Track 9: The Pogues, "Fairytale of New York"
It starts out as a pretty straightforward drunken Pogues anthem—"it was Christmas eve babe / in the drunk tank". There's something very sad & final about the end of the year, isn't there? I've been certainly feeling it the last couple of days—an increased feeling of nostalgia, heightened sentimentality, etc, as the days grow to a state of overcast darkness in the early afternoon. [1]
And that's what "Fairytale of New York" reminds me of, at first. Except that, after the first verse, it speeds up a bit, & then it's got Kirsty MacColl singing as well, and so it sounds a bit more... personal, & hopeful. That is, it's no longer just a drunken Shane singing to himself at the bar at 3am, because at least this time, he's got someone to sing with.
And for me it's that juxtaposition, the sadness against the hope, the re-evaluation of everything you've done—"I couldn't been someone / well, so, could anyone"—that defines the end of the year, and in a way is why I really like this song as a penultimate [2] track.
Tomorrow, the finale (I know you're eagerly awaiting it!).
Buy If I Should Fall From Grace with God.
[1] I believe it's my right to get all fucking maudlin in December. It's the season for it!
[2] I'm trying to use more 4-syllable-and-above words to increase my Flesch-Kincaid score. I'm a little bit embarrassed of my 4th-grade writing level.
