Whopping amount The Pogues rake in every year in royalties from beloved Christmas hit Fairytale of New York 38 years after song was released

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When The Pogues released “Fairytale of New York” in 1987, the song quickly became a hit and helped secure the band’s legacy as rock and roll icons.

Nearly forty years later, the song remains incredibly popular, and it continues to generate substantial royalties.

The song was co-written by members of The Pogues, Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan, and features vocals from Kirsty MacColl, a singer-songwriter from England.

According to NME magazine, the song started as a challenge: the singers bet they could write a Christmas song that wasn’t overly sentimental or cheesy.

As Christmas nears, a charming story set in old New York unfolds, featuring a playful argument between an elderly couple – portrayed by Shane and Kirsty.

Although the exact amount isn’t public, reports in 2021 estimated the song earned around £400,000 a year from radio play and streaming services.

Music copyright lawyer Brad Banias says experts believe the song could earn over £500,000 in royalties if it reaches the top of the Christmas charts.

In a 2023 interview with The Metro, he stated he anticipated royalties being split as follows: 10 to 20 percent would go to the band, with the remaining portion divided between the songwriters, Shane MacGowan and Peter Finer, and the estate of Kirsty MacColl.

Despite being a beloved Christmas song in the UK, it surprisingly never reached number one on the charts.

When it came out, “Fairytale of New York” almost topped the charts, but it ended up in second place, just behind the Pet Shop Boys’ version of “Always On My Mind.”

Interest in the band grew again two years ago, after the sad passing of The Pogues’ singer Shane MacGowan in November 2023. He was 65 years old and had been living with a brain condition for eight years.

The singer’s passing led to a flood of heartfelt messages and revived efforts to push ‘Fairytale of New York’ to the top of the charts. This campaign aims to honor both him and Kirsty MacColl, who tragically died in a boating accident just before Christmas in 2000.

The song got off to a great start and even reached the top 5, but ultimately peaked at number six. Wham!’s “Last Christmas” took the number one spot instead.

Despite its controversial lyrics, “Fairytale of New York” remains consistently popular and is often voted Britain’s favorite Christmas song, as confirmed by a 2020 YouGov poll.

The song finished in first place with 17% of the vote, nine percentage points ahead of Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You,’ which came in second.

The song has remained popular for many years, even though its lyrics contain a word considered offensive to gay people, which has caused some debate.

In 2020, the BBC chose to edit certain lyrics played on Radio 1, using a different version of the song, because they worried the original lyrics contained offensive language related to gender and sexuality.

As a longtime fan, I was really surprised by the changes in the new release. They’ve replaced that awful slur with Shane actually singing ‘You’re cheap and you’re haggard,’ which honestly feels… fitting. And they’ve also muted the other offensive word, which I definitely appreciate. It’s a weird but ultimately better way to experience the song.

I’ve always understood Shane’s point about that word in the song. Back in 2017, he explained it really well – he said the character used it because it just felt natural for her, fitting her personality and how she’d actually talk. It made sense within the story, you know?

She’s not meant to be likable or perfect. She’s a woman shaped by her era and circumstances, and she’s currently struggling and feeling hopeless.

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2025-12-16 22:07