Deck the halls

[listersgirl]

I have spent all day dealing with Christmas music, including a cover of Fairytale of New York by the Irish Tenors. WTF? Operatic renditions of the Pogues in 3-part harmony are not to believed.

(Also, they changed the lyrics from "You scumbag, you maggot" to "You're handsome, she's pretty". Blasphemy! ETA: ok, I lied - they didn't change the lyrics, they just left out that entire verse. If I'd managed to listen to the entire thing I would have figured that out. It's still among the wrongest Christmas covers I've ever heard.)

I am so glad it's Friday.

Comments

[sarcasma.livejournal.com]

OMG.

Isn't the point where you're meeting to discuss how to make the words "scumbag" and "faggot" into something pretty and appealing for a Christmas album to give your grandmother the point where you realize you're covering the WRONG TUNES?

[listersgirl]

Seriously. Take the hint, boys!

[girldetective.livejournal.com]

But "he's handsome/she's pretty" doesn't rhyme with "you cheap lousy maggot"! That's...weird. Really weird. Why would they even bother covering it?

I love that song.

[cangetmad.livejournal.com]

"You're handsome" "You're pretty, queen of New York City" are lyrics from elsewhere in the song, though, so presumably they just copied them over? But, how does that song work without the sweary argument bit? It's all about the sweary arguing!

[listersgirl]

This is what I just figured out - they left that verse right out, and replaced it with some tinkly bells. Yup. Now there's no arguing, and it's all wrong.

[listersgirl]

As do I. It's so much fun to sing along to.

[emiline.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. I think I would cry if I had to listen to the 3 Tenors cover that song; it's my favourite Christmas tune, next to "Merry Christmas, Sgt. Kraulis" by Martin Tielli.

[listersgirl]

I don't know that one! I'll have to seek it out, once I'm over the complete Christmas music exhaustion.

[emiline.livejournal.com]

It might actually just be called "Sgt. Kraulis"; I can't remember perfectly at the moment. It's on his Operation Infinite Joy disc. It also has swearing in it - Happy Christmas!

[globetrotter1.livejournal.com]

Must Kill the Irish Tenors!

Abomination!

[listersgirl]

They really should be killed anyway. They're very wrong.

[fromaway.livejournal.com]

Did they keep in the bit about "you're an old slut on junk, lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed"? Because if they did, why bother cutting out the "you scumbag, you maggot" part?

[listersgirl]

No, that was just me getting confused in my horror. :)

They left out the whole verse, which does bizarre things to the song.

[fromaway.livejournal.com]

Wow, does it ever. Why would they even cover it? It's not like we're short on Christmas songs.

[listersgirl]

I'm running with the theory that they were trying for something Irish, and got halfway through the song before they realized it wasn't as pretty as they thought.

[cangetmad.livejournal.com]

And also sung by a woman from Croydon! I do always think of it as a Kirsty MacColl song with the Pogues playing on it.

[goovie.livejournal.com]

one word:

why???????????????


and a request: mp3, please. i need to experience this fresh hell for myself.

[listersgirl]

Let me see if I can figure out how to work the newfangled technology of turning CDs into mp3s, and I will pass it on to you. :)

[goovie.livejournal.com]

yay!