by philipchevron Sat Aug 05, 2006 12:46 pm
Irish Rover wrote:Paddy Rolling Clone wrote:David B. wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Jem penned the lyrics and Shane the music on many of their best known songs, including "Fairytale" and "Sunnyside." Given these and many other MacGowan/Finer collaborations, .
I thought it was mostly the other way around, well at least it was with Fairytale.
Well for FoNY, i thought that Jem had written a song, but then Shane took it and changed the lyrics to set it in New York.
Generally speaking, a MacGowan/Finer credit indicates a MacGowan lyric with the music constructed from a MacGowan piece and a complimentary Finer tune. There are exceptions where the song was more collaborative than that, and "Fairytale" is one such, which is why Jem understandably gets a bit peeved when people refer to it as "Shane MacGowan's Fairytale Of New York". I once saw Jem challenge Christy Moore on this and, though Christy was suitably contrite, he has apparently continued to perpetuate the falsehood ever since. Credit where it's due, I always say. Jem explains the writing process in some detail in the BBC4 film "The Making Of Fairytale Of New York" from last Christmas.
People make assumptions that are frequently wide of the mark in respect of collaborations. Eileen Brennan has frequently been overlooked as a vital writing partner in Tom Waits's work. I blame Yoko and Linda.
[quote="Irish Rover"][quote="Paddy Rolling Clone"][quote="David B."]Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Jem penned the lyrics and Shane the music on many of their best known songs, including "Fairytale" and "Sunnyside." Given these and many other MacGowan/Finer collaborations, .[/quote]
I thought it was mostly the other way around, well at least it was with Fairytale. :shock: [/quote]Well for FoNY, i thought that Jem had written a song, but then Shane took it and changed the lyrics to set it in New York.[/quote]
Generally speaking, a MacGowan/Finer credit indicates a MacGowan lyric with the music constructed from a MacGowan piece and a complimentary Finer tune. There are exceptions where the song was more collaborative than that, and "Fairytale" is one such, which is why Jem understandably gets a bit peeved when people refer to it as "Shane MacGowan's Fairytale Of New York". I once saw Jem challenge Christy Moore on this and, though Christy was suitably contrite, he has apparently continued to perpetuate the falsehood ever since. Credit where it's due, I always say. Jem explains the writing process in some detail in the BBC4 film "The Making Of Fairytale Of New York" from last Christmas.
People make assumptions that are frequently wide of the mark in respect of collaborations. Eileen Brennan has frequently been overlooked as a vital writing partner in Tom Waits's work. I blame Yoko and Linda.
