THE CHANCES of Pogues hit Fairytale of New York landing the coveted Christmas no. 1 slot in Britain have been dealt a blow by another 1980s festive classic.
After frontman Shane MacGowan passed away last month, his wife Victoria Mary Clarke expressed her hope that the song would finally top the charts in Britain this Christmas as a tribute to the star.
However, despite a new limited-edition vinyl release in aid of charity helping to boost the song's chances, it could be pipped by Wham!'s 1984 hit, Last Christmas.
And 'Fairytale' is also at risk of missing out on the Christmas no. 1 spot in Ireland after Noah Kahan's folk song Stick Season this week regained top spot from the Pogues classic.
Battle for the top
Like Fairytale of New York, Last Christmas was also consigned to second spot in the British charts upon its initial release.
The Pogues were beaten to the festive top spot in 1987 by the Pet Shop Boys' cover of Always on My Mind, while three years earlier, Band Aid's Do They Know it's Christmas? edged out Wham!
The song did eventually top the British charts on New Year's Day in 2021, going on to claim the no. 1 spot a further three times since then, but it has yet to top the charts on December 25.
As one half of Wham!, George Michael missed out on the British Christmas no. 1 in 1984 (Image: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)The festive favourite has made the British Top-40 every year since 2007 and been in the Top-10 every year since George Michael's death on Christmas Day 2016.
On Friday, Last Christmas was released on CD for the first time ever, along with a limited-edition seven-inch version on green vinyl.
'Fairytale' has been climbing the British charts since MacGowan sadly passed away on November 30, rising to fourth last week.
When Friday's charts were released, it had slipped to fifth, while Last Christmas was enjoying a second consecutive week at the top spot.
Noah Kahan could end up topping the Christmas charts in Ireland and Britain (Image: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)In Ireland, meanwhile, 'Fairytale' ended Stick Season's four-week run at no. 1 by topping the charts for the week ending December 7.
However, Kahan regained the top spot on Friday for the week of December 8-14.
The American singer-songwriter is also sitting at no. 2 in Britain, meaning he could ultimately trump both The Pogues and Wham! in Britain and top the Christmas charts on either side of the Irish Sea.
Charity
Should Fairytale of New York fail to top the charts, it will still have raised much-needed funds for the Dublin Simon Community homeless charity.
A special limited-edition seven-inch vinyl release of the song is due to go on sale on Tuesday, December 19, with proceeds going to the charity.
The record includes the original version with vocals by MacGowan and the late Kirsty MacColl, while the B-side features an instrumental version.
"We would like to say a huge thank you to The Pogues and Shane McGowan's family for their generosity in creating such a special legacy for Dublin Simon Community with this release," said Emma Kilkenny, Head of Fundraising & Communications at Dublin Simon Community.
"Music is an emotional and visceral gift that can lift spirits and bring hope to people at their lowest point.
"We share the truly magical memory of Shane’s performance at the very special Christmas Busk recorded in St Patrick's Cathedral during Covid lockdown.
"The Christmas Eve Busk is a beating heart at the core of Dublin Simon's fundraising and Shane was always a very welcome and truly amazing addition to this special event."
The Christmas no. 1s for both Ireland and Britain will be revealed this coming Friday, with sales and streams counting up until midnight on Thursday, December 21.
