Fairytale of New York Fairytale of New York "Fairytale of New York" is a song written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and recorded by their band the Pogues, featuring singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl on vocals. The song is an Irish folk-style ballad and was written as a duet, with the Pogues' singer MacGowan taking the role of the male character and MacColl the female character. It was originally released as a single on 23 November 1987 and later featured on the Pogues' 1988 album "If I Should Fall from Grace with God". Originally begun in 1985, the song had a troubled two-year development history,
The Pogues The Pogues The Pogues were a British Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" — the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic "póg mo thóin", meaning "kiss my arse". The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s, recording several hit albums and singles. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems, but the band continued - first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals - before breaking up in 1996. The Pogues re-formed in late 2001, and played regularly across the UK