“In operas, if you have a double aria, it's what the woman does that really matters. The man lies, the woman tells the truth": The story of Fairytale Of New York

Whatever the reality, the song was conceived in 1985 by The Pogues banjo player Jem Finer and MacGowan. Finer came up with ...

“Actual Friendships Were Ruined”: 80 White Elephant Gifts So Perfect, Everyone Tried To Steal Them

Depending on where you are in the world, you may have different names for White Elephant. Whether you call it Yankee Swap, ...
American Songwriter

Roland Gift on 40 Years of Fine Young Cannibals, a New Christmas Song, and How a Brief Stint as a Roadie for The Clash Influenced His Upcoming Graphic Novel

It doesn't really feel like 40 years. I don't feel that different, so I suppose it’s what they say: ’It’s just a number.’” ...

JOHN MACLEOD: The world feels unnervingly close to war, our political class never weaker. Yet as evil's tendrils spread, there remains a flickering candle of hope...

In an unremarkable corner of Austria, and a little Christmas poem the very young Father Joseph Mohr had written two years ...
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The stories behind the great Christmas hits

Whether "Driving Home For Christmas" or "Fairytale Of New York": Behind some perennial Christmas favorites lie surprising ...

Best Christmas songs of all time. 40 holiday classics, ranked

As we head into December 2025, both Brenda Lee and Bobby Helms are in the Top 5 on Billboard’s Holiday 100 — for 1958’s ...

The D’Angelo Tapes: The Late Legend on ‘Voodoo,’ ‘Black Messiah,’ and More

In the episode, you’ll hear D’Angelo discuss his earliest musical loves, how he developed his signature sound, what drove him ...
Highbrow Magazine

Blues to Jazz to Classical: The Best Holiday Songs Are the Heartbreakers

Jazz versions of holiday classics can bring up these feelings even with no singer, though perhaps start with Ella Fitzgerald’s classic album “Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas.” Other sweet as ...