Dropkick Murphys have released a cover of The Pogues’ “The Body of an American” from the upcoming tribute album 20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan, set to arrive November 13th.
“Dropkick Murphys are honored to be a part of this Shane tribute,” stated Dropkick frontman Ken Casey. “Shane had a tremendous impact on the members of the band, individually, and on the band as a whole. Shane’s lyrics had such a dark, sometimes twisted, street level reality to them that it was more punk than a lot of punk.”
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He added, “It’s so cool to participate in this amazing tribute album, alongside such a diverse lineup of musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Hozier, and so many more all inspired by Shane MacGowan. ‘The Body of an American’ is a Dropkick all-time favorite and we’ve played it live throughout the years so to get to record it for this tribute was a dream come true.”
20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan was announced back in March. In addition to the artists that Casey mentioned, the collection also features contributions by Primal Scream, Kate Moss, Glen Hansard, The Libertines, Johnny Depp and Imelda May.
Meanwhile, Dropkick Murphys’ song “Dropped on My Head,” a bonus track from their 2025 album For the People, has been selected as the theme song for the new crime drama series The Westies, which is set to premiere July 12th on MGM+.
Dropkick Murphys are touring throughout the UK and Europe this summer, and will return to the States for Tom Morello’s recently announced Power to the People festival alongside Foo Fighters, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, and more. The one-day event takes place October 3rd at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, with tickets already sold out.
Check out the lyric video for Dropkick Murphys’ cover of The Pogues “The Body of an American” below.
