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BBC Radio 1 will broadcast a censored version of the Pogues’ New York fairy tale that removes the words “fag” and “whore” from Kirsty MacColl’s verses. Radio 2 will continue to broadcast the original version, while 6 Music will allow their DJs to choose which version they want to play.
The BBC said: “We know the song is considered a Christmas classic and will continue to play it this year, with our radio stations choosing the version of the song most relevant to their audience,” suggesting that sensitivity to words varies between Radio 1 audience. Younger and older listeners of Radio 2.
Adopting the characters of an argumentative but sentimental married couple, MacColl sings to Shane MacGowan: “Damn you worm / Lousy fag / Merry Christmas your butt / I pray to God it’s last.”
The new version of Radio 1 will have the line “you are cheap and you are emaciated”, with the word “whore” before in the muted verse. The rest of the song remains unchanged.
MacGowan defended the song in 2018, saying, “The character used the word because it fit the way he spoke and his character. You are not supposed to be a good person, not even a healthy person. She is a woman of a certain generation at a certain point in history, and she is desperate and unlucky. His dialogue is as accurate as I could make it, but it is not intended to offend! She is supposed to be an authentic character and not all characters in songs and stories are angels or even decent and respectable. Sometimes the characters in songs and stories have to be mean or obnoxious to tell the story effectively. “
On its release in 1987, he explained: “My role is the man who was thrown out of the drunken tank on Christmas Eve night. His wife is in the hospital. She is sick and he just lost his mind. Then they’re having a fight and he keeps going back to the good old days and she keeps doling out all the shit. I have nothing in common with the real part that I am singing (Yul Brynner is not really the King of Siam) except in the sense that I have had arguments with women and it usually ends with some kind of reconciliation. “
The song has frequently sparked controversy. The track was revised last year after an uncensored version of the song featured prominently on Gavin and Stacey’s Christmas special, a hit with families, which exposed the lyrics to many shocked younger listeners for the first time.
In 1987, the BBC objected to the word “ass” being broadcast on Top of the Pops, with MacColl singing “ass” instead.
In a 1992 comeback performance, MacColl sang “you’re cheap and you’re haggard”, while a 2000 cover by Ronan Keating and Maire Brennan altered the line to “you’re mean and you’re haggard.”
In 2007, Radio 1 dubbed the words “fag” and “whore” but took a 180 degree turn, and controller Andy Parfitt said the decision was “wrong … Radio 1 does not play homophobic lyrics or condone harassment of any kind. It’s not always easy to get it right. “
Last year, BBC Radio Solent DJ Alex Dyke announced that he would ban Fairytale of New York from his show, calling it “a disgusting and disgusting song.”
