#If I Should Fall from Grace with God

[archivist-crow]

The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl - “Fairytale of New York” (1987)

Thirty-seven years ago today, on November 23rd, 1987, “Fairytale of New York,” the lead single from If I Should Fall from Grace with God, the third studio album by the Pogues, was released. With its origins stretching back to 1985, the song had a trying gestation period to reach its final release. In its first recorded incarnation, the female role was performed by original Pogues bass player Cait O’Riordan, but eventually went to the wife of then-Pogues producer Steve Lillywhite, singer/songwriter Kirsty MacColl. Named after the 1973 novel by J.P. Donleavy, the track’s operatic (possibly internal) dialogue, a harsh reminiscence of lost hopes while in the drunk tank, struck a chord and was an immediate success. While the song has never been a UK No. 1, peaking at No. 2 in its initial run, the enduring track has been in the UK top-20 twenty times since its release, including every year at Christmas since 2005. As unlikely as it may seem that one of the Western world’s favorite modern Christmas songs is by an iconoclastic Irish punk/folk band, it is difficult to think of anyone else that could have so deftly combined such a gently lilting Broadway melody with the painful realities of the downtrodden that makes the tune so beloved, and it may very well be the song that ultimately defines the Pogues. As stated by the song’s co-author Shane MacGowan, “It’s our ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’”

[total-derangement-of-the-senses]

Song of the Day

30 Nov., ‘23

[amplifyme]

Sad to hear that we've lost Shane MacGowen, the front man for the Irish band The Pogues. I dare you to watch this and not dance in your chair.

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1957 – Birth of musician and singer, Shane MacGowan.

Shane MacGowan was born in Pembury, Kent, to Irish parents. MacGowan spent his early childhood in Tipperary before his family moved back to England when he was six and a half. He lived in many parts of the south-east, including Brighton and London. Drawn to the punk music scene, he formed the folk-punk band the Pogues in 1982. The band gained fame by touring with the Clash. MacGowan brought a…

[guerrilla-operator]

[culturevulturette]

If I should fall from grace with god Where no doctor can relieve me If I'm buried 'neath the sod But the angels won't receive me

Let me go boys Let me go boys Let me go down in the mud Where the rivers all run dry

This land was always ours Was the proud land of our fathers It belongs to us and them Not to any of the others

Let them go boys Let them go boys Let them go down in the mud Where the rivers all run dry

Bury me at sea Where no murdered ghost can haunt me If I rock upon the waves No corpse can lie upon me

It's coming up three boys Keeps coming up three boys Let them go down in the mud Where the rivers all run dry

If I should fall from grace with god Where no doctor can relieve me If I'm buried 'neath the sod And still the angels won't receive me

Let me go boys Let me go boys Let me go down in the mud Where the rivers all run dry

[mittensmorgul]

rip shane

[artjipson]

Shane MacGowan: A Poet of the Streets, a Balladeer of Rebellion

In musical history, certain figures stand out as rebels, challenging conventions and giving voice to the unspoken sentiments of their generation. Shane MacGowan, the enigmatic frontman of The Pogues, was undeniably one such luminary. With his gravelly voice, poetic lyricism, and unapologetic embrace of Irish roots, MacGowan became a defining force in the world of punk and folk fusion. As we…

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1957 – Birth of musician and singer, Shane MacGowan.

#OTD in 1957 – Birth of musician and singer, Shane MacGowan.

Shane MacGowan was born in Pembury, Kent, to Irish parents. MacGowan spent his early childhood in Tipperary before his family moved back to England when he was six and a half. He lived in many parts of the south-east, including Brighton and London. Drawn to the punk music scene, he formed the folk-punk band the Pogues in 1982. The band gained fame by touring with the Clash. MacGowan brought a…

[guerrilla-operator]

The Pogues // Turkish Song of the Damned

Did you keep a watch for the dead man's wind? Did you see the woman with the comb in her hand? Wailing away on the wall on the strand As you danced to the Turkish song of the damned

[opens-up-4-nobody]

hypothetical struggle between Christianity and paganism in bbc merlin? 👀 one that's very neurodivergent? 👀 do tell

Okay, so Athurian times take place in the early dark ages. Which was probably a weird time for religion in Britain. Because the Roman occupation had just come to an end, leaving behind the structure of catholicism at least with those in positions of power. But religious beliefs were still in the process of blending together with the local practices and other religions, leading to some odd gnostic beliefs. Obviously, bbc merlin doesn't talk about Christianity within Camelot but I think we can assume the catholic church would have a position at the round table. Presumably, Arthur would grow up instructed in catholic belief, go to mass, and have bishops or whatever advising him. He would rule by Devine right, sanctioned by the pope and magic would be characterized as demonic. And that somehow raises the stakes for me, imaging magical merlin within the walls of a very catholic Camelot.

I just have this image of merlin in the back of a cathedral as Arthur attends mass. Kneeling in this beautiful building, head bowed low as the congregation sings praise to a foreign God in a foreign tongue. A God that would apparently have merlin tied to a stake and burned alive. And merlin choking out his empty prayers, echoing in the verbal praise under the isolation of his nonbelief and magical association. Full of fear and venom.

The hypothetical struggle I imagine is one of catholic enforcement pushed by Arthur's religious advisors and Arthur's morality. Because Arthur is a good person and slaughtering a people on the basis religion is insane. So, what does it mean for Arthur if he stops listening to his advisors and starts accepting magic? He has to contend with a spiritual struggle, not just the secular issues presented in the show. And I would looooooove to watch that. The bending of Arthur's beliefs into something more flexible and less rigidly Christian according to the church of the time

[rustbeltjessie]

Bury me at sea Where no murdered ghost can haunt me If I rock upon the waves And no corpse can lie upon me

Let me go, boys, let me go, boys Let me go down in the mud, where the rivers all run dry

Tracklist:

If I Should Fall from Grace with God • Turkish Song of the Damned • Bottle of Smoke • Fairytale of New York • Metropolis • Thousands Are Sailing • Fiesta • Medley: The Recruiting Sergeant / The Rocky Road to Dublin / Galway Races • Streets of Sorrow / Birmingham Six • Lullaby of London • Sit Down by the Fire • The Broad Majestic Shannon • Worms

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