Fairytale of New York: A Christmas Classic

It was Christmas Eve, babe
In the drunk tank...

Thus begins the heartbreaking single by the Irish band the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, "Fairytale of New York," which was released in 1987. I remember catching the video by odd chance on a random video channel; it was my first glimpse of both the Pogues and Kirsty (I'd known her since she wrote Tracey Ullman's 1984 hit "They Don't Know" and sang backup for the Smiths and Morrissey) and it's a song I've loved more every year.

The story is simple--it's a duet between two washed-up folks who ruminate on their lost love and lost opportunities in the Big Apple ("When he first took my hand on a cold Christmas Eve," Kirsty sings, "He promised me Broadway was waiting for me").

If you've heard this song you'll probably remember these lyrics: You're a bum, you're a punk/You're an old slut on junk/Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed along with Merry Christmas your arse, I pray God it's our last. Not necessarily classic holiday sentiments; nonetheless, this single has gone on to become a UK Christmas tradition. It reached number 2 in the charts in '87 and will be re-released on December 19, with the proceeds from the single going to the Justice For Kirsty campaign. You see, it was that day five years ago when Kirsty MacColl was tragically killed by a speedboat while diving off the coast of Cozumel, Mexico. Her killer has never been formally sentenced and her mother, Jean MacColl, has worked tirelessly to ensure that justice be done in her daughter's death. Each year, a celebration of Kirsty's life is held at Soho Square in London. I was fortunate enough to attend this event in 2003, and during the post-ceremony singalong at a local pub, "Fairytale of New York" was sung in high spirits.

I highly encourage you to search out this song if you haven't heard it (and if you catch the video on a collection somewhere, you'll note Matt Damon plays a cameo in it). It's become one of my all-time Christmas favorites.

The boys of the NYPD choir still singing 'Galway Bay'
And the bells are ringing out for Christmas Day.