Fairytale of New York?

[OnlyHereForTheChristmasBoard]

I don't seem to have heard this song anywhere this year, or is is just me? Admittedly I haven't been out and about that much, but I'm just wondering if it's maybe having a dip in popularity.

I listen to a lot of German Christmas radio and also some from Eastern Europe e.g. Poland, and on the stations that play English-language songs FONY never features - maybe it doesn't fit in with a more classic Christmas sensibility, iyswim?

I know a lot of people can't stand this song, but I've always had a soft spot for it. Shane MacGowan was born on Christmas Day, of course - RIP.

I heard it on the radio the other day. They’ve changed “you cheap lousy faggot” to “you’re cheap and you’re haggard” 🙄

I’ve heard both versions. The original and the one with the edited lines

It’s been on Radio 2 twice this morning. Always on my Xmas playlist.

my dad thought it was two different songs for years

I was thinking exactly the same as you OP. Thought it must have been cancelled. I don’t think I’ve heard it once in spite of my daughter having the car radio permanently tuned to a Christmas station since mid November.

GH Radio play the "updated/inoffensive" version regularly.
Luckily we have the original version on our Christmas Hits CD so faggot gets an airing.

It’s all over the radio as usual, though now it’s the “inoffensive” version which offends me and find bloody annoying. Sadly it’s a rare brave radio station that plays the original version these days.

Heard it loads on the Beeb and our local stations.

The one I'm not hearing much is Slade and Wizzard. Two classics but nowhere to be heard.

Fairytale of new york is overrated. Wizard and Stop The Cavalry are the best Christmas songs.

Christmasfm Classical has the NY Gay Men’s Chorus version in it’s rotation.

I’ve heard it lots! It’s a pretty sad story.

Heard it loads.

The best edited version, of course, is 'You scumbag, you maggot, you taped over Taggart'

I haven’t heard it either! I’ve been blaming that on the reason why I don’t feel christmassy 😆

Kirsty MacColl started singing that change in lyric around 1991. And a lot of the remaining members of the band prefer that lyric to be used.

You will have to go somewhere else for your seasonal homophobic slur.

I've heard it a few times on the radio. Mainly the edited version these days.

That's an old recording, not new, done by the original singer, designed as the radio edit.

Agree, with this - when we know better, we should do better.

They've already played it twice on Radio 1. The constant Xmas music is doing my head in now.

They play it but they blank out the word "faggot". I prefer the clean version to doing that, it doesn't have the jarring break.

My favourite is also "you scumbag, you maggot, you taped over Taggart" & I'm glad the homophobic slur has gone, it was my hesitation about the song.

So many homophobic posters on Mumsnet! Who'd have thought. Bet they enjoy the original lyrics to Eeny Meeny Miney Mo as well.

I haven't seen anyone being homophobic. Quite the opposite, most want the offensive terms changed.

I heard it only once this year when I was out. We all sung along in the pub and it was the orginal version. I don't listen to radio much though and I haven't been in many shops or anything either.

"They’ve changed “you cheap lousy faggot” to “you’re cheap and you’re haggard” 🙄"

"Luckily we have the original version on our Christmas Hits CD so faggot gets an airing."

"Sadly it’s a rare brave radio station that plays the original version these days."

3 on the first page.

I love Fairytale of New York, I've definitely heard it a few times on our local radio station and I heard Slade this morning while we had the radio on in the kitchen baking our mince pies. I'd much rather hear the old classics than this year's dire offering from Kylie.

I've heard it a lot on Irish radio but didn't listen closely enough to discern which version they are playing.

From what I understand "f*ggot" in Ireland back then didn't mean what it does today (i.e. an offensive term for a gay man, that meaning comes from American culture), it meant lazy or useless.