“Fiesta” is a single by The Pogues featured on their 1988 album, If I Should Fall from Grace with God. It was written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan, based on a Spanish fairground melody Finer had picked up. The refrain quotes “Liechtensteiner Polka” by Edmund Kötscher and Rudi Lindt. The lyrics refer to the Spanish city of Almería, as well as former bassist Cait O’Riordan’s departure from the group and subsequent relationship with Elvis Costello. Several of The Pogues spent some time in Almeria, Spain filming Alex Cox’s riotous Straight to Hell. As you can imagine, it was a party, the spirit of which was fully caught in one of my very favorite Pogues songs, the utterly hilarious “Fiesta.”
Co-written with banjo player Jem Finer, who based it on a melody he kept hearing at various food stalls that stuck in his head, “Fiesta” is pure and utter nonsense lyrically, and an ridiculous stew of disparate elements musically. That it works at all is a tribute to the gonzo musicianship of The Pogues, who grab hold of the tune from the start and hang on for dear life. “Fiesta” starts off with a feint: a slow, jazzy bassline by Dennis Hunt and a smooth sax solo, then with a whistle and pistol, it leaps forward with Andrew Ranken playing a triple-time snare march and Hunt walking up and down his bass, as the horn line kicks in, getting the party started. It’s a neat trick that producer Steve Lillywhite does with those horns: they’re a bit echoed, not quite up front, like you are hearing them played from a bit of a distance or hearing them emanate from several different places at once, but just ever-so-slightly out of sync.
And then pretty much the whole band joins in for what an absolutely insane raver of a chorus, equal parts tuneful, joyful and grin-inducing.
Come all you rambling boys of pleasure
And ladies of easy leisure
We must say adios until we see
Almeria once again!
Each time they do this chorus, they follow it up with the Spanish-inflected horn part, over and over and over, accompanied by shouts, hoots and hollers, occasionally stopping the entire song for a quick whistle, or maybe a walking bass part or drum roll. And then, just to add to the craziness, the last verse is in Spanish, referencing a drinking bout by their accordionist, as well as their eloping former producer & bassist.
The music video was directed by British comedian and actor Adrian Edmondson, and filmed on the roof of Casa Batlló in Barcelona. “Fiesta” was the last new Pogues single featuring MacGowan to make the United Kingdom Top 30. The song is a live highlight, and has been included in most set lists since its release. Glasgow-based football team Celtic sometimes play part of the song after scoring.
