I didn't like it at first but it did grow on me a few years later. I think it has been the most played Christmas song this year (closely rivalled by I Believe in Father Christmas).
Something that amuses me is that as Shane McGowan sings the Opening "It was Christmas Eve babe" he sounds as though he has just woken up with a hangover!
i have always i hated it,i remember when it first came out back in 1987 and my parents kept playing it and saying how great it was,its my number one most hated song with that one by mariah chipmunk carey as a close second.
It's not only the best festive song, but one of the finest songs ever. Certainly my favourite record of all time. Anyone who doesn't like it needs to take a long, hard look at their lives.
I did hate it for ages and couldnt relate to the whole - down and outs drinking themselves silly - storyline but then as I've gotten older I've learned to re-appreciate it and not to be so judgemental. The story could be about anyone. And the final minute of the song is glorious.
You just need to grow into it.
It's quite a good tune and Kirsty MacColl sings her part well.
However, Shane MacGowan is almost unlistenable for me. That fella just can't sing for toffee. I've always assumed his popularity is some kind of joke that I haven't been able to get, because what he sounds like to me is a drunk bloke with no teeth. Which is what he is, basically.
Originally Posted by afcbfan: “It's not only the best festive song, but one of the finest songs ever. Certainly my favourite record of all time. Anyone who doesn't like it needs to take a long, hard look at their lives.”
In the words of Michael Winner: "Come down, dear".
Well, I don`t like it either, and I really don`t need anyone`s pity. It seems to me that people almost feel compelled to say they like it so they can appear "cool".
I agree with Neil Tennant (who was also brave enough to admit that he didn`t like it), that`s it`s just "two drunks shouting at each other".
BTW, I love Kirsty MacColl.
I loved it when I was a kid, even though the song is virtually the same age as me. I loved the fact it had the word arse in it, because no Christmas song has the word arse in it. I still appreciate it for being essentially an "anti Christmas song" but it's somewhat ironic that it's become overexposed to the point that I can't listen to it anymore.
Originally Posted by Namira: “I loved it when I was a kid, even though the song is virtually the same age as me. I loved the fact it had the word arse in it, because no Christmas song has the word arse in it. I still appreciate it for being essentially an "anti Christmas song" but it's somewhat ironic that it's become overexposed to the point that I can't listen to it anymore.”
It's virtually the only Christmas song that presents Christmas as a negative experience : him sobering up in a police cell and she "lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed". I don't think it was ever intended to be a timeless classic but sort of stumbled into that position.
I used to quite like it, but the year of Kirsty MacColl's tragic death meant that at Christmas that year the song was played about every 15 minutes by every radio station and music channel going. I got completely fed up of hearing it, and have disliked it ever since.
Originally Posted by TheChicagoBaron: “I think anyone who doesn't like this song has serious issues.
To be quite honest, I nearly feel pity for them.
But only ''nearly'', because they are still silly.”
the problem is...its been played to death... theres only so many times any track can be played before it runs out of appeal... thats why i dont play much of my beloved 60's tracks, i dont want them to get stale and lose their appeal.
it wouldnt bother me if they never played it ever again, yes its a well crafted track, but after over 20 years of annually being force fed us its now completely dead to me (as are all other crimbo songs pre y2k)