{"id":9025,"date":"2011-12-19T09:42:39","date_gmt":"2011-12-19T09:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.badreputation.org.uk\/?p=9025"},"modified":"2011-12-19T09:42:39","modified_gmt":"2011-12-19T09:42:39","slug":"christmas-songnerd-fairytale-of-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badreputation.org.uk\/2011\/12\/19\/christmas-songnerd-fairytale-of-new-york\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas
Songnerd: Fairytale of New York"},"content":{"rendered":"
<p>
  Here we are again, with another round! If you&#8217;ve not been keeping up,
  Christmas Songnerd is my attempt at some little case studies on some of the
  &#8216;Christmas classics&#8217; currently assaulting your ears as you forge a
  path through the hordes of your local shopping centre. You may hate all
  Christmas music, or you may love it \u2013 personally I\u2019ve never minded
  it much \u2013 but pop singles are like miniature time capsules, so examining
  their gender politics and the culture they were produced in is&#8230; you
  know. Interesting.<\/p>\n
</p>
<p>
  Anyway, today I&#8217;ve hauled our Rhian in to talk about
  <strong
    >Fairytale of New York<\/strong>, the Pogues&#8217; and Kirsty
    MacColl&#8217;s Christmas anthem. The following is our email discussion
    about the song, the 1980s, folk music, and class politics.<\/p>\n
    <p>Grab a whiskey.<\/p>\n</p>
    <p>
      <iframe src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wjEIP6otc4Y?rel=0\"
      frameborder=\"0\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n
    </p>
    <h3>
      Happy Christmas Your Arse<\/h3>\n
      <p>
        <strong
          >Rhian:<\/strong> I think one reason the song is so popular is because
          it seems like an oddity &#8211; it&#8217;s highly secular, the only
          mention of anything to do with Christmas is the setting, and it
          dissects romantic sentimentalism rather than replicating it &#8211;
          the lyric is of a part with the rest of the Pogues&#8217; tragicomic
          gutter-poetry dealing with addiction, nihilism, prostitution, police
          corruption and brutality. Besides making it stand out among other
          seasonal songs, this also makes it the choice of the Christmas
          refusenik. In another way, of course, its depiction of dysfunctional
          relationships, exhaustion, frustration, frayed tempers and failed
          dreams make it the perfect song for Christmas as emotional
          pressure-valve.<\/p>\n
          <p>
            <strong
              >Miranda:<\/strong> Yeah, it manages a keen balancing act of
              romantic and antiromantic, if you will &#8211; it sways between
              &#8220;I&#8217;ve built my dreams around you&#8221; and
              &#8220;you&#8217;re an old slut on junk&#8221; so deftly that I
              can never decide whether its final notes leave me depressed or
              hopeful. It&#8217;s got that whole &#8220;we&#8217;re ruined,
              irrevocably, and yet I love you&#8221; vibe, without ever straying
              into &#8216;stand by your man&#8217; territory.<\/p>\n
              <h3>
                Queen of New York City<\/h3>\n
                <p>
                  <strong
                    >Rhian:<\/strong> Kirsty&#8217;s character makes a good
                    subversive girl-next-door, overcoming taboos around female
                    profanity, the place of women in a relationship, and the
                    female as uncritically supportive of and subservient to the
                    male. (After punk, and apart from Madonna maybe, which other
                    mainstream late-80s female singers &#8211; especially
                    folk\/pop &#8211; compare with her vocal here for casual,
                    combative profanity that matches, if not outdoes, her
                    partner?)<\/p>\n
                    <p>
                      I remember watching a &#8216;Making of&#8230;&#8217;
                      documentary on this song in which one of the Pogues was
                      describing Kirsty&#8217;s efforts to overcome her
                      stagefright when doing the song on tour with them, and
                      recalled that on the first night they performed it, the
                      crowd joined in with her, rather than Shane, on the
                      <em
                        >&#8216;I could&#8217;ve been someone&#8217; \/
                        &#8216;Well, so could anyone&#8217;<\/em> rejoinder.
                        Which made me think about her part as the one with which
                        listeners identify, the long-suffering steadfast
                        partner\/friend who finally talks back, providing
                        much-needed perspective, however depressing that is, and
                        the relief and catharsis that doing so brings.
                        It&#8217;s like she speaks for all the women slaving
                        over Xmas dinner for ungrateful kids and
                        husbands.<\/p>\n
                        <p>
                          <strong
                            >Miranda:<\/strong> Although Shane&#8217;s character
                            asserts a kind of ownership of Kirsty&#8217;s dreams
                            (he&#8217;s the one who takes, builds, attempts to
                            reassure her that she sits at the centre of the
                            dream it sounds like
                            <em
                              >he<\/em> screwed up), he starts the song
                              imprisoned in the &#8220;drunk tank&#8221; &#8211;
                              implying she&#8217;s a dream, this woman, a figure
                              from times past. So maybe where she is now &#8211;
                              free, perhaps, who knows? &#8211; is left open.
                              And I think that&#8217;s another thing that
                              underpins the bittersweet, shady-grey spirit of
                              this song. It&#8217;s never clear whose story this
                              is, and there&#8217;s a real tension between her
                              narrations and his, which draw the song back to a
                              romantic, but broken, conclusion even as her
                              &#8220;I pray god it&#8217;s our last&#8221; is
                              still sort of echoing. Maybe it was, or maybe it
                              wasn&#8217;t.<\/p>\n
                              <p>
                                <strong
                                  >Rhian:<\/strong> That&#8217;s one of my
                                  favourite aspects of the song &#8211; what did
                                  happen to this couple, in the end? Does she
                                  come and pick him up from the drunk tank and
                                  bail him out after the song&#8217;s close, or
                                  has she OD&#8217;d years previously, or is she
                                  happily settled in her own life now? And yes,
                                  it nicely dodges the expected
                                  stand-by-your-man stuff. Actually it&#8217;s
                                  very even-handed in the way they both berate
                                  each other, sounding equally foul-mouthed and
                                  irritable, presumably he&#8217;s got his
                                  drinking and she&#8217;s got her junk so
                                  they&#8217;re both in the grip of addiction
                                  &#8211; again it subverts the idea of the meek
                                  and submissive female innocent under the
                                  grubby domineering male thumb.<\/p>\n
                                  <p>
                                    <strong
                                      >Miranda:<\/strong> I also like the way it
                                      takes the folk figure of the lonely
                                      drunkard singing about his old flame and
                                      brings her directly into the song to talk
                                      back.<\/p>\n
                                      <p>
                                        <strong
                                          >Rhian:<\/strong> Yes, totally &#8211;
                                          she&#8217;s one of the old
                                          ballads&#8217; idealised nebulous
                                          foils, who suddenly clears her throat
                                          and interrupts the narrative with her
                                          side of the story &#8211; making both
                                          of them more well-rounded characters
                                          by doing so.<\/p>\n
                                          <h3>
                                            Cheap, Lousy and&#8230;
                                            Haggard?<\/h3>\n
                                            <blockquote>
                                              <p>
                                                For the Top of the Pops
                                                appearance, the BBC insisted
                                                that MacColl&#8217;s singing of
                                                &#8220;arse&#8221; be replaced
                                                with the less offensive
                                                &#8220;ass&#8221;, although as
                                                she mimed the word MacColl
                                                slapped the relevant part of her
                                                body to make it clear what was
                                                meant&#8230; On December 18,
                                                2007, BBC Radio 1 put a ban on
                                                the words &#8220;faggot&#8221;
                                                and &#8220;slut&#8221; from
                                                &#8220;Fairytale of New
                                                York&#8221; to &#8220;avoid
                                                offence&#8221;.<\/p>\n
                                              </p>
                                              <p>
                                                &#8211; <a title=\"A link to the
                                                wikipedia entry for this song\"
                                                href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fairytale_of_New_York\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
                                              </p>
                                              <p>
                                                <strong
                                                  >Rhian:<\/strong> Re:
                                                  &#8216;faggot&#8217;, which
                                                  admittedly I always found
                                                  slightly incongruous in
                                                  context, Wikipedia also sez:
                                                  <em
                                                    >In his Christmas podcast,
                                                    musical comedian <\/em><a
                                                    title=\"Mitch Benn\"
                                                    href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mitch_Benn\"
                                                    target=\"_blank\"><em
                                                      >Mitch Benn<\/em><\/a><em>
                                                        commented that
                                                        &#8220;faggot&#8221; was
                                                        Irish and <\/em><a
                                                        title=\"Scouse\"
                                                        href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Scouse\"
                                                        target=\"_blank\"><em
                                                          >Liverpudlian<\/em><\/a><em>
                                                            slang for a lazy
                                                            person, and was
                                                            unrelated to the
                                                            derogatory term for
                                                            homosexuals.)<\/em>
                                                            Also, the one word
                                                            that never seems to
                                                            get dubbed out is
                                                            &#8216;punk&#8217;,
                                                            despite its
                                                            historical
                                                            application to
                                                            female prostitutes,
                                                            rent-boys and prison
                                                            &#8216;bitches&#8217;&#8230;<\/p>\n
                                                            <p>
                                                              <strong
                                                                >Miranda:<\/strong>And
                                                                I think
                                                                it&#8217;s not
                                                                impossible they
                                                                weren&#8217;t
                                                                aware of that
                                                                given that the
                                                                folk canon
                                                                &#8211; which
                                                                the MacColl
                                                                family were well
                                                                into &#8211;
                                                                does contain
                                                                dances several
                                                                hundred years
                                                                old with titles
                                                                like &#8220;the
                                                                punk&#8217;s
                                                                delight&#8221;.<\/p>\n
                                                                <p>
                                                                  <strong
                                                                    >Rhian:<\/strong>
                                                                    The use of
                                                                    &#8216;punk&#8217;
                                                                    and
                                                                    &#8216;faggot&#8217;
                                                                    &#8211;
                                                                    while the
                                                                    latter may
                                                                    not be used
                                                                    in its
                                                                    modern,
                                                                    derogatory
                                                                    sense, I
                                                                    think it
                                                                    undeniably
                                                                    carries
                                                                    those
                                                                    connotations
                                                                    &#8211;
                                                                    makes for,
                                                                    in terms of
                                                                    stereotyping,
                                                                    an odd kind
                                                                    of
                                                                    feminisation
                                                                    (that may be
                                                                    the wrong
                                                                    word,
                                                                    it&#8217;s
                                                                    been a long
                                                                    week) of the
                                                                    male
                                                                    protagonist.
                                                                    Shane
                                                                    Macgowan has
                                                                    referenced
                                                                    male
                                                                    prostitution
                                                                    as part of a
                                                                    generally
                                                                    chaotic\/hustling
                                                                    lifestyle in
                                                                    songs like
                                                                    &#8216;The
                                                                    Old Main
                                                                    Drag&#8217;;
                                                                    I wonder if
                                                                    a similar
                                                                    thing is
                                                                    being
                                                                    implied
                                                                    here.<\/p>\n
                                                                    <p>
                                                                      <strong
                                                                        >Miranda:<\/strong>
                                                                        I&#8217;d
                                                                        never
                                                                        considered
                                                                        that
                                                                        &#8211;
                                                                        but
                                                                        it&#8217;s
                                                                        Kirsty
                                                                        who says
                                                                        &#8220;punk&#8221;,
                                                                        isn&#8217;t
                                                                        it. I
                                                                        think it
                                                                        has a
                                                                        more
                                                                        general
                                                                        usage
                                                                        which is
                                                                        a bit
                                                                        like
                                                                        &#8220;bum&#8221;,
                                                                        but I
                                                                        like the
                                                                        choice
                                                                        of word
                                                                        because
                                                                        it
                                                                        doesn&#8217;t
                                                                        immediately
                                                                        imply
                                                                        that the
                                                                        only one
                                                                        who
                                                                        might
                                                                        have
                                                                        engaged
                                                                        in that
                                                                        lifestyle
                                                                        is
                                                                        automatically
                                                                        the
                                                                        woman,
                                                                        which a
                                                                        first
                                                                        listening
                                                                        of
                                                                        &#8220;old
                                                                        slut on
                                                                        junk&#8221;
                                                                        connotates.<\/p>\n
                                                                        <h3>
                                                                          Cars
                                                                          Big As
                                                                          Bars<\/h3>\n
                                                                          <p>
                                                                            <strong
                                                                              >Rhian:<\/strong>
                                                                              And,
                                                                              to
                                                                              be
                                                                              wanky,
                                                                              in
                                                                              terms
                                                                              of
                                                                              socio-political
                                                                              context:
                                                                              both
                                                                              MacColl
                                                                              and
                                                                              the
                                                                              Pogues
                                                                              were
                                                                              outspokenly
                                                                              left-wing.
                                                                              In
                                                                              1987
                                                                              Thatcher
                                                                              had
                                                                              just
                                                                              been
                                                                              reelected,
                                                                              the
                                                                              mass
                                                                              civil
                                                                              unrest,
                                                                              strikes
                                                                              and
                                                                              riots
                                                                              of
                                                                              the
                                                                              early
                                                                              1980s
                                                                              had
                                                                              simmered
                                                                              down
                                                                              despite
                                                                              increasing
                                                                              wealth
                                                                              disparity
                                                                              and
                                                                              ostentatious
                                                                              display
                                                                              by
                                                                              those
                                                                              at
                                                                              the
                                                                              top
                                                                              of
                                                                              the
                                                                              pile,
                                                                              both
                                                                              here
                                                                              and
                                                                              in
                                                                              the
                                                                              US
                                                                              under
                                                                              Reagan.
                                                                              In
                                                                              the
                                                                              UK
                                                                              this
                                                                              is
                                                                              the
                                                                              era
                                                                              of
                                                                              Enfield
                                                                              as
                                                                              Loadsamoney,
                                                                              in
                                                                              New
                                                                              York
                                                                              of
                                                                              <strong
                                                                                >American
                                                                                Psycho<\/strong>
                                                                                and
                                                                                <strong
                                                                                  >Wall
                                                                                  Street<\/strong>
                                                                                  (the
                                                                                  latter
                                                                                  film
                                                                                  released
                                                                                  the
                                                                                  same
                                                                                  year
                                                                                  as
                                                                                  this
                                                                                  song).
                                                                                  MacColl&#8217;s
                                                                                  opening
                                                                                  lines
                                                                                  (&#8216;They
                                                                                  got
                                                                                  cars
                                                                                  big
                                                                                  as
                                                                                  bars,
                                                                                  they
                                                                                  got
                                                                                  rivers
                                                                                  of
                                                                                  gold
                                                                                  \/
                                                                                  But
                                                                                  the
                                                                                  wind
                                                                                  blows
                                                                                  right
                                                                                  through
                                                                                  you&#8230;&#8217;)
                                                                                  concisely
                                                                                  and
                                                                                  incisively
                                                                                  sums
                                                                                  up
                                                                                  the
                                                                                  period&#8217;s
                                                                                  glaring
                                                                                  inconsistencies,
                                                                                  setting
                                                                                  the
                                                                                  scene
                                                                                  without
                                                                                  allowing
                                                                                  it
                                                                                  to
                                                                                  colour
                                                                                  the
                                                                                  rest
                                                                                  of
                                                                                  the
                                                                                  song
                                                                                  &#8211;
                                                                                  except
                                                                                  inasmuch
                                                                                  as
                                                                                  the
                                                                                  protagonists
                                                                                  seem
                                                                                  likely
                                                                                  to
                                                                                  be
                                                                                  nearer
                                                                                  the
                                                                                  bottom
                                                                                  of
                                                                                  the
                                                                                  heap
                                                                                  than
                                                                                  the
                                                                                  top,
                                                                                  relying
                                                                                  on
                                                                                  each
                                                                                  other
                                                                                  with
                                                                                  little
                                                                                  material
                                                                                  resources
                                                                                  to
                                                                                  fall
                                                                                  back
                                                                                  on.<\/p>\n
                                                                                  <h3>
                                                                                    You
                                                                                    Promised
                                                                                    Me
                                                                                    Broadway<\/h3>\n
                                                                                    <p>
                                                                                      <strong
                                                                                        >Miranda:<\/strong>
                                                                                        So
                                                                                        what
                                                                                        about
                                                                                        all
                                                                                        these
                                                                                        covers?
                                                                                        Do
                                                                                        any
                                                                                        of
                                                                                        them
                                                                                        cut
                                                                                        the
                                                                                        mustard,
                                                                                        or
                                                                                        do
                                                                                        anything
                                                                                        that
                                                                                        makes
                                                                                        them
                                                                                        worth
                                                                                        a
                                                                                        listen?
                                                                                        The
                                                                                        <a
                                                                                        href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VBaS_anCmu0\">Ronan
                                                                                        Keating\/Maire
                                                                                        Brennan<\/a>
                                                                                        one,
                                                                                        I
                                                                                        just
                                                                                        &#8230;
                                                                                        WHYYYY.
                                                                                        Bowdlerised
                                                                                        out
                                                                                        of
                                                                                        all
                                                                                        hell.<\/p>\n
                                                                                        <p>
                                                                                          <strong
                                                                                            >Rhian:<\/strong>
                                                                                            It&#8217;s
                                                                                            been
                                                                                            covered
                                                                                            into
                                                                                            cliche,
                                                                                            and
                                                                                            yet
                                                                                            I
                                                                                            can&#8217;t
                                                                                            think
                                                                                            of
                                                                                            any
                                                                                            that
                                                                                            did
                                                                                            anything
                                                                                            memorable
                                                                                            with
                                                                                            it,
                                                                                            or
                                                                                            did
                                                                                            anything
                                                                                            other
                                                                                            than
                                                                                            diminish
                                                                                            the
                                                                                            power
                                                                                            and
                                                                                            energy
                                                                                            of
                                                                                            the
                                                                                            original,
                                                                                            especially
                                                                                            with
                                                                                            the
                                                                                            bowing
                                                                                            to
                                                                                            bowdlerisation
                                                                                            in
                                                                                            a
                                                                                            version
                                                                                            like
                                                                                            the
                                                                                            Ronan
                                                                                            one.
                                                                                            It&#8217;s
                                                                                            hard
                                                                                            to
                                                                                            see
                                                                                            how
                                                                                            it
                                                                                            could
                                                                                            be
                                                                                            covered
                                                                                            in
                                                                                            a
                                                                                            way
                                                                                            that
                                                                                            did
                                                                                            anything
                                                                                            other
                                                                                            than
                                                                                            replicate
                                                                                            it.<\/p>\n
                                                                                            <p>
                                                                                              <strong
                                                                                                >Miranda:<\/strong>
                                                                                                That
                                                                                                whole
                                                                                                Ronan
                                                                                                recording
                                                                                                is
                                                                                                like
                                                                                                some
                                                                                                terrible
                                                                                                Irish
                                                                                                tourist
                                                                                                board
                                                                                                pantomime.
                                                                                                The
                                                                                                only
                                                                                                thing
                                                                                                worse
                                                                                                would
                                                                                                be
                                                                                                Michael
                                                                                                Flatley
                                                                                                doing
                                                                                                an
                                                                                                interpretive
                                                                                                dance
                                                                                                version.
                                                                                                She
                                                                                                leaves
                                                                                                &#8220;arse&#8221;
                                                                                                in,
                                                                                                and
                                                                                                I
                                                                                                thought
                                                                                                it&#8217;d
                                                                                                be
                                                                                                like
                                                                                                hearing
                                                                                                the
                                                                                                queen
                                                                                                fart
                                                                                                or
                                                                                                something,
                                                                                                but
                                                                                                somehow
                                                                                                it&#8217;s
                                                                                                disappointing.
                                                                                                She
                                                                                                sounds
                                                                                                like
                                                                                                she&#8217;s
                                                                                                still
                                                                                                singing
                                                                                                about
                                                                                                the
                                                                                                wild
                                                                                                green
                                                                                                mystical
                                                                                                castle
                                                                                                of
                                                                                                Ireland
                                                                                                and
                                                                                                wee-diddly-dee
                                                                                                in
                                                                                                that
                                                                                                totally
                                                                                                Clannady
                                                                                                way
                                                                                                all
                                                                                                the
                                                                                                same.<\/p>\n
                                                                                                <p>
                                                                                                  <strong
                                                                                                    >Rhian:<\/strong>The
                                                                                                    number
                                                                                                    and
                                                                                                    variety
                                                                                                    of
                                                                                                    covers
                                                                                                    (including
                                                                                                    <a
                                                                                                    href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=o3yUePKOH2k\">Florence
                                                                                                    Welch
                                                                                                    and
                                                                                                    Billy
                                                                                                    Bragg<\/a>,
                                                                                                    wtf?)
                                                                                                    says
                                                                                                    something
                                                                                                    for
                                                                                                    the
                                                                                                    original&#8217;s
                                                                                                    quality
                                                                                                    and
                                                                                                    &#8216;classic&#8217;
                                                                                                    status,
                                                                                                    but
                                                                                                    yeah,
                                                                                                    little
                                                                                                    else
                                                                                                    I
                                                                                                    can
                                                                                                    get
                                                                                                    out
                                                                                                    of
                                                                                                    it
                                                                                                    other
                                                                                                    than
                                                                                                    varying
                                                                                                    degrees
                                                                                                    of
                                                                                                    squeamishness
                                                                                                    over
                                                                                                    the
                                                                                                    language.
                                                                                                    It&#8217;s
                                                                                                    become
                                                                                                    a
                                                                                                    very
                                                                                                    safe
                                                                                                    standard
                                                                                                    though
                                                                                                    repeated
                                                                                                    covering,
                                                                                                    I
                                                                                                    think,
                                                                                                    especially
                                                                                                    with
                                                                                                    the
                                                                                                    lyrical
                                                                                                    sting
                                                                                                    drawn.
                                                                                                    I&#8217;ve
                                                                                                    just
                                                                                                    run
                                                                                                    across
                                                                                                    Dustin
                                                                                                    Kensrue&#8217;s
                                                                                                    version,
                                                                                                    which
                                                                                                    is
                                                                                                    entirely
                                                                                                    sung
                                                                                                    from
                                                                                                    the
                                                                                                    perspective
                                                                                                    of
                                                                                                    Macgowan&#8217;s
                                                                                                    character,
                                                                                                    with
                                                                                                    rewritten
                                                                                                    second
                                                                                                    and
                                                                                                    third
                                                                                                    verses,
                                                                                                    and
                                                                                                    in
                                                                                                    my
                                                                                                    opinion
                                                                                                    loses
                                                                                                    a
                                                                                                    lot
                                                                                                    for
                                                                                                    it:<\/p>\n
                                                                                                    <p>
                                                                                                      <iframe
                                                                                                      src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mwn7XQvkAVY\"
                                                                                                      frameborder=\"0\"
                                                                                                      width=\"420\"
                                                                                                      height=\"315\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n
                                                                                                    </p>
                                                                                                    <p>
                                                                                                      <strong
                                                                                                        >Miranda:<\/strong>Gosh,
                                                                                                        it
                                                                                                        does,
                                                                                                        doesn&#8217;t
                                                                                                        it?
                                                                                                        Actually,
                                                                                                        this
                                                                                                        IS,
                                                                                                        this
                                                                                                        BECOMES
                                                                                                        the
                                                                                                        archetypal
                                                                                                        Lonely
                                                                                                        Drunk
                                                                                                        Folk
                                                                                                        Song
                                                                                                        I
                                                                                                        was
                                                                                                        talking
                                                                                                        about,
                                                                                                        doesn&#8217;t
                                                                                                        it?
                                                                                                        If
                                                                                                        you
                                                                                                        write
                                                                                                        Kirsty
                                                                                                        out
                                                                                                        like
                                                                                                        that,
                                                                                                        and
                                                                                                        reduce
                                                                                                        her
                                                                                                        lines
                                                                                                        to
                                                                                                        quotes
                                                                                                        (&#8220;<em
                                                                                                          >You
                                                                                                          said
                                                                                                          <\/em>so
                                                                                                          could
                                                                                                          anyone&#8221;)
                                                                                                          &#8230;
                                                                                                          she
                                                                                                          goes
                                                                                                          back
                                                                                                          in
                                                                                                          her
                                                                                                          box,
                                                                                                          really,
                                                                                                          doesn&#8217;t
                                                                                                          she.
                                                                                                          Turns
                                                                                                          back
                                                                                                          into
                                                                                                          a
                                                                                                          ghost
                                                                                                          woman,
                                                                                                          a
                                                                                                          memory
                                                                                                          of
                                                                                                          Archetypal
                                                                                                          Irish
                                                                                                          Drunk
                                                                                                          Regretful
                                                                                                          Bloke&#8217;s
                                                                                                          past.
                                                                                                          She
                                                                                                          becomes
                                                                                                          the
                                                                                                          stereotype
                                                                                                          again.That&#8217;s
                                                                                                          really
                                                                                                          interesting,
                                                                                                          because
                                                                                                          it
                                                                                                          highlights
                                                                                                          how
                                                                                                          important
                                                                                                          she
                                                                                                          is
                                                                                                          in
                                                                                                          terms
                                                                                                          of
                                                                                                          the
                                                                                                          song&#8217;s
                                                                                                          power,
                                                                                                          though.
                                                                                                          So
                                                                                                          Dustin
                                                                                                          is
                                                                                                          to
                                                                                                          be
                                                                                                          thanked
                                                                                                          for
                                                                                                          that,
                                                                                                          at
                                                                                                          least.<\/p>\n
                                                                                                          <p>
                                                                                                            So,
                                                                                                            next
                                                                                                            time
                                                                                                            you
                                                                                                            hear
                                                                                                            this
                                                                                                            in
                                                                                                            the
                                                                                                            shopping
                                                                                                            centre,
                                                                                                            I
                                                                                                            don&#8217;t
                                                                                                            know,
                                                                                                            think
                                                                                                            about
                                                                                                            some
                                                                                                            of
                                                                                                            that
                                                                                                            stuff,
                                                                                                            instead
                                                                                                            of
                                                                                                            &#8220;oh
                                                                                                            God,
                                                                                                            this
                                                                                                            is
                                                                                                            overplayed&#8221;.
                                                                                                            And
                                                                                                            don&#8217;t
                                                                                                            overdo
                                                                                                            it.
                                                                                                            No
                                                                                                            BadRep
                                                                                                            reader
                                                                                                            needs
                                                                                                            to
                                                                                                            end
                                                                                                            up
                                                                                                            in
                                                                                                            the
                                                                                                            drunk
                                                                                                            tank
                                                                                                            this
                                                                                                            week,
                                                                                                            okay?
                                                                                                            Be
                                                                                                            good.<\/p>\n<div
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                                                                                                                                <p>
                                                                                                                                  Today
                                                                                                                                  I&#8217;ve
                                                                                                                                  hauled
                                                                                                                                  our
                                                                                                                                  Rhian
                                                                                                                                  in
                                                                                                                                  to
                                                                                                                                  talk
                                                                                                                                  about
                                                                                                                                  Fairytale
                                                                                                                                  of
                                                                                                                                  New
                                                                                                                                  York,
                                                                                                                                  the
                                                                                                                                  Pogues&#8217;
                                                                                                                                  and
                                                                                                                                  Kirsty
                                                                                                                                  MacColl&#8217;s
                                                                                                                                  Christmas
                                                                                                                                  anthem.<\/p>\n<div
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                                                                                                                                                    ></span
                                                                                                                                                  ></span
                                                                                                                                                >
                                                                                                                                              </ul></span
                                                                                                                                            >
                                                                                                                                          </li></span
                                                                                                                                        ></span
                                                                                                                                      ></span
                                                                                                                                    ></span
                                                                                                                                  >
                                                                                                                                </ul></span
                                                                                                                              ></span
                                                                                                                            ></span
                                                                                                                          >
                                                                                                                        </ul></span
                                                                                                                      >
                                                                                                                    </li></span
                                                                                                                  ></span
                                                                                                                ></span
                                                                                                              ></span
                                                                                                            >
                                                                                                          </ul></em
                                                                                                        ></strong
                                                                                                      >
                                                                                                    </p></strong
                                                                                                  >
                                                                                                </p></strong
                                                                                              >
                                                                                            </p></strong
                                                                                          >
                                                                                        </p></strong
                                                                                      >
                                                                                    </p>
                                                                                  </h3></strong
                                                                                ></strong
                                                                              ></strong
                                                                            >
                                                                          </p>
                                                                        </h3></strong
                                                                      >
                                                                    </p></strong
                                                                  >
                                                                </p></strong
                                                              >
                                                            </p></em
                                                          ></em
                                                        ></em
                                                      ></em
                                                    ></em
                                                  ></strong
                                                >
                                              </p>
                                            </blockquote>
                                          </h3></strong
                                        >
                                      </p></strong
                                    >
                                  </p></strong
                                >
                              </p></em
                            ></strong
                          >
                        </p></em
                      >
                    </p></strong
                  >
                </p>
              </h3></strong
            >
          </p></strong
        >
      </p>
    </h3></strong
  >
</p>