The song has now made the Top 20 in eleven different years. This jump is in keeping with recent performance, we would expect some more modest upward movement still to come before it sails away to the far side of its orbit for another year!

For those wishing to read all about the story of Stiff records, I can recommend the recently published book “The Stiff Records Story” by Richard Balls.

There are a couple of pages about Kirsty. Nigel Dick, pictured with Kirsty, contributes quite a bit to the book. Anyone with a passing interest in Stiff, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, Wreckless Eric, Jona Lewie, Madness and the mid-late Seventies, early Eighties UK music scene should get the book.

Terry Hurley

Here’s a review in the Irish Times.

This fine synth version from ten years back, freshly uploaded to YouTube by the band’s Moon Trent. We revive it here for your added festive enjoyment! Good to have this back on YouTube.

This one is from Feather and Down, released by Irma Records (Japan) this week in 2013. This was an acoustic project by Swedish singer Karin Maria Andersson, also a singer with circus group Cirque du Soleil.

It’s chart watching time, and the official UK chart is now showing Fairytale of New York at No. 67 (up from 80 last week and 137 the week before). Place your bets on how high it will climb in 2014!