• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
How much Shane MacGowan earned from Fairytale of New York in total

Home> Entertainment> Music

Published 12:06 23 Dec 2023 GMT

How much Shane MacGowan earned from Fairytale of New York in total

Shane MacGowan would have celebrated his birthday on Christmas Day

Joe Harker

Joe Harker

Everyone loves Christmas songs, but there's one tune which gets people up to have a merry dance like no other, and you've already read the headline so you know which one I'm talking about.

As well as being a stupendously brilliant song, it's also a way for couples to shout at each other in a healthy environment, without getting told off for having an argument on Christmas Day.

First released back in 1988 - by Shane MacGowan's band The Pogues and singer Kirsty MacColl - 'Fairytale of New York' is considered by plenty to be the best Christmas song of all time.

Advert

It didn't quite top the charts in the UK this year, with that accolade finally going to WHAM!'s 'Last Christmas', but 'Fairytale of New York' did end up in sixth place.

Sadly, with the death of MacGowan last month that means both of the song's iconic vocalists have now passed away.

Kirsty MacColl and Shane MacGowan are the voices behind 'Fairytale of New York'.
Tim Roney/Getty Images

Over the years, many have tried to give the song a go, but it'll never be sung better than it was by MacGowan and MacColl.

The song will be played over and over again each and every Christmas, and when a tune gets this popular it becomes a regular earner for those who made it.

Advert

Take 'All I Want for Christmas is You' by Mariah Carey, for example, it may be the bane of retail workers everywhere but it's earned her over $70 million (£55 million) since she sung it for the first time.

As for 'Fairytale of New York', estimates vary but the Mirror suggests that MacGowan was earning between £216,000 and £260,000 each year from the song.

They also reported that his widow, Victoria Mary Clarke, said MacGowan wouldn't have minded that WHAM! beat his song to the top spot, and 'appreciated that people love the song'.

Shane MacGowan died last month and plenty have been listening to the song as a tribute to him.
Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

However, the Irish Times indicates that the Pogues frontman could have been making up to £386,000 in royalties each year from the iconic song.

Advert

'Fairytale of New York' has never actually been the UK Christmas number one, though it's made the top 20 on the charts many times and has been there consecutively since 2005.

Last December, it passed a total of three million sales, so it's no surprise that the track continued to make money for years and years.

However, MacGowan didn't sing it very often following the death of Kirsty MacColl in 2000, saying: "Basically I stopped singing it when Kirsty went. Kirsty put in a great performance."

Featured Image Credit: Christie Goodwin/Redferns/Getty Images/Youtube/The Pogues

Topics: Celebrity, Christmas, Money, Music, Ireland

Joe Harker
Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

X

@MrJoeHarker

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Belle Delphine revealed how much she earned from selling her own bathwater to fans
  • Exactly how suspected New York CEO killer made his escape from one of the busiest streets in the city
  • Gaz from Geordie Shore reveals huge amount he earned from single nightclub appearance
  • Shane MacGowan's reported yearly earnings from Fairytale Of New York released 35 years ago

Choose your content:

28 mins ago
an hour ago
2 hours ago
  • 28 mins ago

    'Leaked' GTA 6 storyline that was cancelled for being 'too dark'

    GTA 6 almost took a much darker path

    Entertainment
  • an hour ago

    Man who threw up after being told to let partner sleep with another bloke issues statement after clip airs on Channel 4

    The pair have issued a statement on Instagram

    Entertainment
  • 2 hours ago

    Man who threw up when being told he had to let partner sleep with another man had surprising reaction after

    The idea of partner swapping appeared too much for the contestant to stomach

    Entertainment
  • 2 hours ago

    The Boys star Erin Moriarty reveals Graves’ Disease diagnosis

    The Boys actor also revealed the key symptoms which means you should get checked out

    Entertainment