Pogues song tops festive playlist
|  | | The Pogues | The Pogues' song Fairytale of New York has topped a chart of the UK's most played Christmas song on UK radio over the past five years. The chart, calculated through radio, television and public performance plays, features Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas in second place. Wham's Last Christmas takes the third spot.
Fairytale Of New York made headlines last week when BBC Radio 1 decided, briefly, to edit out the word "faggot". Listeners complained about the station editing the 20-year-old festive hit, and Radio 1 controller Andy Parfitt reversed the decision. The song is a duet with Kirsty MacColl, who died in 2000. It is number four in the current UK singles chart.
The chart of the most played Christmas songs from 2002-2006 was produced by PPL, the company which licenses recorded music on behalf of record companies. The top five is completed by two versions of Do They Know It's Christmas?, by Band Aid 20 and Band Aid respectively.
Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan will celebrate his 50th birthday on Christmas Day. He told the Daily Mirror: "To be honest, I never thought too much about getting to 50." The singer, who is well known for his love of alcohol, said: "Smoking, drinking, partying - that's why I've stayed alive as long as I have." (BBC News)
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