Fairytale analysed by Prof. Dr. Hartmut Fladt

[Alex]

German Professor analysis our favorite Christmas song
http://www.radioeins.de/_/beitrag_jsp/key=beitrag_149898.html

[nboldock]

If anyone can lay their hands on an (English) transcript of this, I for one would be delighted to read it......

[Christine]

Thanks Alex, I am delighted to see German universities spending their money on sensible research.

Nboldock, it's a lot of praise for Fairytale. Fladt basically talks about the musical juxtaposition of the Christmas atmosphere with traditional Irish music and the lovers' troubled relationship. Nothing really wrong there, but no mention, oddly, of Kirsty MacColl, or of the immigrant theme. He stresses Shane's singing as being just that little bit off to illustrate the mess his protagonists are in, and the role of Irish music in consoling the distressed couple and in reminding the "punk band" of their Heimat.

[kmurray105]

Thanks Alex, I am delighted to see German universities spending their money on sensible research.

Nboldock, it's a lot of praise for Fairytale. Fladt basically talks about the musical juxtaposition of the Christmas atmosphere with traditional Irish music and the lovers' troubled relationship. Nothing really wrong there, but no mention, oddly, of Kirsty MacColl, or of the immigrant theme. He stresses Shane's singing as being just that little bit off to illustrate the mess his protagonists are in, and the role of Irish music in consoling the distressed couple and in reminding the "punk band" of their Heimat.

Thanks, now I want to read it even more so I second nboldock's suggestion. Certainly someone would be willing to translate for us unilingual types?

[firehazard]

Now wasn't I just saying that I needed to practise my German? Thanks, Alex.

[kmurray105]

Now wasn't I just saying that I needed to practise my German? Thanks, Alex.

I don't suppose that is to be taken as you volunteering to translate?

[firehazard]

Now wasn't I just saying that I needed to practise my German? Thanks, Alex.

I don't suppose that is to be taken as you volunteering to translate?

If you want to be assured of an accurate translation, I'm sure there are others better qualified and more reliable...

Some of my German learning was via Kafka, and now it always tends to come out a bit Kafkaesque.

[nboldock]

Someone rise to the challenge, go aaaaaaaaaaaaan, you know you wanna!

[Christine]

Oh, alright then. This is a rough and slightly abbreviated version, hope he doesn't sue me for misconstructing:

Not much Xmas music on this programme, but now for sth unusual, almost wicked Christmas music. The Pogues, FoNY. [...]
How does an Irish punk band like the Pogues come to write a Christmas song, and a Xmas fairy tale from New York at that.

Well, first of all quite a simple answer. The management wants to make money, and in those days Xmas songs made good money. But Shane and Jem become ambitious, and they write a biting, angry and almost wicked love song, which is set in the very cold New York, at xmas time. And the text mentions the boys of the NYPD choir, who sing, the bells are ringing out, but at the same time everything has broken down, is kaput. It takes place in a bar [sic!] where you can hear schlocky Christmas songs, such as Sinatra, the drunks are bawling.

But: there is also an old man there who sings an Irish song. And this song has two musical levels, which are totally opposed. The first level is this somewhat kitschy Xmas [plays "got on a lucky one..." - I think this is a misinterpretation, HF assumes that it is the old man singing this bit???].

Musically this sounds like a Christmas song.

Exactly. The whole world seems to be at peace. A beautiful, singable melody, slow solemn tempo, piano, strings, but the lyrics say the exact opposite. Because the world is not all right at all, and MacGowan's singing is also the exact opposite of Sinatra's. It is broken and flawed, slightly skewered, all the high tones are slightly too low, all the deep ones a bit too high.

But after this melody (taking its cue from Sinatra as it were), you get the other musical world, and that's Irish folk. And this [? reaches out into – I can't quite understand this bit] cold New York, and it also comforts the two lovers who despair of their relationship. Put onto a text which is basically an orgy of insults, using under-the-belt slang, really dreadful, culminating in the pious wish of "Happy Christmas your arse" and asking God to make this our last Christmas. But both understand that on their own they cannot manage, and that every one of their dreams actually relates to the other person. And this beautiful Irish music carries them away over all the horrible things, over this abyss. [plays: "They've got cars..."]

This is where you'd expect people to spontaneously fold their hands on their backs and to start leaping about?

Yes, that's an automatic association. You'd really like to do that. The music is immediately recognizably Irish and has typically Irish features: the beat which earlier was a slow and grave 4/4, becomes 6/8 time, with "punktierten Rhythmen" ["dotted rhythms"? I haven't a clue what that means.] which makes it more swinging, very typical for Irish folk. Accompanying it you hear the Irish flute, Irish hapr.

Not quite Irish, however, is the melody, which is purely in major key while the old Irish songs were pentatonic and limited to only five notes. Still, unmistakably Irish music. I think even for a punk band this represents something like Heimat, their homeland. That's where they come from, and this music they remain true to. Even if the entire world collapses, this music indicates their home.

And then they are reconciled?

Yes, precisely. That's why the entire song ends, not in singing but in an instrumental voluntary [epilogue?] paying homage to their ancestral music. A very consoling affair.

Now we know what Prof Dr HF listens to at Christmas.

Yes. Among many other things.



Discuss in under 5000 words.

[philipchevron]

When the Radiators played 4 shows at Kassel University in 1977 (billed, magnificently, as "from the ruins of Belfast...the Radiators from Space [London]"), a Professor Rolf Gruber told me "You have changed my way of thinking about life". And that was before I was able to play dotted rhythms or disrespect Frank Sinatra. Who knew?

[kmurray105]

Thanks, Christine. You are my new favorite pantalone.

I never thought of them as reconciled in the end. Resigned is the word I would have used. I love hearing how people interpret songs.

[philipchevron]

Thanks, Christine. You are my new favorite pantalone.

I never thought of them as reconciled in the end. Resigned is the word I would have used. I love hearing how people interpret songs.

In the spoken word version, the woman definitely dies. In Ronan Boyzone's version, I'm confident they all live happily ever after.

[John C]

Happily ever after maybe, but remember they are cheap and haggard...

[ginggang]

Happily ever after maybe, but remember they are cheap and haggard...

He tried to justify using that line on the FONY documentary and said that the change worked...Bollocks Ronan..sing the song as it was written or dont bother !!
He'll be doing a version of "Cocaine" next and call it "Coca Cola"

[firehazard]

Thanks, Christine!

Saved me from a lot of hard work. I'd only got as far as: "Somebody must have made a false accusation against Shane M. ..." My German translation is always a bit of a Trial.