The bells are ringing out for Shane MacGowan

The Pogues legendary front man died this week aged 65. I was a fan.

And so we say goodbye to the co-author of the world’s greatest Christmas song. That’s possibly hyperbole, maybe Handel and the Hallelujah Chorus should be up there, but if you’re more into ‘cars big as bars’ and less into ‘God omnipotent reigneth’, it’s a no contest.

Kirsty MacColl and Shane MacGowan (Tim Roney Getty Images)

‘Fairytale of New York’ was written in 1986, the initial melody line came from The Pogues banjo player Jem Finer who also had the idea for a call and response Christmas ballad involving a couple down on their luck. He took it to MacGowan who injected the New York angle and the lyrical majesty, and the band played it live for two years before setting it down in a recording studio, and making musical history.

The above doco is a must watch for people who have the song as part of their Christmas rituals. That’s certainly the case in our house.

We listen to it every year on Christmas eve, part of a medley that includes Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’, The Ramones’ ‘Happy Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)’, Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ and that cheesy Bublé one that starts ‘Merry Christmas ladies’ ‘Merry Christmas Mr Bublé’.