Christmas may be officially over, but everyone knows that you can still get away with blaring out the festive tunes until January 31st.
But whilst there may be hundreds of epic songs out there, it's The Pogues' A Fairytale of New York that takes the crown of being the most played Christmas pop song, according to licensing body PPL. The iconic hit is officially the nation's favourite and has made it into the Christmas UK Top 20 singles chart for seven different years, including 2014's.
Ironically, whilst the track is constantly in the charts, it never made it to the coveted spot of Christmas Number 1, having been beaten into second place by the Pet Shop Boys' cover of Always On My Mind back when it was released in 1987. However, it's catchy tune and daring lyrics have stood the test of time, with the hit not only being the most-played Christmas song of the 21st Century, but also topping the polls for being the best song to cook to at Christmas, as well as the best song to drive to.
The Pogues' 1987 hit is the most played Christmas pop song (The Pogues/Facebook)
The lyrics were written by the Pogues' frontman Shane McGowan back in 1985 while he was bed-ridden recovering from pneumonia. The hit was also originally planned to be sung solo, with Shane singing both the male and female parts. Luckily, Producer Steve Lillywhite had the bright idea of drafting in his wife Kirsty MacColl to sing, and turned the song into the epic duet it is today.
Unfortunately, Kirsty passed away in a tragic boating accident back in 2000, which means you'll have to brush up on the lyrics if you fancy seeing The Pogues perform live, as the audience is now encouraged to sing her vocal parts.
Love it or hate it, there's no denying that A Fairytale of New York puts everyone in the Christmas spirit. It's fitting then that frontman Shane was born on Christmas Day! You can check out The Pogue's iconic hit below.
