Last week brought the news that Shane MacGowan, co-founder and singer-songwriter for Ireland’s legendary the Pogues, had passed away. MacGowan’s songs, not to mention his interpretations of other folk songs, were as stirring as his life was complex. Even though he had only performed sporadically over the last decade, the impact of his music has remained strong.
Here, in MacGowan’s memory, are two of his most memorable songs. First is “A Pair of Brown Eyes” performed live in Germany in 1985. The song is from Rum Sodomy & the Lash, the album the group released that year.
Second is a moving tribute performance from last week’s episode of Irish television show The Late Late Show. Glen Hansard, joined by Terry Woods, Steve Wickham, Colm Mac Conlomaire, & Liam Ó Maonlaí joined the show’s house band for a beautiful version of MacGowen’s “A Rainy Night in Soho”.
I’m not singing for the future
I’m not dreaming of the past
I’m not talking of the first times
I never think about the last
Now the song is nearly over
We may never find out what it means
Still there’s a light I hold before me
You’re the measure of my dreams
The measure of my dreams
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.