Ace Audio: "Fairytale of New York" - The Pogues ft. Kristy MacColl

Well, 'tis the time of year for pop stars to sing the time-tested carols for the consumers to eat up. The vast majority of Christmas music is mostly just covers of classic Christmas songs, not that any of them are bad, in fact with the right people, you can make a really good version of the classic. As much as I would love to cover one of the classics on this blog, I actually want to start with one of my personal favourite Christmas tunes. A popular gem from the 1980s known as "Fairy Tale of New York".

This is not my favourite Christmas song because it hasn't been covered by thousands of people, this is my favourite because it is not all "happy, joyous, and all that stuff." It starts off with a slow piano and a droning singer, and when I say droning, I mean he extends most of his lines, like "It was CHIIISTMAAS EEEVE BAAAABE." as a fair example. This is not a hindrance to the song though, as it helps establish the mood and tone of the song pretty much as the song starts, which means the rest of the song can be dedicated to the events of the song.

The song tells a story, and I love it when a song does this. This particular story is about an Irish immigrant couple, whose lives are ruined by addictions and bickering.

The opening does start off slow and somber, but after a little bit (about a minute in) the song adds some string instruments and Kristy MacColl offers her vocal talents. The sound is a good juxtaposition to the kind of depressing lyrics, although the first verse and chorus are pretty happy. I mean, the two reminisce about meeting, saying "You were handsome/ You were pretty, queen of New York City." and "We kissed on the corner, then danced through the night". It is a pretty joyous part of the song.

However, after that the song becomes pretty depressing. Now the two are throwing insults at each other, and wishing this was their last Christmas together. This portion of the song caused a little bit of controversy, although I think censoring the lyrics kind of ruins the portion. Also keep in mind that the particular word they use, has a different meaning in different places, especially in the U.K. where the band is from. This is also made a bit more clear by adding the words "Cheap, lousy" at the beginning, implying uselessness, which is generally what you would not want in a small bundle of sticks or a cigarette. Although, yeah it could be a slur, I wasn't a British person in 1980's I was barely even a sperm cell.

The final portion of the song is slower than the others, it is probably where the guy is trying to get the girl back, but it is not made very clear because of the length before the chorus. Seriously, there are like three of four lines and then BAM, "The boys of the NYPD Choir were singing Galway Bay," and then instrumentals. It still is a nice part of the song, but maybe one of two more lyrics could have made it stronger, or maybe made the song worse I don't know, I did not write it.

While I am on the subject, I do love the chorus, it is short, but gives a nice image, and I love the lines "And the bells were ringing out, for Christmas day." it just makes me feel good.

If you're tired of the usual Christmas carols and want something less like "It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas" than I would recommend this one. It sounds like no other holiday song I've ever heard, and does not use the holiday as an excuse to make a happy song. A lot can happen on Christmas, lots of good and lots of bad, and this song perfectly shows that.

I'm the Entity of Darkness, and Happy Holidays to everyone, and I wish you a grand new year, hopefully it will turn out better than this.