Fairytale of fine language

How crazy that Radio 1 has banned some of the lyrics of the fabulous ballad Fairytale of New York. As a copywriter I love (and always have loved) the power and energy of song lyrics. This ballad has such beauty and pathos and its earthy language plays a huge part. There's nothing like belting out a bit of Kirsty and Shane on Christmas Day after a few glasses of fizz, don't you think? I'm not advocating bad language, it's just that powerful words sung with passion lift the spirits. It all began for me by writing out The Jam lyrics in my rough book in Mrs Smith’s Maths class. This was so that me and my best friend Jackie could seamlessly impress the mods and scooter boys at youth club on a Friday night. Almost 25 years later (how scary) it's the Arctic Monkeys who move me most with their cute and clever wordsmithery. I love their witty urban poetry and gritty story telling. Or is it that their portrait of growing up in Sheffield in the ‘00’s transports me to the Middlesbrough of my youth? OK, the rough book's been replaced by the iPod but seeing them live made me feel 15 again!