The Pogues – Fairytale Of New York
The Pogues – “Fairytale of New York”
This 1987 ode to those for whom the holidays aren’t necessarily happy comes from legendary Irish band The Pogues. The song tells a tale of an Irish immigrant couple confronting addictions and failed dreams at Christmastime in the Big Apple. With vocals by troubled Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan and the late, great British songstress Kirsty MacColl, the tune has made it on many best-Christmas-song lists over the years, particularly in the U.K.