Fairytale of New York is absolutely my favourite Christmas song. And although it’s a great recording, Kirsty McColl and Shane MacGowan actually recorded their individual parts separately and only sang together in live performances.
Quite appropriately SMacG was born on Christmas Day. Drunk and/or drugged and slurred, or sober and articulate, he was always entertaining anytime I heard him interviewed. Many in the music business consider/ed him a brilliant lyricist. FoNY never made it to No.1 in the UK but has reappeared in the charts practically every year since it was first released.
R.I.P. Shane MacGowan