Fairytale of New York should be banned from radio

[Alrighteo]

This is from one of the UK tabolids

Oh let’s just ban everything. 😂

This is a poignant and melancholic STORY set to music (beautiful music). It’s not a guidebook for how one should live one’s life.

Get a grip if you want to ‘ban’ it.

Did anyone see the documentary about the making of the song? It was very interesting and entertaining. Shane McGowan did not look well - but then what's new?

So what makes a song a Christmas song if not a song that’s about a Christmas for two people?

"I do think we should take on board how a lot of members of the LGBT community feel about that song, and not enthusiastically sing along to that particular F word"

It isn't a festive song, it's a savage song - Faggot is a line in character, and as it is based in Irish Trad folk song an Irish word (faggot meaning waster or arsehole) is valid. Americans don't get to define every word ('faggot' as a homophobic insult being very American)

Ugh it’s a shite song and reminds me of all the Irish weddings I’ve been to where we get to that point in the night where everyone is shushed for cousin grainne to sing.

I mean really most Christmas songs are absolute shite...but that doesn't mean they aren't lovely to listen to. Christmas music (for me anyway) seems to be more than the sum of its parts. It has meaning and nostalgia and so many Christmassy memories of family and friends embedded within it. I'll never stop listening to it!

Should we show the same level of censorship to NWA, Dre, Snoop, Ice Cube etc?

No, lyrics come from the artist and their own experiences, and thought process. The day we start to censor music is a very sad day indeed.

redcarbluecar Yes, you nailed it.

Hands up who is listening to it now because of this thread?

I don't understand how people are saying Fairytale of New York doesn't belong as a Christmas song or that it isn't a Christmas song?

Christmas songs aren't all happy and jolly are they? There are looooads of other sad and depressing songs... Lonely This Christmas, Merry Christmas Darling, Baby Please Come Home, Please Come Home for Christmas, Blue Christmas, Someday at Christmas....the list goes on and on.

I think as far as most people are concerned, a Christmas song is any song which is about the Christmas/NY period and references it in the lyrics, which this clearly does.

Hand up.

Here is a list of 25 things you probably didn't know about Fairytale of New York.

The one that I didn't realise was that the NYPD doesn't actually have a choir....

I'm also LGBT. Meh. Its a well loved song and there's no need to police the crap out of everything.

Oops! Forgot to include the link to the 25 things

Here you go now.

www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/25-things-you-didnt-know-about-fairytale-of-new-york-778774

ffs if stay another day by east 17 is considered a Christmas song then so is this!

Oh no, I love the FTONY.
One of my absolute favourites.

It's beautifully raw.

The lyrics are depressing so not sure it should be a christmas song

Its one of my favourite songs

A song that i find depressing is I believe in Father Christmas

They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on earth
But instead it just kept on raining
A veil of tears for the virgin birth
I remember one Christmas morning
A winter's light and a distant choir
And the peal of a bell and that Christmas tree smell
And their eyes full of tinsel and fire
They sold me a dream of Christmas
They sold me a silent night
And they told me a fairy story
'Till I believed in the Israelite
And I believed in father Christmas
And I looked to the sky with excited eyes
'Till I woke with a yawn in the first light of dawn
And I saw him and through his disguise
I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave new year
All anguish, pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear
They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on earth
Hallelujah, Noel be it heaven or hell
The Christmas we get we deserve

Especially the last two line...I’d happily ban this song

(Not really, but it is depressing)

I don’t think it should be banned, but I do think we should take on board how a lot of members of the LGBT community feel about that song, and not enthusiastically sing along to that particular F word

in that case we also need to take on board how females feel about being referred to as "sexy bitches" and "hoes" in every other bastard song

Here here!

I'm all for beeping offensive words out, but lets not pretend this song is worse than many others.

Christmas songs aren't all happy and jolly are they?

My personal favourite, 'Daddy, Please Don't Get Drunk This Christmas'.

Hand up!
Plugging in my earphones and pretending to watch a seminar presentation - at work

I love blurred lines as well. Not so keen on some rap lyrics in stuff like jason derulo's talk dirty to me 'sold out arenas, you can suck my penis'

Alex Dyke (in the article) is quoted as saying ""I think Christmas songs should be about excited children, toys, Christmas trees, snowy streets, ski lodges, reindeer, wrapping paper, Santa, family, peace on earth and love".

How nice for Slex Dyke. I have no idea what ski lodges have to do with Christmas myself, and the only songs I like about Santa are Kevin 'Bloody' Wilson's 'Santa Claus You Cunt' and Weird All Yankovich's 'The Night Santa Went Crazy'*. Would some tabloid like to publish my random opinions for clicks?

*I jest, but not much.

My other top 3 Christmas songs that aren’t definitely aren’t John Lewis ads are

Frank Kelly- 12 days of Christmas
Grandma got run over by a reindeer
I want a hippopotamus for Xmas

Hand up!

And I cried.

It’s a bittersweet song. Just because it’s not all “happy Christmas hunz” that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its merits.

It's a Christmas song because it is set at Christmas. And for many people Christmas is not a time of happy families. Spending a long enforced period if down time with someone if there are already cracks i the relationship can be emotionally draining, more so when all around you there is pressure for the perfect holiday, and you have memories of better times before it all went wrong.
The song is perfect at showing that.