And Bells Were Ringing Out...

Yup.  Shane MacGowan's birthday is tomorrow (coincidentally, there's also some kinda Holiday folks call Christmas tomorrow, as well.  How 'bout that?).

In honor of both those events, we give you, like we do every year on Christmas Eve, The Pogue's "Fairytale Of New York", our favorite Christmas song.  

Every year we write about why this song has become our favorite, what we think it means, and what current application it might have in current events.  And while we think this may not be a favorite tune amongst certain (but certainly not all) folks in Arizona, it's probably best to just let the song speak for itself this time around.

From the angelic voice of Kirsty MacColl and the mad poet ramble of Shane MacGowan to the whirling dirvish of the band, both manic and pensively delicate in parts, the song is a thing of beauty within the heart of sadness.  And in the end it's all about hope, and the dreams it entails.  Which is pretty good thing, when you think about it.

Most of y'all already know the song by heart, of course, so sing along.  Loudly.

As a bonus, we're gonna put up our current second favorite Christmas song.  A nifty, and hilarious,  little twangster from Robert Earl Keen. 

Thanks again for stopping by.  Here's hoping y'all have a swell Holiday and a Merry Christmas.  Or, at least, survive the weekend.

Best Records of the Year starts next week.

I built my dreams around you...

The Pogues: Fairytale of New York (mp3)

Robert Earl Keen: Merry Christmas From The Family (mp3)

Let's all be good to each other.