Fairytale of New York's full story & the imperishable genius of Steve Cropper

Fairytale of New York's full story & the imperishable genius of Steve Cropper

Author: Mark Ellen, David Hepworth and Alex Gold December 7, 2025 Duration: 54:20

The boys of the NYPD choir are still singing Galway Bay, so pour yourself a measure of the Rare Old Mountain Dew and warm your toes on the following …

 

… Steve Lillywhite (in Bali!) remembers making Fairytale Of New York and how “a fiery redhead” kicked the Chrissie Hynde duet into touch

 

… the most recent singer-songwriter you could call “a ledge”?

 

… records we loved in our 20s but now feel a bit embarrassing  

 

… “discipline and economy, tension and release”: the immortal twangs and tweaks of Steve Cropper and how the MGs redefined the idea of a great record

 

… Green Onions, I Thank You by Sam & Dave and the white heat of Otis Blue’s 24-hour recording

 

... Tim Buckley’s Greatest Misses

 

... performative listening: the exquisite awkwardness of the album playback!

 

… the link between Imogen Heap and the Hissing of Summer Lawns

 

… Jon Bon Jovi’s version of Fairytale – “so bad they had to turn the YouTube comments off!”

 

… plus Gram Parsons, the cult of the Blues Brothers, the Monochrome Set and a quiz from birthday guest Peter Petyt: spot the Hepworth/Ellen reviews of yesteryear!

 

The new live version of Fairytale of New York: http://pogues.lnk.to/FONYLiveGlasgow1987

 

Josh Smith demonstrating Steve Cropper’s guitar parts: https://youtu.be/LJEIwggKAsg?si=29weA4tBQE6ccj1-


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There’s a particular kind of conversation about music that happens between friends who’ve spent a lifetime immersed in it-not as distant critics, but as participants in the culture. That’s the atmosphere you’ll find in Word In Your Ear, a podcast from Mark Ellen, David Hepworth, and Alex Gold. With a collective eighty years of writing and broadcasting for titles like Smash Hits and Mojo, and shows from "The Old Grey Whistle Test" to VH-1, they don’t just recount history; they unpack the stories behind it with the ease of a shared laugh. This podcast grew naturally from their work on the late, great magazine The Word, where they began recording over thirteen years ago, building a dedicated following who found something genuinely special in the mix. Each episode weaves together music, commentary, history, and interviews, moving seamlessly from deep-dive analysis of a seminal album to a frank chat with a surprising guest, all delivered with the warmth and wit of a late-night chat. It feels less like a formal show and more like you’ve been invited to pull up a chair in a room where the anecdotes are plentiful and the expertise is worn lightly. The result is a consistently engaging listen that treats music not as a museum piece but as a living, breathing part of our lives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Word In Your Ear
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