Dec. 13, 2024

A Christmas Song: The Pogues (feat. Kirsty MacColl) - "Fairytale of New York"

Show Notes
Transcript

This gritty narrative exhumes how The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl's "Fairytale of New York" became a profane yuletide epiphany. Tracing Shane MacGowan's punk poet roots in 70s East London birthing their anarchic Irish folk-rock, it explores the song's brutal vignettes of holiday squalor and romantic dysfunction heralding a season's redeeming grace. Deconstructing MacGowan and MacColl's combative gender roles battling towards the bridge's transcendent promise of rebirth, the episode consecrates "Fairytale" as the outcast's bacchanal exorcising yule malaise before sacred communion. For the faithful, MacGowan's howls remain eternal punk scripture for stumbling back towards divine Christmas illumination yearly.

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Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!

Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!

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Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com

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The hit maker Chronicles now has merch hats, mugs, t

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shirts all with the podcast logo. We have free shipping

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O r O g A dot com or look for

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the link in the show notes. It all supports us

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here behind the scenes of the show and really appreciate it.

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Thanks Calaroga Shark Media. In the hallowed cannon of contemporary

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holiday music's most raucous and emotionally transcendent anthems, nothing quite

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stirs the spirit like the Pogues and Kirsty McCall's immortal

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Fairytale of New York. From those first haunting piano notes

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and Shane McGowan's opening lament about being in a drunk tank,

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we're immediately submerged in a gritty, shattered snow globe portrait

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of a yuleta where human frailties are laid bare, yet

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still glimmer with grace. This was no twinkling seasonal confection.

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No fairy Tale of New York arrived like a raw,

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profane ballad echoing from some back alley on a snowy night.

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A gritty ode that captures the season's potential to heal

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even the most broken spirits struggling through addiction, disappointment, and

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lost dreams. To understand the magic and mythology behind this

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unlikely Christmas classic, we must journey to London. In the

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early eighties, when Shane McGowan assembled The Pogues, their wild

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fusion of traditional Irish folk and punk energy set them

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apart in the music scene, with McGowan's unvarnished lyricism giving

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voice to outcasts and wanderers, delivered with a rawness that

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defied convention. McGowan was the quintessential voice of the Pogues,

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penning songs about life's outcasts with an unflinching honesty. His

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lyrics often reflected the struggles of the downtrodden, delivered with

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a ferocit that could both charm and unsettle, creating a

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blend of sorrow and spirit that set the stage for

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fairy Tale of New York, which is precisely what allowed

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this song to transcend holiday novelty status upon its release

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in nineteen eighty seven on The Pogue's seminal album, If

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I Should Fall from Grace with God, McGowan's verses evoke

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memories of past holiday hardships, weaving a story of two

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lost souls who find themselves grappling with broken dreams. Yet

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it's McCall's voice offering a sharp counterpoint that gives the

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song its emotional balance, her candid retorts and moments of

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vulnerability cutting as deeply as McGowan's jaded humor. Together, their

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duet becomes a battle of wits that explores romantic disillusionment, regret,

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and dashed hopes in a way few holiday songs dare.

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The magic arrives with the Bridge's wistful melody, where the

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promise of a better tomorrow the Boys of the NYPD

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Choir offers a glimmer of redemption, as if one last

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Christmas miracle could save them both. What Fairytale captures isn't

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just the dark underbelly of holiday dysfunction. It's a punk

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hymn that speaks to every outsider's hope for renewal, inviting

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those haunted by past mistakes to rediscover a spark of

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light in the depths of winter. McGowan's raw delivery, paired

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with the song's soaring celtic melody, refuses to shy away

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from life's messiness, insisting that salvation can still be found

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amidst the chaos. In that unforgettable refrain where McGowan and

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McColl trade bitter lines, but the melody swells with hope,

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they capture the spirit every troubled heart seeks in December,

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the longing for warmth, connection, and a sense of belonging

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amid the holiday's rituals. More in a moment, so while

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the Fairytale of New York has become a raucous pub standard,

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embraced for its raw portrayal of seasonal shortcomings, it's that

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moment of unexpected tenderness that elevates it into a timeless anthem.

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It's a song that speaks to the messiness of life

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and love, yet holds out the hope that the holidays

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can still offer a measure of redemption. Three decades later,

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revisiting the rough and tumble world of fairy Tale's characters

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only reinforces its enduring power to turn even the darkest

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moments into something profoundly moving, Whether grappling with family dysfunction,

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seasonal sadness, or simply searching for a reason to hope.

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The Pogues and McColl offer a path back to the

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light through their unvarnished storytelling and fierce melodies. Ultimately, that's

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the lasting gift of Fairytale of New York, the belief

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that no matter how far we've fallen or how lost

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we feel, the spirit of the season remains to offer

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us a chance at renewal. As McGowan's weathered voice pleads

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for one last chance and McColl's harmonies rise like a

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distant star, we are reminded that even in our darkest hours,

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there's a promise of redemption carried within the song's melody.

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So pull up a stool and raise a glass to

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the misfits, the broken hearted, and those seeking a second chance.

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Whether struggling with the ghosts of past mistakes or just

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needing a reminder that you're not alone. Let this imperfect

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Christmas ballad be the reminder that grace is never entirely

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out of reach. For as Shane and Kirsty channel the

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essence of every lost soul, you'll feel the spark of

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renewal kindling inside, the promise that when the darkest night

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gives way to dawn, there is a chance to emerge

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into the morning light, transformed, unburdened, ready to embrace the

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season's promise of a fresh start. Every regret fades as

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you sway to their bitter sweet Carol, ready to share

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your own hard won light with a world that needs

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it now more than ever. Andrew irons and this has

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been another engaging episode of The hit Maker Chronicles. Join

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us next week as we continue to uncover the stories

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behind the songs and artists that have left an indelible

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mark on the world. The hit Maker Chronicles is a

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production of Calarogus Shark Media executive producers Mark Francis and

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John McDermott. Portions of this podcast may have been created

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with the assistance of AI