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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

Posted on 12/08/2023 9:49:47 AM PST by DallasBiff

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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.

1 posted on 12/08/2023 9:49:47 AM PST by DallasBiff
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To: DallasBiff

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


2 posted on 12/08/2023 9:58:59 AM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: DallasBiff

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.


3 posted on 12/08/2023 10:03:27 AM PST by discostu (like a dog being shown a card trick)
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To: DallasBiff

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


4 posted on 12/08/2023 10:04:16 AM PST by j.havenfarm (22 years on Free Republic, 12/10/22! more then 6500 replies and still not shutting up!)
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To: DallasBiff

“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?


5 posted on 12/08/2023 10:15:14 AM PST by moreisee (The Media is the enemy.)
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To: discostu

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


6 posted on 12/08/2023 10:20:09 AM PST by Trailerpark Badass (“There should be a whole lot more going on than throwing bleach,” said one woman)
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To: Trailerpark Badass

I like the Kinks’ “Father Christmas”.


7 posted on 12/08/2023 10:21:13 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: DallasBiff

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.


8 posted on 12/08/2023 10:24:14 AM PST by RightOnTheBorder
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To: Trailerpark Badass

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.


9 posted on 12/08/2023 10:25:25 AM PST by discostu (like a dog being shown a card trick)
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To: moreisee
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

10 posted on 12/08/2023 10:35:05 AM PST by Robert DeLong
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To: Trailerpark Badass
all those Brit Christmas songs are insipid.

You can add Elton John's "Step Into Christmas"/"Ho Ho Ho"
11 posted on 12/08/2023 10:38:28 AM PST by Dr. Sivana ("If you can’t say something nice . . . say the Rosary." [Red Badger])
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To: DallasBiff

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.


12 posted on 12/08/2023 10:44:43 AM PST by BudgieRamone (Everybody loves a bonk on the head)
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To: DallasBiff
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

13 posted on 12/08/2023 10:46:41 AM PST by Robert DeLong
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To: DallasBiff

I love the song. Have performed it many times.


14 posted on 12/08/2023 11:14:33 AM PST by Sirius Lee (They intend to murder us. Prep if you want to live and live like you are prepping for eternal life)
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To: RightOnTheBorder

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.


15 posted on 12/08/2023 11:29:59 AM PST by Farmerbob
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To: dfwgator

yup...


16 posted on 12/08/2023 11:54:30 AM PST by Chode (there is no fall back position, there's no rally point, there is no LZ... we're on our own. #FJB)
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To: DallasBiff
Because it used the phase "you lousy ol faggot"
17 posted on 12/08/2023 12:28:59 PM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (Keep America Beautiful by keeping Canadian Trash Out. Deport Jennifer Granholm!)
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To: DallasBiff

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


18 posted on 12/08/2023 1:45:06 PM PST by TalBlack (We have a Christian duty and a patriotic duty. God help us.)
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To: dfwgator

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


19 posted on 12/08/2023 1:46:41 PM PST by Deaf Smith (When a Texan takes his chances, chances will be taken that's for sure.)
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To: discostu
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.

20 posted on 12/08/2023 1:59:20 PM PST by Trailerpark Badass (“There should be a whole lot more going on than throwing bleach,” said one woman)
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