Chiefs Kingdom may have a renewed awareness of his classic song thanks to Travis and Jason Kelce.
Early morning on November 30, Shane MacGowan passed away at home surrounded by family. He had been hospitalized with an infection for several months prior, and he revealed an encephalitis diagnosis on social media late in 2022.
MacGowan was born in England to Irish parents. The Irish immigrant experience heavily informed his music career as he founded The Pogues in 1982, combining Celtic folk influences with the burgeoning punk rock scene.
He spent almost two years writing “Fairytale Of New York” after The Pogues’ banjo player Jem Finer shared some ideas and basic melodies. Shane MacGowan also maintains that their then-producer, the legendary Elvis Costello, didn’t believe The Pogues could write a successful Christmas song. The Pogues/Costello relationship gradually soured; bassist Cait O’Riordan – the track’s original female singer, and Costello’s sometimes girlfriend – left the band. Producer Steve Lilywhite recorded his wife Kirsty MacColl to serve as a guide vocal. The band was so impressed by her performace, they kept it. Meanwhile, the band’s record label met with financial trouble so The Pogues needed to find new distribution partners. The song finally saw release on November 23, 1987. (Heads up, the song infamously includes a homophobic slur at the 2:25 mark.)
The Pogues fired MacGowan in 1991 for unprofessional behavior during a tour. MacGowan’s alcohol consumption was the stuff of legend. He rejoined in 2001 and remained with The Pogues until their dissolution in 2014.
Fast forward to November of 2023, all-pro football brothers Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs reworked the classic track as “Fairytale of Philadelphia” as part of the Eagles’ second charity album A Philly Special Christmas Special.
Likely buoyed by fans of Travis Kelce’s pop superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift, “Fairytale Of Philadelphia” impressively topped multiple Billboard charts in its second week. For the chart frame that ended on Thanksgiving, the song hit number one on the Rock Digital Songs and Holiday Digital Songs charts.
