Shane MacGowan once spoke out after backlash over use of homophobic slur in Fairytale of New York

Shane MacGowan once spoke out about the controversy surrounding his festive hit Fairytale of New York.

As most Brits know, every Christmas the song finds itself at the centre of a debate due to a highly offensive word contained with its lyrics - with some folks believing the song should be censored or altered, while others disagree.

Although it’s a Christmas classic, Fairytale of New York isn’t your usual mistletoe kisses and cosy walks in the snow kind of song - as it’s basically about a couple who have fallen out having a go at each other. To be fair, what could be more Christmassy than that, eh?

And in one of the lines, singer Kirsty MacColl lets rip at Pogues’ star MacGowan, saying: "You scumbag, you maggot / You cheap lousy f****t."

F****t is an incredibly offensive homophobic slur, and in recent years, the song is usually censored or the lyrics changed whenever played on the radio or TV.

Last year, BBC Radio 2 announced that it would be playing the censored version during the Christmas period.

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The station told HuffPostUK: "On Radio 2 we are reflecting what we are hearing back from many of our listeners who love the song, but find some of the lyrics jarring in 2022, and playing an alternative version provided by the record company."

However, MacGowan, who sadly passed away on 30 November this year, previously insisted that the word was never meant to be a homophobic slur.

He said that it was simply meant to show what kind of character the woman saying it was.

"I've been told it's insulting to gays; I don't understand how that works," he said.

"Nobody in the band thinks that's worth a second's thought.

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"The word was used by the character because it fitted with the way she would speak and with her character.

"She is not supposed to be a nice person or even a wholesome person. She is a woman of a certain generation at a certain time in history and she is down on her luck and desperate.

"Her dialogue is as accurate as I could make it but she is not intended to offend.

"She is just supposed to be an authentic character.

"Not all characters in songs and stories are angels or even decent and respectable, sometimes characters in songs and stories have to be evil or nasty in order to tell the story effectively."

Topics: Christmas, Music, LGBTQ

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]