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Originally released 18 years ago, The Pogues' finest hour is now recognised as the greatest Christmas single ever made, despite never actually reaching number one. It was Fairytale Of New York that confirmed Shane McGowan as not so much a pop lyricist, rather a poet.
Kirsty MacColl, of course, was the perfect foil for McGowan's slurred vocals - has there ever been a greater couplet than "You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy faggot / Happy Christmas your arse, I pray God it's our last"? It's even survived the indignity of an appalling cover version by Ronan Keating, which is the mark of a true classic.
There's added poignancy as well in the fact that Kirsty MacColl is sadly no longer with us. All proceeds from this re-release go to the Justice For Kirsty campaign and various homeless charities - which should be reason enough to make sure that this reaches top spot this time.
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