The Christmas edition of “Saturday Night Live” was graced with a musical performance by none other than Hozier. The Irish artist chose to honor the Pogues’ classic “Fairytale of New York” as his second song of the night.
The emotional rendition of the song, which has become a Christmas standard since its release in 1987, was met with high praise on social media. Fans appreciated Hozier’s tribute to the late Shane MacGowan, the Pogues’ singer, and Kristy MacColl, who sang a duet with MacGowan on the song.
One fan couldn’t contain their excitement, writing: “Hozier performing ‘Fairytale of New York’ has to be the most Irish thing ever and I’m here for it.”
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Sinead O’Brien appreciated the performance, writing: “Gorgeous version of ‘Fairytale of New York’ by Hozier & backup singers that did Shane MacGowan & Kirsty MacColl proud.” O’Brien also brought up the changes made to the song’s original lyrics, nominating ‘bowdlerize’ as the Word of the Day. The term refers to removing material considered improper or offensive in a text or account.
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In the performance, Hozier and his backup singers replaced the original lyric “You scumbag, you maggot, You cheap lousy faggot” with “You scumbag, you maggot, you’re cheap and you’re haggard.” This change was met with approval and a knowing wink from one singer. Interestingly, MacColl had been performing the song with the same lyric change since 1992. Another line that has been understandably dropped over the years is “You’re an old slut on junk”.
The song “Fairytale of New York” was reportedly written by MacGowan as a response to Elvis Costello’s challenge to come up with a Christmas song. MacGowan once described the song as a conversation between “old Irish-American Broadway stars who are sitting round at Christmas talking about whether things are going okay.”
Hozier’s first performance on “Saturday Night Live” was the song “Too Sweet” from his 2024 EP “Unheard.”
Watch Hozier perform “Fairytale of New York” below.
FAQs:
Q: Who is Hozier?
A: Hozier is an Irish artist known for his emotional renditions and unique music style.
Q: What is “Fairytale of New York”?
A: “Fairytale of New York” is a classic Christmas song by The Pogues, released in 1987.
Q: Why did Hozier change the original lyrics of the song?
A: Hozier made changes to the original lyrics to remove material that is considered improper or offensive.
Q: Who were the original singers of “Fairytale of New York”?
A: The original singers of “Fairytale of New York” were Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl.
Credit: variety.com
