Fun fact, Ewan MacColl was also the writer of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" which became a huge hit for Roberta Flack in 1972. His daughter Kirsty, who sings the joint lead on "Fairytale of New York", had her own solo career, which is well worth checking out. She had a big U.K. hit with Billy Bragg's "A New England" in 1984 and another one with her cover of The Kinks "Days" in 1989. If you want to react to any more Pogues tracks check out "A Pair of Brown eyes", "Fiesta" or "A Rainy Night in Soho".
That instrumental break in the middle of the song is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard, and after 30 years it can still make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. This song taught me to love the uilleann pipes, and seeking out that sound led me to Planxty and Flogging Molly. For more Irish punk folk try "Drunken Lullabies" by Flogging Molly: ruclips.net/video/89NjEeHku8o/видео.html
Here’s to the Irish. When I was young and in my twenties I lived in the Bronx in an Italian neighborhood with two other Irish kids. The apartment rental agreement was in my name and so I was responsible for both my behavior as well as the behavior of my roommates as far as the Italians were concerned. We got along well in the daytime but not so well at night. It was a family oriented neighbor since the beginning of time and when I say “family” I mean just that. There were plenty of wiseguys and we three were the minority. We all grew up in strict Irish Catholic households and so when we finally gained our freedom we lost our minds. The young Irish boys partied too hard, too late and way too loud. We were dumb, stubborn and full of angst. The neighborhood didn’t like us and I can’t blame them. We sucked as neighbors. So each time we sucked, they let me know it. They wouldn’t slice one of my tires. That would be two subtle. They’d slice all four. It made it hard to go to work on Monday. But did that change our behavior? Not in the least. (I already said we were dumb.) Luckily I knew a junkyard owner near Yankee Stadium who would take care of me each time I needed four new bald tires. Walking around the Bronx I was easy to spot in my green “Freedom Fighters” or “IRA A-OK” tee-shirts. The IRA wasn’t a reference to my favorite retirement fund of course but rather my favorite terrorist organization. We’d go to church sponsored Ceilis or Irish Music festivals and immediately migrate to the IRA booth to support the “war” effort in a country where we’d never been. I mean who hasn’t supported a terrorist organization in their youth? Am I right? What’s that now? None of you did? How do like that? Well, live and learn I always say. Anyway these were the days when the Irish Echo would come delivered to my doorstep and I’d read about the troubles or how some Irish football teams from Cavan or Cork did that week even though I knew nothing about them. I’d carry a copy of Bobby Sands bad poetry with me that was reportedly written from his shite covered cell in the maze. I was a punk and like my Irish Catholic friends we’d go out in Kingsbridge or Inwood and drink a weeks worth of pay in one night or maybe two. We were poor and miserable. The cologne we wore was a mixture of puke, Harp and Guinness. The cops would stop us from time to time and then let’s us go. They were nearly always Irish in those days and we were fellow choirboys. We’d always argue about sports or how the Westies were way more savage than the other mobs while secretly hoping we didn’t bump into one of their goons and end up as bloody body parts in a bathtub down in Hell’s Kitchen. We didn’t have the Internet back then or video games really, but we made our own fun. We lived for the weekends, which were romantic in a Lords of Flatbush kind of way and the nights were full of drinking, fighting and general mischief. And when we played the juke box late in the early morning near last call, we played rebel songs. I still love Irish Rock ‘n Roll. So here’s to my boy Shane MacGowan and The Pogues. My favorite album is "If I Should Fall from Grace With God.” While Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six is my favorite song, the entire record is full of gems. This album also has the greatest Christmas song ever written. I know this is true because it’s still a great song in the middle of August. You all can keep your rum, pum, pum, pum and your fa, la, la, la la’s if you want. I’ll choose Shane having his dreams ripped away by his bitter wife every time. “And the boys from the NYPD Choir were singing Galway Bay and the bells were ringing out for Christmas Day.”
Well I support all the resistance against imperialism. Not England. I support Palestine, Yemen, Ireland, Venezuela, Cuba, ya know? 🇵🇸✊⚖️❤️ And thanks, I'm going to listen to some of the If I Should Fall album! Long live Shane and the others 💪🕊️
Shawn, love this. Suggest...."Sunny side of the street" "Ghost of a smile" by Pogues......"Ordinary day" " Run run away" by Great Big Sea....."Fifteen years" "This garden" by Levelers
Written by Ewan MacColl (Kirsty's dad). Rod Stewart covered this one as well but The Pogues effort is the definitive version. I recommend checking out A Pair of Brown Eyes next, its a MacGowan original, off the same album as Dirty Old Town and every bit as good 🍀
Produced by the brilliant Elvis Costello, an artist you should seriously check out, " Man Out of Time" would be a good start. "Thousands are Sailing" is another great Pogues tune from, (in my humble opinion) their best album " If I Should Fall From Grace With God". Thank you, keep up the good work.
I will testify, that the B&W photo in the icon looks more like Mike and the Mechanics, than The Pogues! I have been a fan of The Pogues since 1984 -saw them live once in 1990. Unique. The video is the Pogues, the icon was not.
Rip Shane McGowan !
Fun fact, Ewan MacColl was also the writer of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" which became a huge hit for Roberta Flack in 1972. His daughter Kirsty, who sings the joint lead on "Fairytale of New York", had her own solo career, which is well worth checking out. She had a big U.K. hit with Billy Bragg's "A New England" in 1984 and another one with her cover of The Kinks "Days" in 1989.
If you want to react to any more Pogues tracks check out "A Pair of Brown eyes", "Fiesta" or "A Rainy Night in Soho".
That instrumental break in the middle of the song is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard, and after 30 years it can still make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. This song taught me to love the uilleann pipes, and seeking out that sound led me to Planxty and Flogging Molly.
For more Irish punk folk try "Drunken Lullabies" by Flogging Molly: ruclips.net/video/89NjEeHku8o/видео.html
Ewan MacColl's daughter was Kirsty MacColl who sang with the Pogues on "Fairytale of New York".
I love Kirsty MacColl ~ and the song, These Shoes !
This type of music reminds me of the music from the Canadian Maritimes, especially Nova Scotia, PEI, and Newfoundland.
The Pogues are legendary, check out some Luke Kelly. The Rocky Road to Dublin or Raglan Road:)
I never heard this song, but I loveeee it! 😀 It had a great musical arrangement! Thanks again for the song & the info! 👍
Pogues, truly great choice! You gotta hit Sick Bed of Chuchulainn, man.
I love hearing something new to me. Thanks for bringing this to us, Shawn and you great reaction. Blessings all.
Here’s to the Irish.
When I was young and in my twenties I lived in the Bronx in an Italian neighborhood with two other Irish kids. The apartment rental agreement was in my name and so I was responsible for both my behavior as well as the behavior of my roommates as far as the Italians were concerned. We got along well in the daytime but not so well at night. It was a family oriented neighbor since the beginning of time and when I say “family” I mean just that. There were plenty of wiseguys and we three were the minority.
We all grew up in strict Irish Catholic households and so when we finally gained our freedom we lost our minds. The young Irish boys partied too hard, too late and way too loud. We were dumb, stubborn and full of angst. The neighborhood didn’t like us and I can’t blame them. We sucked as neighbors. So each time we sucked, they let me know it. They wouldn’t slice one of my tires. That would be two subtle. They’d slice all four. It made it hard to go to work on Monday. But did that change our behavior? Not in the least. (I already said we were dumb.) Luckily I knew a junkyard owner near Yankee Stadium who would take care of me each time I needed four new bald tires.
Walking around the Bronx I was easy to spot in my green “Freedom Fighters” or “IRA A-OK” tee-shirts. The IRA wasn’t a reference to my favorite retirement fund of course but rather my favorite terrorist organization. We’d go to church sponsored Ceilis or Irish Music festivals and immediately migrate to the IRA booth to support the “war” effort in a country where we’d never been. I mean who hasn’t supported a terrorist organization in their youth? Am I right? What’s that now? None of you did? How do like that? Well, live and learn I always say.
Anyway these were the days when the Irish Echo would come delivered to my doorstep and I’d read about the troubles or how some Irish football teams from Cavan or Cork did that week even though I knew nothing about them. I’d carry a copy of Bobby Sands bad poetry with me that was reportedly written from his shite covered cell in the maze. I was a punk and like my Irish Catholic friends we’d go out in Kingsbridge or Inwood and drink a weeks worth of pay in one night or maybe two.
We were poor and miserable. The cologne we wore was a mixture of puke, Harp and Guinness. The cops would stop us from time to time and then let’s us go. They were nearly always Irish in those days and we were fellow choirboys. We’d always argue about sports or how the Westies were way more savage than the other mobs while secretly hoping we didn’t bump into one of their goons and end up as bloody body parts in a bathtub down in Hell’s Kitchen.
We didn’t have the Internet back then or video games really, but we made our own fun. We lived for the weekends, which were romantic in a Lords of Flatbush kind of way and the nights were full of drinking, fighting and general mischief. And when we played the juke box late in the early morning near last call, we played rebel songs. I still love Irish Rock ‘n Roll.
So here’s to my boy Shane MacGowan and The Pogues. My favorite album is "If I Should Fall from Grace With God.” While Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six is my favorite song, the entire record is full of gems. This album also has the greatest Christmas song ever written. I know this is true because it’s still a great song in the middle of August. You all can keep your rum, pum, pum, pum and your fa, la, la, la la’s if you want. I’ll choose Shane having his dreams ripped away by his bitter wife every time.
“And the boys from the NYPD Choir were singing Galway Bay and the bells were ringing out for Christmas Day.”
Well I support all the resistance against imperialism. Not England. I support Palestine, Yemen, Ireland, Venezuela, Cuba, ya know? 🇵🇸✊⚖️❤️ And thanks, I'm going to listen to some of the If I Should Fall album! Long live Shane and the others 💪🕊️
Shawn, love this. Suggest...."Sunny side of the street" "Ghost of a smile" by Pogues......"Ordinary day" " Run run away" by Great Big Sea....."Fifteen years" "This garden" by Levelers
I would suggest "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" by The Pogues from the "Rum Sodomy & the Lash" album. 😊
Not written by Shane, but really made it his song…great reaction Shawn! ✌️
Yup. good groove.
Written by Ewan MacColl (Kirsty's dad). Rod Stewart covered this one as well but The Pogues effort is the definitive version. I recommend checking out A Pair of Brown Eyes next, its a MacGowan original, off the same album as Dirty Old Town and every bit as good 🍀
I enjoyed this song. Thanks
Classic! Thanks Shawn 🎵😄 However the thumbnail appears to be someone else
Produced by the brilliant Elvis Costello, an artist you should seriously check out, " Man Out of Time" would be a good start.
"Thousands are Sailing" is another great Pogues tune from, (in my humble opinion) their best album " If I Should Fall From Grace With God".
Thank you, keep up the good work.
this song is about SALFORD a city in the north west of England
How about Pogues Love You Till The End. RUclips got only one reaction on this song, 15 years ago.
This is very east coast Canada. Lot of Irish Scottish influence! Keep up the good work
Agree 👍
I was just listening to Great Big Sea (Up) and it would be nice if Shawn reacted to one of their songs.......maybe "Mari-Mac"?
London Irish?
❤❤❤
☘️🇺🇲
I will testify, that the B&W photo in the icon looks more like Mike and the Mechanics, than The Pogues! I have been a fan of The Pogues since 1984 -saw them live once in 1990. Unique. The video is the Pogues, the icon was not.