True story of Fairytale of New York and unrequited 'mad love' of Shane MacGowan
Shane McGowan,'s wife today announced that the beloved singer has died at the age of 65 after spending the last few weeks of his life in and out of hospital.
Following decades in the industry, beloved for his music and colourful personality, Shane will perhaps best be remembered for the 1987 hit Fairytale of New York which has become one of the nation's best loved Christmas songs - despite never making it to the number one spot.
The story of two lovers bickering on Christmas Eve in New York City has become a staple for fans preferring to celebrate what has become the 'anti-Christmas song' thanks to its biting lyrics celebrating love in times of crushing disappointment.
Despite the songs place as a firm Christmas classic, many fans may not know the true origins of the song. The track almost didn't come to air following a series of rows among its many contributors.
Fairytale of New York was originally penned in 1985, though there is a huge debate about how it came to be. The Pogues frontman Shane maintained the song started out as a bet when the Irish band's producer at the time Elvis Costello joked they'd never be able to write a Christmas single.
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This version of events has been argued by The Pogues' manager Frank Murray who previously claimed it was his idea to set the band to work on a festive track, predicting it would have an 'interesting' sound. Pogues accordion-player James Fearnley previously said Murray suggest they cover they cover the Band's 1977 song Christmas Must be Tonight prompted the group to think: "It was an awful song. We probably said, f**k that, we can do our own."
Whatever the inspiration, the Pogues were said to be in huge disagreement with the results of the final number and after a series of charged rows, the song was shelved indefinitely, before being brought back to life years later when MacGowan finally took a trip to 'magical' New York City.
Banjo player and writer Jem Finer says he came up with the original concept for the song - a sailor pining for his wife at Christmas - however his wife Marcia did not like the idea and branded it 'corny'. She suggested the song take inspiration from a couple rowing at Christmas. He recalled: "So I said OK, you suggest a storyline and I'll write another one. The basic plotline came from her: this idea of a couple falling on hard times and coming eventually to some redemption." He says there's a "secret history" to the story: "a true story of some mutual friends living in New York."
"I had written two songs complete with tunes, one had a good tune and crap lyrics, the other had the idea for 'Fairytale' but the tune was poxy, I gave them both to Shane and he gave it a Broadway melody, and there it was."
MacGowan named the song after the JP 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. The book told tha story of a bereaved Irish-American's return home from Ireland to Manhattan. Shane visited the author to get his blessing to "borrow" the title.
The song that transpired tells the story of an Irish Immigrant's telling stories of Christmases past, including a night sleeping off a drink binge in one of New York City's drunk tanks.
The song continues as a conversation between the man and his spirited partner, which was later brought to life by Kirsty McColl.
In 1986, MacGowan's band toured America and after spending some time in New York for the first time he was inspired to rewrite the song. as it best known today. "Really, the story could apply to any couple who went anywhere and found themselves down on their luck," he told The Guardian.
Speaking of his first days exploring the Big Apple, MacGowan said: "It was a hundred times more exciting in real life than we ever dreamed it could be!" says MacGowan. "It was even more like New York than the movies!"
Writing in his memoir, Pogues bandmember Jem looked back on the process of creating Fairytale of New York, recalling: "A stable perception was never reachable as to whether Shane was a genius or a fucking idiot." There is the public image of MacGowan as a wayward alcoholic with a bombsite of a mouth and a wheezing ghost of a laugh. Then there is the clever, diligent craftsman who sweated for two years to make Fairytale of New York perfect."
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Fairytale of New York wasn't simply recorded in one session, with the song's title and lyrics constantly changed. "Every night I used to have another bash at nailing the lyrics, but I knew they weren't right," Shane told the Guardian. "It is by far the most complicated song that I have ever been involved in writing and performing. The beauty of it is that it sounds really simple."
With MacGowan inspired, the song was almost ready to record, however Cait O'Riordan had left the band in October 1986, leaving nobody to complete the duet. "I think at some point almost any female with a voice was a contender," says Finer, who says he met up with Chrissie Hynde and Suzi Quatro about taking over. "One person I certainly hadn't thought of was Kirsty [MacColl] and I don't think anyone else had.
Kirsty MacColl and Shane MacGowan of The Pogues (Copyright unknown)After hearing Kirsty's vocals, MacGowan was so impressed that he insisted on re-recording his own: "I was madly in love with Kirsty from the first time I saw her on Top Of The Pops. She was a genius in her own right and she was a better producer than he was! She could make a song her own and she made Fairytale her own."
However, the love was unrequited as Kirsty was happily married to Steve Lillywhite - the songs producer - at the time - who had encouraged her to take on the duet.
MacGowan' sister Siobhan exposed his feelings towards Kirsty in an RTE documentary. She said: “Shane liked Kirsty a lot, in lots of different ways. They got on very, very well. Kirsty would be Shane’s type of girl; ballsy and down-to-earth and gave as good as she got.”
She wasn't the only one who noticed the attraction, with MacGowan's then girlfriend Victoria May Clarke ( who he went on to marry) noticing a connection between them. Speaking in the same TV documentary, she said: "I guess I was jealous of Kirsty with good reason because Shane really fancied her as well."
Kirsty tragically died in a horrific boating accident in December 2000, as she holidayed in Mexico with her sons Jamie and Louis, who were 15 and 13 at the time of the tragedy. A statement at the time said: "The accident happened when Kirsty, a keen diver, was hit by a speedboat travelling illegally in an area reserved for swimmers. Her two children were with her in the water at the time, but both of them are alright.”
Speaking of his mother's part in the historic Christmas song, Louis said: "He said: “My dad is Steve Lillywhite who was married to my mum Kirsty MacColl and he produced Fairytale of New York. She was very involved. She was a great Mum. I think music was in her DNA from her dad Ewan MacColl, a famously socialist songwriter.
"I think the character she played in the song was very representative of the kind of person she was. She was incredibly feisty, quite brutal at times but in a very honest, very good way. She didn’t let people walk all over her."
When the song was released it became even bigger than the musicians behind the song. "It's like Fairytale of New York went off and inhabited its own planet," Pogues accordion-player James Fearnley previously said.
The song remains as popular as ever, with bookies predicting the song will be Christmas Number One for 2023. Alex Apati of Ladbrokes told the Mirror: "The Pogues were already clear favourites for this year's festive top spot, before this morning's tragic news. We'd be amazed - at this point - if Fairytale of New York wasn't top of the charts come Christmas Day."
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