BBC Radio edits Kirsty MacColl's Christmas collaboration with The Pogues

UPDATE: BBC 1 has already reversed their decision. The "cheap lousy faggot" is back in Christmas, where it belongs. (BJ)

In Britain, Kirsty MacColl (who died seven years ago today) and The Pogues' Christmas-themed song "Fairytale of New York" is an annual tradition. The tune gets the kind of play "All I Want for Christmas is You" does in the States. (I. Am. So. Envious.) However, after twenty years of annual airplay, BBC 1 Radio has begun playing an edited version of the popular song.

If you're unfamiliar with "Fairytale of New York," MacColl and Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan play a raucous couple who spend their Christmas bitterly fighting with each other over broken dreams and wasted opportunities. Amid the many insults the couple throw at each other, MacColl sings "You scumbag, you maggot/You cheap lousy faggot/Happy Christmas your arse/I pray God it's our last". This year, BBC Radio is playing an edited version which, according to a BBC spokesperson, had the word "faggot" faded down, taking it out of the song.

With the song being an annual tradition, the change is controversial. The late MacColl's mother, Jean, called the alteration "ridiculous" while a Pogues spokesperson said that the band found the change amusing, considering that the song has been heard for so long without incident. Fans, meanwhile, are making the predictable cries of "It's political correctness gone too far!" as can be seen in the comments of this BBC Radio blog. (One comment interestingly notes that "slut" was also edited out, though the controversy entirely focuses on the f-word.)

Now, I can totally understand how "Fairytale of New York" can offend; I gave the song a bad introduction to a roommate once when he walked into the apartment just as MacColl was rhyming "maggot" with "faggot", so I can understand how it can inflame sensitivities. "Fairytale of New York" is a song that has to be put into context and I do wonder about what message casual radio listeners are getting.

Still, if the song gets heavy airplay every year, don't most people know what it's all about? This is one of those bits where I don't really have the cultural empathy to get all the nuances of the controversy. I can't imagine a song as unhappy as "Fairytale of New York" becoming a Christmas standard, here, much less the general audience's ability to put it in context. What do you think? I'd love to hear how our British readers feel about the incident.

In case you're unfamiliar with "Fairytale of New York" you can check out the video right here. (And if you're familiar with the song you'll likely want to check it out anyway.) Of course, the sound may be NSFW with all of its insulting words: