The Pogues’ and Kirsty MacColl’s “Fairytale of New York” is a certified Christmas classic, but did you know that it is also problematic? The song has come under fire because of the use of the word “f**got”—some want to bring attention to it so people won’t singalong with that word anymore, some want the word bleeped out of the song entirely.

Singer Shane MacGowan has responded to the controversy about that particular verse, explaining that the reference was never intended to be homophobic but rather, in context, was part of a character study …

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