Remembering Shane

Plus a starter list for newer listeners

I came late to the Pogues party. It was 1989 or 90, so I was either eighteen or nineteen. The album that caught my attention was Peace and Love. But it wasn’t Shane MacGowan’s voice that initially drew me. It was “Lorelei” sung by Philip Chevron with backing vocals from Kirsty MacColl that first got my attention. Then “Young Ned of the Hill” another song sung by other members.

It wasn’t until I heard “Haunted,” the duet Shane did with Sinead O’Connor, that I began my deeper dive into the glorious storytelling and raucous poetry of Shane MacGowan.

Digging back introduced me to so many songs full of history and witty wordplay. As a history major, I heartily approved both. But, as always, I was drawn more to the songs I discovered myself, than those that were popular with others.

“Lorca’s Novena” plays at a pivotal point in Grosse Point Blank, and became a go-to listen. “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda” is a standard, but there’s something so magical about Shane’s less than tuneful version. “The Ghost of a Smile” came to mean so much to me when my Mom became sick and died while I was finishing my senior year in college.

Songs hit different people in different ways. One of the greatest joys of music is finding the songs that resonate with you. And the Pogues are a fantastic example. There’s so much emotion and heart, from despair to anger, joy to utter loneliness. You can almost physically feel it. Like a punch to the gut or a consoling arm around your shoulders.

So, I put together my “starter” playlist, for anyone interested in a deeper dive or in seeing what songs meant the most to me. I hope you enjoy it. And if you choose to bow your head for a moment, or even to raise a glass in remembrance, well, Shane certainly would have something to say. RIP.

Apple Music Link:
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/starter-list-the-pogues/pl.u-V9D7m8pC3plY9o7

Spotify: