The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale Of New York’ Song, Explained

This morning, November 30, news broke that The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan has died at 65 years old. The iconic Irish rocker’s wife, Victoria Clarke, confirmed his passing on Instagram, and The Pogues released a statement on the band’s official Instagram account.

“It is with the deepest sorrow and heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Shane MacGowan,” it reads. “Shane died peacefully at 3am this morning (30 November, 2023) with his wife Victoria and family by his side. Prayers and the last rites were read which gave comfort to his family. He is survived by his wife Victoria, his sister Siobhan and his father, Maurice, family and a large circle of friends. Further details will be announced shortly but the family ask for privacy at this very sad time.”

An official cause of death has not been publicly confirmed, though MacGowan was discharged from the hospital last week (as relayed by NME) and had been “in and our of medical care” since a 2015 pelvic injury that compromised his mobility (again, as per NME last December).

Fans will likely mourn MacGowan this holiday season by listening to The Pogues’ classic Christmas song, “Fairytale Of New York.” (Born on December 25, it’s only right that an eternally played Christmas song is part of MacGowan’s legacy.) Below is a refresher course.

When Did “Fairytale Of New York” Come Out?

The Pogues released “Fairytale Of New York” featuring the late Kirsty MacColl in 1987. To celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2012, the song was re-released on iTunes (what a relic) and on limited-edition 7″ vinyl.

According to The Independent, “it took more than two years to perfect,” and “the title was chosen after the song had been written and recorded, lifted from the titleof Irish American author JP Donleavy’s novel A Fairy Tale Of New York.”

What Has Shane MacGowan Said About “Fairytale Of New York”?

In December 2012, MacGowan participated in an oral history of “Fairytale Of New York” by The Guardian and shared that the song started when Elvis Costello told him he didn’t think MacGowan could write a Christmas duet to sing with Costello’s wife, Cait O’Riordan, who was also The Pogues’ bass player. He also confirmed that Costello had initially suggested titling the song “Christmas Day In The Drunk Tank,” but MacGowan didn’t like the name.

This excerpt from The Guardian piece pulls back the curtain on the song’s meaning:

“‘The guy is a bum who is living on the street,’ says MacGowan. ‘And he’s just won on a horse at the unlikely odds of 18-to-one, so you’re not even sure he is telling the truth.’ He says that both characters are versions of himself. ‘I identified with the man because I was a hustler and I identified with the woman because I was a heavy drinker and a singer. I have been in hospitals on morphine drips, and I have been in drunk tanks on Christmas Eve.'”

In November 2020, MacGowan was asked by Metro why he had said he hated “Fairytale Of New York” in the film, Crock Of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane MacGowan. He responded, “I don’t hate ‘Fairytale’! I’m just a bit sick of it.” He also told the publication he felt the censored versions were “ridiculous.” As per The Independent, Radio 1 removed “sl*t” and a homophobic slur sung by MacColl from radio play in 2007, and in 2018, MacGowan released a statement explaining the usage of crass language, which can be seen below:

How Has “Fairytale Of New York” Charted?

According to Billboard, “Fairytale Of New York” has made it “in the UK’s top 20 19 times since its release, perennially charting around Christmastime and peaking at No. 2 on the UK charts during the year of its release.” As for the Billboard charts, the quirky yet sentimental ballad peaked at No. 4 on The Official UK Singles Chart (in January 2019), No. 5 on Euro Digital Song Sales (December 2007), No. 5 on Ireland Songs (December 2022), No. 6 on UK Songs (December 2022), No. 8 on UK Digital Song Sales (December 2020), No. 9 on Alternative Digital Song Sales (December 2022), No. 22 on Holiday Digital Song Sales (October 2011), and No. 24 on Rock Digital Song Sales (January 2021).