Well, its started again.

[Simon Maguire]

I might be late but I saw Fiarytale on the box again for the first time this year at work last night.

27/11/06, isn't that a little early even by usual standards?

[MissWalshy]

I heard it in Topshop over the weeekend.

Song never bores me. Love it.

[Simon Maguire]

I heard it in Topshop over the weeekend.

Song never bores me. Love it.

Damm, beat me.

Perfection can never bore.

Thats why I love mirrors

[philipchevron]

Perhaps one should write a letter to the London Times, rather in the manner of those retired colonels who used to write in claiming to have heard Spring's first cuckoo.

[maureen]

I started playing it in my shop 2 weeks ago...just to remind the customers that Christmas would soon be here and that they really should start buying their presents from me without delay.

[Dropofpoison]

I think the first time I heard Fairytale(That I remember) Was in JJB(I think) last Christmas. I remember my mate looking up at the speaker looking really confused as Kirsty called Shane a scumbag and a fagot, and then a couple of weeks later I saw The Pogues at the MEN and was hooked.

[Noel Kenny]

Maureen, If you give me 10% of your profits, I'll pass it on to Shane for you.

[maureen]

Maureen, If you give me 10% of your profits, I'll pass it on to Shane for you.

[neilinseattle]

How come I've never heard the song on American radio? Seems to get virtually no airplay over here. Or, am I just wrong?

[DzM]

How come I've never heard the song on American radio?

ClearChannel obviously has no taste.

[neilinseattle]

[philipchevron]

How come I've never heard the song on American radio? Seems to get virtually no airplay over here. Or, am I just wrong?

Excepting specialist music stations and college radio (and sometimes not even excepting those) American radio is programmed by computers (no, really). Fairytale does not fit into any of the easily digestible categories the computers understand so it technically doesn't exist. College radio probably has no excuse not to play it except the understandable one that their brief is to give exposure to exciting NEW records from America and Europe.

In a broader sense, I'm not sure Fairytale carries the requisite feelgood message of redemption as American capitalism currently understands and demands it. In US culture from It's A Wonderful Life onwards, Christmas is a time of doubt, fear, loneliness, troubles, poverty............but by the final reel, the status quo has been restored, the black sheep all restored to the flock and American Values reaffirmed for another year. This has made for some qualifiedly terrific films and songs, but it has rather closed the door on the more truthful and dystopian message of a song like Fairytale Of New York.

There are some great "downer" Christmas songs, notably "White Christmas" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" which get frequent radio play in America at this time of year, but both these songs, tragic in either their conception or context, became popular only when smuggled into more upbeat vehicles.

In other words, as DZM suggests, Clear Channel has no taste.

[Mick Molloy]

Last night some girls asked me to play that Xmas song by John Lennon at the session. In stead I played Fairytale and when singing 'you're an old slut on junk' I think I shouldnt'have looked at the girls so directly

[shipbuilder]

I heard it in Topshop over the weeekend.

Song never bores me. Love it.

Me neither - even though it is undoubtedly one of those overplayed songs it just seems to get better and better every time I hear it - and that must have been a few thousand by now. Since Kirsty died there is an added emotional feel to it that tugs at my heart strings - and I never even knew her. I thought Cait did a fine job of it at Brixton in 2004 and there was a tear in my eye - particularly as I never thought I'd ever hear her sing that or "I'm an Man ...". Lovely stuff - wish she'd waltzed with me

[Scarlotta]

It's played all through the year in this household ...but now I know why a friend of mine from the US had never heard of it...I thought he was joking!