Nobody in the history of music ever sounded quite as decadently downtrodden (or whiskey-drowned, -sodden) as Shane MacGowan on “Fairytale of New York,” the soppy Christmas carol the Pogues’ first ...

Is Christmas really the saddest day of the year? There’s a whole history of holiday music that explores what it’s like to be down-and-out during the season. Are you mourning absent family members?

The singer-songwriter, who died in 2000, is best known for duetting on “Fairytale of New York.” But in an unusual career, she also made her mark behind the scenes. By Bob Mehr During a fitful 20-year ...

Kirsty MacColl's last television concert, filmed in Glasgow in March 2000. With songs from MacColl's last album, Tropical Brainstorm, alongside such classics as New England and Walking Down Madison ...