BBC Radio 1 have revealed they won’t play the original Fairytale of New York.
The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s hit track has become a Christmas classic, played across the globe ahead of the festive season, but in recent years has been the subject of debate.
It’s lyrics feature a word which is offensive to the LGBT community, with the radio station announcing they would be playing a censored version on their airwaves.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We know the song is considered a Christmas classic and we will continue to play it this year, with our radio stations choosing the version of the song most relevant for their audience.”
Back in 2018, Pogues’ frontman Shane MacGowen released a statement explaining why he included the word in the song’s lyrics.
He said at the time: “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 and 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,” he continued.
“If people don’t understand that I was trying to accurately portray the character as authentically as possible then I am absolutely fine with them bleeping the word but I don’t want to get into an argument.”
Following the news of the censoring, many took to Twitter to express their thoughts from both sides of the argument.
https://twitter.com/SpillerOfTea/status/1329362265091559425
I can confidently say that on the list of LGBT people’s priorities, the lyrics of Fairytale of New York are as close to the bottom as it gets.
— Sanjay Sood-Smith (@sanjaysoodsmith) November 19, 2020
I see it's time for the yearly Fairytale of New York argument again
— Neil MacQuarrie (@neilmacq_) November 19, 2020
If you're offended over "fairytale of New York" then get a life
— Demi-lynne🇬🇧 (@demilynne701) November 19, 2020
This is all I’m gonna say on it for the whole year: the word itself being in Fairytale Of New York doesn’t bother or offend me, but straight people being so angry & outraged at its removal and literally fighting and arguing for the right to sing it bothers me deeply
— Harrison Brocklehurst (@harrisonjbrock) November 19, 2020
As a gay man I've never been offended by the late Kirsty MacColl's use of 'faggot' in Fairytale of New York… I've yet to come across a gay man that does find offence in it (if you do please let me know)… So who the hell are these people getting 'offended' on our behalf? https://t.co/37upnMPzTW
— David McCarter (@davidashleywall) November 19, 2020
