The cheeky chemistry between Gary Barlow and Dawn French on this cover of this Pogues Christmas classic is just too good! The Take That frontman and the comedian dropped a barrel of laughs during the performance, but the gags aside, it was Gary’s golden voice that absolutely stole the show. “Fairytale of New York” is a notoriously difficult song to cover, but fans were melting when Gary brought his soulful tenor to the tune, really making it his own that night.
Kirsty MacColl’s vocal parts were covered by Nicole Scherzinger, Tulisa, and Dawn, who made quite the vocal trio. The Music Man readers may note that Dawn’s contributions were more comedic than vocal, but there was still time for a touching duet from Gary and Nicole in that heartbreaking bridge. As fans noted, the performance was particularly poignant given that both original vocalists on the song, Shane MacGowan and Kirsty, have passed away now.
The cover of “Fairytale Of New York” was a hit on YouTube, where it drew 11.7 million views. The group gave the performance for the charity event Text Santa. Fans said the group really hit the mark with the cover and added comments such as “I love the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s original recording but this is a great version! I’d buy it!” and “Love this song at any time of the year. Gary, Nicole and Tulisa were great and as for Dawn, well you can see that she enjoyed herself so much, she made me laugh.”
The most popular live cut of “Fairytale Of New York” on YouTube is The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s 1988 rendition, which they gave at the Town and Country Club in London on St Patrick’s Day. The rollicking sound of the band is fantastic here, and hearing that famous vocal duo of Shane and Kirsty together live is a real thrill. The crowd singalongs, such as at the three-minute mark with Kirsty, also give the performance a very special vibe.
Shane MacGowan and Jem Finer penned “Fairytale of New York,” and the song was subsequently recorded by the former’s band The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl. The Music Man readers may recall that the song became the group’s signature hit, and went seven times Platinum in the UK. “Fairytale of New York” has since achieved broad cultural significance, and has been named in a number of media polls as one of the greatest songs of all time, and additionally named on many lists of the greatest Christmas songs.