"Fiesta" is a single by

The Pogues The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse" ...

, featured on their album of 1988, ''

If I Should Fall from Grace with God ''If I Should Fall from Grace with God'' is the third studio album by Irish folk-punk band the Pogues, released on 18 January 1988. Released in the wake of their biggest hit single, "Fairytale of New York", ''If I Should Fall from Grace with God ...

''. It was written by Jem Finer and

Shane MacGowan Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (born 25 December 1957) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He was also a member of the Nipple Erectors and Shane MacGow ...

, based on a Spanish fairground melody Finer had picked up (this melody is an appeal or lure from a sausages kiosk named "Hamburguesas Uranga (Uranga Hamburgers)" in the feasts of the city of Almería, Feria de Almería, in southern Spain). The refrain quotes " Liechtensteiner Polka" by Edmund Kotscher and Rudi Lindt. The lyrics refer to the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

city of

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of the same name. It lies on southeastern Iberia on the Mediterranean Sea. Caliph Abd al-Rahman III founded the city in 955. The city g ...

, as well as former bassist Cait O'Riordan's departure from the group, and subsequent marriage to Elvis Costello. The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was directed by popular British comedian and actor

Adrian Edmondson Adrian Charles Edmondson (born 24 January 1957) is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter. He was part of the alternative comedy boom in the early 1980s and had roles in the television series '' The Young Ones'' (1 ...

, and filmed on the roof of

Casa Batlló () is a building in the center of Barcelona. It was designed by Antoni Gaudí, and is considered one of his masterpieces. A remodel of a previously built house, it was redesigned in 1904 by Gaudí and has been refurbished several times after th ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. "Fiesta" was the last Pogues singles to make the United Kingdom Top 30, while MacGowan was with the band. The song is a live highlight, and has been included in most setlists since its release, often as the closer with whistle player

Spider Stacy Peter Richard "Spider" Stacy (born 14 December 1958, Eastbourne) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is best known for playing tin whistle and sometimes singing for The Pogues. Early life Stacy left school at 16 after fa ...

adding percussion by beating a beer tray against his head.

In popular culture

* "Fiesta" has appeared in many television programmes and movies, including

Patrick Sébastien Patrick Boutot (born 14 November 1953 in Brive-la-Gaillarde, Corrèze), better known as Patrick Sébastien, is a French television host, producer and media personality, radio host, singer, writer, producer, director, impressionist entertainer ...

's show ''Sébastien c'est fou'', on the French television channel TF1 in the 1990s. * It was also used in the movie ''

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! ''The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!'' (released in North America, Australia and New Zealand as ''The Pirates! Band of Misfits'') is a 2012 3D stop-motion animated swashbuckler comedy film produced by the British studio Aardman Ani ...

'' (2012). *It was adopted by

Celtic Football Club The Celtic Football Club, commonly known as Celtic (), is a Scottish professional football club based in Glasgow, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. The club was founded in 1887 with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the immigran ...

in the early 2000s whenever they scored a goal at their home stadium

Parkhead Parkhead ( sco, Pairkheid) is a district in the East End of Glasgow. Its name comes from a small weaving hamlet at the meeting place of the Great Eastern Road (now the Gallowgate and Tollcross Road) and Westmuir Street. Glasgow's Eastern Necrop ...

, before it was replaced by

Chelsea Dagger "Chelsea Dagger" is a song by Scottish rock band the Fratellis. It was released as the second single from their debut studio album, ''Costello Music'' (2006), on 28 August 2006. It is named after Jon Fratelli's wife Heather, a burlesque dancer ...

The Fratellis The Fratellis are a Scottish rock band from Glasgow, formed in 2005. The band consists of three unrelated members, who perform under pseudonyms: lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli, bassist Barry Fratelli, and drummer Mince Fratelli. Thei ...

. * From 1994 to 1995, "Fiesta" was used in an advert for the Opel/Vauxhall Tigra. * A brief snippet of the song was used in ''

Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule ''Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule'' is a British television comedy panel show created, written and presented by Harry Hill and produced by his company Nit Television for ITV. The series began on 2 March 2017 and follows Hill and a group of cele ...

''. * A brief snippet was also used on '' Harry Hill's Tea Time''.

Covers

The

band Celtas Cortos released a Spanish-language cover of "Fiesta" on their 2016 album '' In Crescendo''.

References

* {{authority control 1988 singles The Pogues songs Song recordings produced by Steve Lillywhite Songs written by Jem Finer Songs written by Shane MacGowan 1988 songs Songs about Spain