Jason and Travis Kelce duet, trash talk in new ‘Philly Special Christmas Special’ song

The timing couldn’t be better for the release of a duet between Jason Kelce and his brother Travis. The third song from A Philly Special Christmas Special arrives just as the Eagles are set to play the Chiefs on Monday Night Football in a much-hyped Super Bowl LVII rematch.

And oh yeah, Travis Kelce is a tiny bit more famous these days than he was when he recorded his vocals on this.

The brothers get together on a Philly-ized rewrite of “Fairytale of New York,” the Pogues’ 1987 tale of an Irish immigrant spending Christmas Eve sleeping off a bender in the drunk tank.

When A Philly Special producer Charlie Hall and engineer Nick Krill headed to Kansas City in August to record the Chiefs tight end, it was still B.T.S. in Kelce time. That is, Before Taylor Swift. Amid Swift-Kelce dating rumors, Jason’s younger brother has become a figure of worldwide fixation for Swifties. Their obsession only deepened when Travis traveled to Buenos Aires to see her perform last weekend and Swift changed a lyric to “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me.”

So now that all ears are upon the New Heights podcast stars’ version of the Christmas classic, penned by Shane MacGowan and sung by MacGowan with Kirsty MacColl, there are two questions. Is it any good? And how have they taken the New York out of the song and turned it into a Philadelphia fairy tale?

First answer: Yes. It’s tricky to transform a song about a romantic couple insulting one another into one about sibling rivalry that gives way to a celebration of Brotherly Love.

The Kelces pull it off in part because, it turns out, Travis can sing in a more dulcet tone and higher register than his gruff-voiced older brother. Their blood harmony vocals blend naturally, and the new lyrics ― credited to “a collaborative effort by the Philly Specials” ― have been written with South Philly wit.

JASON: It was Christmas Eve again

In the drunk tank

An old man said to me, won’t see another one

And then he sang a song

“The Rare Old Mountain Dew”

I turned my face away

And dreamed about you

JASON: Got on a lucky one

Came in eighteen to one

I’ve got a feeling

This year’s for me and you

So happy Christmas

I love you brother

I can see a better time

When all our dreams come true

TRAVIS: They’ve got cars big as bars

They’ve got rivers of gold

But the wind goes right through you

It’s no place for the old

When you first took my hand

On a cold Christmas Eve

You promised me Broad Street was waiting for me

TRAVIS: You were handsome

JASON: You were pretty

TRAVIS: The king of South Philly

BOTH: When the band finished playing

They howled out for more

BOTH: The leathers were swinging,

All the drunks they were singing

We fought on a corner

Then danced through the night

BOTH: The sound of the Silver Ages choir

All singing “Galway Bay”

And the bells were ringing out

For Christmas Day

JASON: Youse a lush

Youse a crum bum

You smell like some old scum

Washed up from the Schuylkill

And rotting away

TRAVIS: You dirtbag, you phony

Ya lousy jabroni

Happy Christmas you ass

I pray God it’s our last

BOTH: The sound of the Silver Ages choir

Still singing “Galway Bay”

And the bells were ringing out

For Christmas Day

JASON: I could have been someone

TRAVIS: Well so could anyone

JASON: You took my dreams from me

When mom first had you

TRAVIS: I kept them with me, Jas

I put them with my own

Can’t make it all alone

BOTH: I’ve built my dreams around you

BOTH: The sound of the Silver Ages choir

Still singing “Galway Bay”

And the bells are ringing out

For Christmas Day