Eurovision star Sam Ryder is backing The Pogues and their immortal song “Fairytale of New York” for the Christmas No 1 this year – despite his song competing for the coveted spot.
The “SPACE MAN” singer, 34, is currently just outside of the Top 10 UK singles chart with his original song, “You’re Christmas to Me”, alongside festive singles from Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande and Band Aid.
But the newly independent artist, who parted ways with his record label, Parlophone, earlier this year, says he’s taking a “romantic view” on the annual race, in the wake of Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan’s death.
“I’ve got love in my heart for the ‘Fairytale of New York’ situation,” he told the Daily Star’s Wired column. “That’s never got to No 1 and that would be a gorgeous moment, especially now Shane MacGowan’s left us.”
Ryder added: “There’s a lot of tragedy wrapped up in that song – two gorgeous voices no longer with us and taken too soon. That’s me taking a lovely romantic view on it.”
MacGowan, who wrote “Fairytale of New York” with Jim Finer, died of pneumonia aged 65 on 30 November, while singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl, who duetted with him for the track, was killed in a boating accident in Mexico in 2000 aged 41.
Ryder’s “You’re Christmas to Me” is currently only available on Amazon, but has still managed to reach No 12 on the charts.
“Amazon have the exclusive this year as they asked me to write a theme tune for their movie, Your Christmas or Mine 2,” he explained.
Sam Ryder at rehearsals for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Despite being one of the nation’s favourite Christmas songs, “Fairytale of New York” has never managed to top the charts in the years since its release in 1988, when it peaked at No 2.
But fans think it might have a chance after the death of MacGowan, whose family threw him a suitably rock’n’roll funeral in Dublin last week.
Footage from inside St Mary of the Rosary Church showed an appropriately raucous send-off, including a rousing singalong to “Fairytale of New York” led by Irish singers Glen Hansard and Lisa O’Neill.
His widow, Irish author Victoria Mary Clarke, is among those backing the campaign to finally push the song to No 1.
Clarke told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday: “It would be nice, wouldn’t it?
“It should be the Christmas number one, it absolutely should. I’m very much in favour of that.”
Victoria Mary Clarke delivers a eulogy for her late husband, Shane MacGowan— (Pogues livestream)
On Monday (11 December), Clarke thanked her late husband’s close friend, Hollywood actor and musician Johnny Depp, for his “compassion and loyalty” towards her and MacGowan.
Depp, who played the guitar at MacGowan’s wedding to Clarke in Amsterdam in 2018, was pictured carrying MacGowan’s coffin into the church, following a procession through central Dublin.
He also delivered a reading of the Prayer of the Faithful during the service.
“When you lose a loved one you need to be able to focus on the blessings and I want to thank [Johnny Depp] for being a tower of strength and for supporting me and Shane MacGowan in so many ways with such respect and compassion and loyalty,” she wrote on X/Twitter.
