Rhiannon Ingle
We're a few days into December now and a little under three weeks away from Christmas Day itself.
No doubt, you'll have heard a relentless loop of all popular festive tunes as of late, with classics like 'Santa Baby', 'Last Christmas' and 'Jingle Bell Rock' blasted in your offices, work parties, bars, restaurants and just about everywhere else in between.
But there are a few throwback songs in particular which don't seem to have aged as well as others, including none other than 'Fairytale of New York' - the 1988 track by British band The Pogues, featuring singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl on vocals.
Now, the duet's lyrics are about an Irish immigrant couple who moved to the US and had fallen on hard times before eventually coming to some redemption, and despite its quite bleak themes, it is still widely considered by many to be the greatest Christmas song ever.
Advert
What makes the song offensive to some people is the following lyrics, which contain a homophobic slur.
They go: "You’re a bum, you’re a punk, you’re an old slut on junk / Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed."
MacColl then chimes in, singing: "You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap, lousy f*ggot / Happy Christmas, your a*se, I pray God it’s our last."
However, it's important to note that the term 'f*ggot' has two different meanings, with a Guardian report explaining: "In old Irish slang 'f*ggot' means a bundle of sticks, and hence a lazy person."
With that said, though, The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan did previously address the controversy surrounding 'Fairytale of New York' by defending the lyrics as authentic to the characters and the song's narrative.
While MacGowan initially stated he was 'absolutely fine' with radio stations bleeping the word, he also defended the use of the homophobic slur as part of the song's depiction of a rough, desperate character, claiming there was 'no political correctness to it'.
He and the band have consistently argued that the lyric is meant to reflect the time and place, not to endorse homophobia.
“I’ve been told it’s insulting to gays. I don’t understand how that works. Nobody in the band thinks that’s worth a second’s thought," MacGowan said in 2019 on Ireland’s Late Late Show.
Some people stated their issues with the song very clearly.
"Hearing the homophobic version of Fairytale in New York still out and about in the 20s..." lamented one social media user.
A second wrote: "Absolutely awful day for your homophobic uncle who sings that bit in Fairytale of New York a bit harder than everyone else."
"I do tend to dislike the fact that this song uses a slur against people like me, but I understand this may be an old song & the slur may have meant something else," commented a third.
And a fourth, referencing the fact the songwriter's re-wrote some of the lyrics to make it more friendly, like the line 'You’re cheap and you’re haggard' in place of the homophobic slurs, pointed out: "I think what a lot of people forget about the Shane MacGowan-approved re-dub of Fairytale Of New York is that it's not fair to Karens and Lads who adore drunkenly shouting homophobic slurs at the work Christmas do and feel that it's an excusable scenario."
Others, however, didn't entirely agree with one writing: "This is the best Christmas song ever made!"
"Proud lesbian saying y'all straight ppl can say it just don’t call anyone it," declared a second, while a third chimed in: "As a lesbian, this is the only acceptable time to scream it."
A fourth questioned: "Wait, it's offensive? I've been singing this since I was like 5!"
"The song's a banger though, my dad blasts it on the Alexa every Christmas on his Christmas playlist," maintained another.
And a final social media user wrote: "Annual reminder: Anyone offended by a certain word in 'Fairytale of New York' please take a long hard look at yourself. I'm a proud married gay man, and I'm not offended by it.
"Neither the connotation nor context is homophobic in the song. Grow up! There's many things in our society worthy of your outrage. Some of which actually are in the song 'FTONY', like alcoholism, homelessness, drug abuse, suicide, and misogyny.
"So rather than being constantly offended (often on other people's behalf) how about using that energy in positive ways? Let's concentrate on alleviating those real pressing issues in our society whilst also counting our blessings."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]