Fairytale of New York is 25

How is Shane McGowan still alive?

MrStuffins wrote: »

How is Shane McGowan still alive?

Zombie Apocalyse patient zero. He's yet to hit Stage 5b.

21st of Dec it all kicks off.

It's one of my favourites, but for me it's this,

Hate that poxy song. And it gets played to death every Christmas.

I like the song, hearing it once or twice at Christmas is nice, but it's played so often that it loses it's appeal.

Hard to believe, but Kirsty McColl will be dead 12 years on the 18th of this month, too. RIP

starbelgrade wrote: »

For some reason that song is always voted the "Best Christmas Song Ever".

It's not the worst song ever, but certainly not the best... and after 25 years, I find it grating.

It started to grate on me around 1993

Glad to see I'm not the only one who hates the song.

I hate and detest this song.

The story in the song reminds me of the miserableness of life for some of the older Irish men I met when I first went to London in the mid 80s. Married men in their 50s and 60s working like dogs all week on building sites, living in disgusting shared houses with young lads (who still had the advantage of hope and the optimism of youth) in order to save money, and sending their wages home every week to their struggling families back in Ireland, keeping only a few pounds back so they could sit over a few pints in dingy pubs like The George in Southall on a Friday and Saturday night wishing they were back home in their own houses with their wives and children and not knowing when they'd be able to return home for good to their real lives. I think people have forgotten that it wasn't only the young and single that left Ireland back in those days in order to earn some money.

That song, for me, embodies all the hopelessness, anguish and dead ends that some of the Irish have suffered through having to leave their country to seek employment abroad. I can't bear to listen to it.

up for anything wrote: »

I hate and detest this song.

The story in the song reminds me of the miserableness of life for some of the older Irish men I met when I first went to London in the mid 80s. Married men in their 50s and 60s working like dogs all week on building sites, living in disgusting shared houses with young lads (who still had the advantage of hope and the optimism of youth) in order to save money, and sending their wages home every week to their struggling families back in Ireland, keeping only a few pounds back so they could sit over a few pints in dingy pubs like The George in Southall on a Friday and Saturday night wishing they were back home in their own houses with their wives and children and not knowing when they'd be able to return home for good to their real lives. I think people have forgotten that it wasn't only the young and single that left Ireland back in those days in order to earn some money.

That song, for me, embodies all the hopelessness, anguish and dead ends that some of the Irish have suffered through having to leave their country to seek employment abroad. I can't bear to listen to it.

On the bright side at least you've never heard this version before!

up for anything wrote: »

I hate and detest this song.

The story in the song reminds me of the miserableness of life for some of the older Irish men I met when I first went to London in the mid 80s. Married men in their 50s and 60s working like dogs all week on building sites, living in disgusting shared houses with young lads (who still had the advantage of hope and the optimism of youth) in order to save money, and sending their wages home every week to their struggling families back in Ireland, keeping only a few pounds back so they could sit over a few pints in dingy pubs like The George in Southall on a Friday and Saturday night wishing they were back home in their own houses with their wives and children and not knowing when they'd be able to return home for good to their real lives. I think people have forgotten that it wasn't only the young and single that left Ireland back in those days in order to earn some money.

That song, for me, embodies all the hopelessness, anguish and dead ends that some of the Irish have suffered through having to leave their country to seek employment abroad. I can't bear to listen to it.

You've kinda summed up the sheer tragic greatness of the superb song.