U2 have released a cover of The Pogues’ “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” from the forthcoming tribute album 20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan, scheduled for release November 13th. Stream it below.
“Shane MacGowan was full of contradictions — and that’s where the truth of him lived,” The Edge said in a statement. “He could be precise about what mattered and gloriously careless about everything else. If that sounds like a kind of performance, maybe it was. But as Oscar Wilde put it, ‘a mask tells us more than a face.’”
The Edge added, “The crooked grin, the wildness, the old-Ireland inflections — they weren’t disguises so much as signals. A way of placing himself in a lineage that ran from the pub storyteller to the punk stage. Somewhere between John B. Keane and The Clash, he found a voice that felt both ancient and completely of its time.”
20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan was announced in March. In addition to U2, the collection also features contributions by Bruce Springsteen, who wrote the liner notes, Hozier in a duet with the Academy’s Best Actress winner Jessie Buckley, Tom Waits, and the late Glen Hansard among many others. Dropkick Murphys also released their contribution to the tribute album with their version of “The Body of an American” coming out in June.
In July, U2 released their latest single, “Fireflies,” from their anticipated new album.
U2 “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” from 20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan Single Artwork:
