Bruce Springsteen’s has just released an emotional cover of The Pogues’ 1986 tune “A Rainy Night In Soho” as a tribute to the band’s late original frontman, Shane MacGowan. The track is available now via all digital platforms.
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You also can check out a lyric video for the song at MacGowan’s official YouTube channel.
The track will be part of an expansive tribute album paying homage to MacGowan that will be released this fall.
Titled 20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan, the album is due out on November 13. Besides Springsteen, a variety of well-known and up-and-coming artists are contributing to the project. Among the confirmed contributors are Tom Waits, Steve Earle, Hozier, Dropkick Murphys, Glen Hansard, Oscar-nominated actress Jessie Buckley, Johnny Depp, Primal Scream, The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Libertines, and The Pogues themselves. The album will include duets pairing Hozier with Buckley, and Depp with popular Irish singer Imelda May.
20th Century Paddy is described as “a sonic love letter to a catalogue that shaped generations.” The title was a name that MacGowan had hoped to use for one of his own albums. The tribute was organized in part by Shane’s widow, Victoria Mary Clarke.
Clarke said in a statement, “Shane’s spirit and songwriting are eternally exalted through this glorious collection, each song is uniquely and graciously interpreted by these beyond beautiful artists and his family are humbled by and thankful to each and every one of the musicians involved.”
20th Century Paddy can be pre-ordered now. It will be available as a two-CD set, a three-LP package, and a box set. The box set will feature the CDs, LPs, and a 56-page book.
Springsteen Penned a Tribute to MacGowan
In conjunction with the release of his cover of “Rainy Night In Soho,” Springsteen wrote a lengthy homage to MacGowan.
“Every once in a while, every once in a great while an artist comes along whose voice seems to speak to history itself,” Bruce’s tribute begins. “Shane’s voice was so deeply real, profane and honest, his writing so flashing, alive and historically rich its genesis appeared as a mystery to all including, I believe, its creator. The dangerous joy, the glee and courage, the humor in the face of fate, the wild ramble of a life driven towards the artistic heavens and the daily balm of self obliteration.”
He continued, “Shane was all naked bottomless humanity. Threatening to force us to ask ourselves if we were living deeply, authentically. He was raw, hilarious, no apologies and profound. His soul was filled with the transgressive and ecstatic properties of the saints. I don’t know who’ll be listening to my music in 100 years but I know they’ll be listening to Shane’s.”
Springsteen concluded his homage by recalling a visit he paid the Irish singer-songwriter not long before he died.
“Though I did not know Shane very well, I spent a lovely afternoon in his presence shortly before he passed,” Bruce wrote. “He was not well but he and his wife, Victoria, proved warm and gracious hosts. As I left, I thanked him for his beautiful work, his music, his songs, his life. I stood in his warmth, kissed him and told him I loved him.”
‘20th Century Paddy’ Will Benefit a Dublin Homeless Charity
In honor of MacGowan’s legacy, half of the artists’ royalties from the album will be donated to Dublin Simon Community. The charity provides housing and healthcare to people experiencing homelessness in and around the Irish capital.
Catherine Kenny, the organization’s CEO, noted in a statement that MacGowan was “a long‑time supporter of our work.” She added, “[I]t is because of this enduring connection that proceeds from the new tribute album will go to helping Dublin Simon Community support people who are homeless today. Shane’s empathy for people sleeping rough in Dublin was well known; he never hesitated to stop, acknowledge, and share a moment with someone on the street.”
(Photo by Danny Clinch; Courtesy of Rubyworks)
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