Shane MacGowan Said the Lyrics for ‘Fairytale of New York’ Came to Him While He Was Delirious With Double Pneumonia

Shane MacGowan said the miserable lyrics for The Pogues’ Christmas tune, “Fairytale of New York,” came to him while he was delirious with double pneumonia. The song might not have had the best origins, but it’s one of the most famous Christmas songs in music history.

Shane MacGowan on the origins of ‘Fairytale of New York’

There are varying accounts of the origins of “Fairytale of New York.” MacGowan told Melody Maker (per Parade) that the imagery in his duet with Kirsty MacColl came to him while experiencing delirium while having double pneumonia.

MacGowan also maintains that their friend Elvis Costello wagered the singer that he couldn’t write a Christmas duet to sing with the bass player Cait O’Riordan. MacGown showed him. Not to mention he was born on Christmas.

According to the Independent, accordion player James Fearnley claimed that the band’s manager Frank Murray suggested they cover The Band’s 1977 song “Christmas Must be Tonight.”

“It was an awful song,” Fearnley wrote in his memoir Here Comes Everybody: The Story of The Pogues. “We probably said, ‘F*** that, we’ll do our own.'”

The not-so-Christmassy lyrics include a gay slur and have caused multiple bans on the radio. However, McGowan defended the r-rated language to the Independent, saying, “Not all characters in songs and stories are angels.” 

Parade wrote, “Regardless, the characters here are clearly gripping enough to have returned the song onto the British charts every year since its release.”

Elvis Costello suggested a different title

Parade writes, “No one expects a holiday song to be a plot-heavy period piece starring two addicts who argue constantly and curse up a storm. Then again, neither would you expect such a piece to end up as funny, moving and, ultimately, warm as this gem, created by Ireland’s The Pogues.

“Perhaps it’s that unexpected combination that made this 1987 recording the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century in the U.K. as well as a radio staple stateside.”

MacGown told Mojo, “Kirsty knew exactly the right measure of viciousness and femininity and romance to put into it and she had a very strong character and it came across in a big way… In operas, if you have a double aria, it’s what the woman does that really matters. The man lies, the woman tells the truth.”

When the frontman finished his delirium-inspired “festive” song, Costello initially suggested they call “Fairytale of New York” “Christmas Eve in the Drunk Tank.” Instead, McGowan named it after a 1973 novel by J.P. Donleavy.

‘Fairytale of New York’ is about any couple down on their luck

MacGowan’s long-time partner and biographer, Victoria Mary Clark,e told the Irish Times that “Fairytale of New York” is “really, the story could apply to any couple who went anywhere and found themselves down on their luck.”

That’s one way of looking at the song. The single has never been the U.K. Christmas No. 1. It made it to No. 2 on its original release in 1987 with the Pet Shop Boys‘ cover of “Always on My Mind” taking No. 1. Since then, the song has reached the U.K. Top 20 on 19 separate occasions, including every year sing 2005.

As of 2017, it had sold 1.2 million copies in the U.K. In December 2022, the song was certified quintuple platinum in the U.K. for 3 million combined sales.

“Fairytale of New York” might not be a traditional Christmas song, but it has made waves during the holiday season.