasionally guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards and occasionally on vocals. ... Always on My Mind is a song originally recorded by Brenda Lee and released on June 12, 1972, with music and lyrics by Johnny Christopher, Mark James and Wayne Carson Thompson. ...

The song was re-released by The Pogues in the UK in 1991 (reaching #36), and again in the UK and Ireland for Christmas 2005,^[3] reaching #3 in the UK. All proceeds from the latter release were donated towards a mixture of homeless charities and "Justice for Kirsty", a campaign to find out the truth behind MacColl's death in 2000. In December 2006 the song entered the UK Top 10 for the third time,^[4] and returned to the top 40 yet again in December 2007. December 2006 is the twelfth and final month of the year and will begin in 2 day(s). ...

On December 22, 2005, The Pogues performed the song on a Jonathan Ross Christmas special on BBC One in the UK, with the female vocals taken by singer Katie Melua. This was The Pogues' first television performance of the song since 1988. It was also their first ever live television performance of the song, previous television performances having been lip-synched. is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Pogues are a band of mixed Irish and English background, playing traditional Irish folk with influences from the English punk rock movement. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 1. ... Melua redirects here. ... Lip synchronization is the synchronization of audio signals (sometimes with corresponding video signals) so that there is no noticeable lack of simultaneity between them. ...

In recent years, the song has featured in many UK-based surveys and polls, most notably topping the VH1 greatest Christmas song chart three years running, featuring at number 11 in Channel 4's 100 greatest Christmas Moments, Number 27 on VH1's Greatest songs never to make number one, number 23 on VH1's greatest lyrics, Number 83 in Q Magazines 100 greatest ever songs, and number 84 on BBC Radio 2's top 100 greatest songs of all time poll.

Cover versions

Since its original release, "Fairytale of New York" has been covered by numerous artists, including Christy Moore, Ronan Keating and Maire Brennan, Third Eye Blind, Pilot Speed (formally Pilate), No Use for a Name, The Filberts, The City on Film, Stars, Johnny Borrell of UK band Razorlight, Kevin Evans, Dustin the Turkey with Dervla Kirwan, and the Irish Tenors (who leave out some of the racier verses). There is a German version featuring Wolfgang Niedecken from BAP and Nina Hagen. At the Kirsty MacColl tribute concert at the Royal Festival Hall in 2002, the song was performed by Mark E. Nevin and Mary Coughlan. It has been covered live by artistes such as The Chavs (a one-night only supergroup including Carl Barat and Andy Burrows), Dirty Pretty Things, Razorlight and Lisa Moorish. Christopher Andrew Christy Moore (born on May 7, 1945, in Newbridge, County Kildare) is a very popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. ... Ronan Patrick John Keating (born March 3, 1977 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish pop singer // Ronan Keating grew up in Bayside Dublin. ... Máire Ní Bhraonáin, IPA: better known as Máire Brennan or Moya Brennan (born August 4, 1952, Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland), is a Celtic folk singer. ... Third Eye Blind (frequently abbreviated 3eb) is an alternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. ... Pilot Speed (formerly known as Pilate) is a Canadian rock band that formed in 1999 in Toronto, Ontario. ... No Use for a Name (sometimes abbreviated NUFAN) is a punk rock band from San Jose, California, United States, formed in 1987 by Tony Sly, Steve Papoutsis and Rory Koff. ... The City on Film is the official name of Bob Nannas solo act. ... For the British band, see Stars (UK band) Stars is a Canadian indie pop band. ... Johnny Borrell (born Jonathan Edward Borrell, 4 April 1980, in Muswell Hill, London, England) is an English singer and guitarist, and the frontman of Razorlight. ... Razorlight is an Anglo-Swedish band formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Johnny Borrell. ... Dustin Dustin the Turkey, more commonly simply Dustin, is a popular Irish television puppet, star of RTÉs The Den since the 1980s. ... Dervla Kirwan in 55 Degrees North Dervla Kirwan (born 24 October 1971) is an Irish actress famous for roles in television shows such as Ballykissangel and Goodnight Sweetheart Kirwan was born in Churchtown, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. ... The rockgroup BAP was founded in 1976 in Cologne, Germany by Wolfgang Niedecken and Hans Heres. ... Nina Hagen (born Catharina Hagen on March 11, 1955) is a singer from Berlin, Germany. ... The Royal Festival Hall reopening celebrations The Royal Festival Hall is a concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Mary Coughlan was born on 5 May 1956 in County Galway, Ireland. ... Carl Ashley Raphael Barât (born June 6, 1978) is the frontman and lead guitarist in the band Dirty Pretty Things. ... Andy Burrows (born June 30, 1979) is the current drummer for Razorlight, after joining the band in 2004. ... Dirty Pretty Things are an English band fronted by Carl Barât, a former member of The Libertines. ... Razorlight is an Anglo-Swedish band formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Johnny Borrell. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

There is also a live version by Swedish pop singer Håkan Hellström on his 2005 album "Nåt gammalt, nåt nytt, nåt lånat, nåt blått" from 2005, which is not a Christmas album. In 2001, Swedish quartet Ainbusk covered the song in Swedish as "En julsaga" ("A Christmas fairy tale"). There is a spoken version, adapted and performed by Gerry McArdle, with Colette Proctor and Aodán O'Dubhghaill, released by EMI, which reached no.7 in the Irish Top 10 Christmas 2000, and is requested every year on Irish radio. Look up live in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Pop music (disambiguation). ... HÃ¥kan Hellström performing at Katalin in Uppsala, Sweden HÃ¥kan Hellström, born 2 April 1974, is a Swedish musician. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ...

A Catalan version has also been made. It has also been performed by the lead singers of Gossos and Sopa de Cabra, which does not feature a female vocal. Catalan IPA: (català IPA: or []) is a Romance language, the national language of Andorra, and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencia, and in the city of LAlguer in the Italian island of Sardinia. ...

Trivia

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• Despite the lyrics "The boys of the NYPD choir were singing Galway Bay", the New York Police Department does not have a choir, though they do have a Pipes and Drums unit that is featured in the video for the song. According to the BBC documentary "Fairytale of New York" the band didn't know the words to "Galway Bay" and sang the Mickey Mouse Song instead, although you can't tell in the video.
• The song's music video features actor Matt Dillon playing a policeman. Dillon claims that the part was the best moment of his career.[1]
• MacGowan cannot play the piano, but in the video (at the urging of record company executives) James Fearnley reluctantly wore MacGowan's jacket and rings [2].
• The song was referenced in the song "Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night" on the album Separation Sunday by the Hold Steady. (They faked their way through "Fairytale of New York"/When the band stopped playing we howled out for more).
• The first Christmas strip of the popular webcomic Megatokyo featured two of the characters singing the song at a karaoke bar, while the other characters looked on drunkenly.
• One issue of Preacher by Irish author Garth Ennis is titled "Fairytale of New York." The issue takes place in New York City around Christmas time.
• Dirty Pretty Things performed this song on the 22nd December 2006 episode of The Russell Brand Show.
• Is the favourite Christmas song of Cliff Richard, Jack McMorrow, Matt Dillon, Dermot O'Leary, Pete Doherty, Ricky Olarenshaw, Carl Barat, Bob Geldof, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Tim Hames, Sue Johnstone and The Office creators, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, with Gervais even going as far to say, when covering Jonathan Ross' BBC Radio 2 show on Christmas eve 2005; "The best Christmas Song ever and one of the best songs ever - it's just brilliant".

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Galway Bay is the name of two different songs. ... The New York City Police Department (NYPD) , the largest police department in the United States, has primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... Matthew Raymond Matt Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Separation Sunday is an album released by The Hold Steady on May 3, 2005 by Frenchkiss Records. ... The Hold Steady are a Brooklyn-based musical group, although the members have strong connections to the Minneapolis region of Minnesota—something that is frequently reflected in the groups lyrics. ... Megatokyo is an English-language webcomic created by Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston, debuting on August 14, 2000,[1] and then written and illustrated solely by Gallagher as of July 17, 2002. ... Preacher was a comic book series created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, published by the American comic book label Vertigo imprint of DC Comics, with painted covers by Glenn Fabry. ... Garth Ennis (born January 16, 1970 in Holywood, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the DC/Vertigo series Preacher, co-created with artist Steve Dillon. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ... Dirty Pretty Things are an English band fronted by Carl Barât, a former member of The Libertines. ... The Russell Brand Show is a chat show presented by Russell Brand. ...

See also

• List of songs about New York City
• Christmas number two

This is a list of songs about New York City, set there, or named after a location or feature of the city. ... Every year in the UK Singles Charts, there is a highly publicised race for the Christmas number one spot on Christmas day. ...

References

BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC News website in June 2007. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Fairytale of New York lyrics — The Pogues' discography
• Lyrics and chords
• "Sold on Song" article — BBC Radio 2