Written and popularized by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan — formerly of The Pogues — and featuring the mellifluous vocals of the late British singer Kirsty MacColl, who, in December of 2000, was killed in a mysterious boating accident in Mexico, “Fairytale of New York” was released as a single in 1987, and despite lyrics almost as controversial as singer Shane MacGowan’s teeth, the song went stratospheric: voted best Christmas tune of all-time three years running — 2004, 2005, and 2006 in polls conducted by VH1 — and 27th greatest song NEVER to reach #1 in the UK, the BBC Radio also voted it the 84th greatest song of all-time.
Drunken Shane MacGowan and The Pogues are of course inimitable and brilliant, but the following poppy punk-rock version, by No Use For A Name, is a real toe-tapper too: