MacColl began her career in the late 1970s UK punk rock scene, singing backing vocals for Drug Addix. Her UK hits included the 1981 single "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis", a cover of Billy Bragg's "A New England" in 1985, a duet with Shane MacGowan of The Pogues on "Fairytale of New York" in 1987, and a cover of The Kinks' song "Days" in 1989. She was probably most recognizable in the United States as the writer of "They Don't Know" a hit in 1979.
After a break from the music industry for much of the 1990s, several trips to Cuba and Brazil restored MacColl's creative muse, and the world music-inspired (particularly Cuban and other Latin American forms) Tropical Brainstorm, often described as her finest work, was released in 2000.
On 18 December 2000, while swimming in a restricted diving area with her family on a holiday in Cozumel, she was killed in a collision with a powerboat while managing to drag her son out of its path. The boat was owned by Mexican supermarket millionaire Guillermo González Nova (owner of Comercial Mexicana), who was on board with several members of his family. A boathand, José Cen Yam, claimed to have been driving the boat and was found guilty of culpable homicide and, under Mexican law, allowed to pay a fine of 1034 pesos (about USD 90) in lieu of a prison sentence of that many days. However, eyewitnesses contradict Cen Yam's claim to have been driving and also González Nova's claim that the boat was travelling at a speed of only one knot. MacColl's family are campaigning for a judicial review into the events surrounding her death, including an application to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The BBC has featured on several of its channels a documentary by Olivia Lichtenstein, entitled Who Killed Kirsty MacColl?
In 2001, a bench was placed by the southern entrance to London's Soho Square as a memorial to her, after a lyric from one of her most poignant songs: "One day I'll be waiting there/ No empty bench inSoho Square.
Please Go To Sleep
Kirsty MacColl Lyrics
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Please go to sleep now little darling
It's time for you to rest
It's been a hard day, I know
I understand that you've had a long and difficult day
You've played so many games
You've been active and engaged in many different activities
And you still want to know
You have questions or curiosities that are keeping you from winding down
Why the sky is up above
You're wondering about the nature of the atmosphere
And if God is mad with us
You're pondering over the idea of a higher power, and questioning whether or not we have displeased them
You ask so many questions
You are naturally inquisitive
But the truth is always there
The answers to your questions are available to you and you'll find them when the time is right
And I'm sorry I don't know them all by heart
I don't have all the answers memorized, but I'll help you find them
Please go to sleep now little darling
It's time to let your mind rest and allow yourself to sleep
I promise I'll be here when you wake up
I'll be here for you when you rise from your slumber
And I'll tell you everything I know
I'll try my best to answer any questions or concerns you may have
Please go to sleep now little darling
Get some rest, and don't worry about a thing
And tomorrow, we can go and play
There will be plenty of time to explore and have fun tomorrow
We'll ask those questions together then
We can work together to find the answers to your questions tomorrow
So for now, it's time to go to bed
It's time to say goodnight and get some rest
Please go to sleep now little darling
Sweet dreams, and I'll see you in the morning
Contributed by Annabelle H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.