Haunted, recorded by Shane and Sinead in 1995, has become a classic
By BP Fallon
Ever since I brought Sinéad O’Connor round to Shane MacGowan and Victoria’s flat in London, new magical friendships blossomed. The record Haunted, sung by Shane and Sinead in 1995, is now a classic, Shane’s gnarly vocals embraced by Sinead’s voice of an angel.
Here, Sinead and Shane are in the Netherlands at The Pink Pop Festival in 1988: two of the greatest artists in contemporary music having a vibe together. I call this photo “Doc Martens & slippers”.
In early Pogues days I invited the whole group to take part in my radio show The BP Fallon Orchestra. The RTÉ Guide trumpeted “The BPFO Presents The Pogues In Conversations With 40 People (Often All At The Same Time)“. Shane and company fielded questions from the audience,.and the sometimes heated exchange was reported in the Irish papers. I like to think of it as The Pogues’ “Bill Grundy moment” – when The Sex Pistols swore at an idiotic Grundy on his Thames Television show – and it helped make The Pogues a household name in Ireland.
Shane had worked in Ted Carroll’s superb London record shop Rock On – namechecked by Phil Lynott in the Thin Lizzy song The Rocker – and had an exceedingly wide taste in music. He guested as a DJ in my club Death Disco in Dublin several times, and in Belfast too. Shane played everything from Elvis to the Sex Pistols to Margaret Barry. He was a one-off; there has been nobody quite like him.
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A family statement confirmed MacGowan died “peacefully at 3.30am this morning [November 30] with his wife and sister by his side,” and that prayers and the last rites were read during his passing.
MacGowan’s wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, shared her own separate statement via social media, writing: “Shane will always be the light that I hold before me, and the measure of my dreams, and the love of my life, and the most beautiful soul, and beautiful angel, and the sun and the moon, and the start and end of everything that I hold dear. I am blessed beyond words to have met him and to have loved him, and to have been so endlessly and unconditionally loved by him.”
MacGowan had been battling a lengthy period of ill-health. In December 2022, he was hospitalised with viral encephalitis, and spent several months of 2023 in intensive care as a result of it. Clarke revealed that he had left hospital on November 22, and that the pair had celebrated their wedding anniversary together a few days later.
Born in Kent to Irish immigrant parents, MacGowan formed The Pogues, initially known for two years as Pogue Mahone (the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic póg mo thóin, which translates to ‘kiss my arse’), in 1982 together with Peter “Spider” Stacy, Jem Finer and James Fearnley. A number of additional musicians joined the lineup in the years that followed with The Pogues operating an ever-changeable lineup up to their breakup in 2014.
The group built a steady following playing gigs at London pubs and clubs through the first half of the 1980s, releasing their debut album, Red Roses For Me, in 1984. They reached wider attention after appearing on Channel 4’s flagship music show The Tube and enlisting Elvis Costello to produce their second album, 1985’s Rum Sodomy & The Lash. That record saw the band move away from recording cover versions to writing more original material, with MacGowan fully starting to show his poetic abilities as a songwriter.
Having initially refused to work on a third album, with the band functioning increasingly erratically towards the end of the ’80s, If I Should Fall From Grace With God eventually followed in 1988. It featured the band’s best-known hit, ‘Fairytale Of New York’, a duet with Kirsty MacColl which became a Christmas hit when it peaked at No.2 in the UK singles charts during the Christmas period.
Peace And Love followed in 1989, before the release of 1990’s Hell’s Ditch, which was the last to feature MacGowan as a member of the band. Battling ill-health due to struggles with drugs and alcohol, he was ultimately fired from the band in 1991 after failing to turn up for live shows during a tour of Japan.
He later spoke of hating the direction that the band had taken, telling The Telegraph in 1997 that he “didn’t like what we were playing any more,” and simply didn’t want to “knuckle under and become professional.”
Two albums released as Shane MacGowan and The Popes came out in the ’90s, marking his final full-length releases, before he joined a full reunion of The Pogues in 2001, which endured until 2014.
In 2018, MacGowan’s lyrics were honoured with an Ivor Novello songwriting inspiration award. Having grown up in an Irish republican family, his songwriting frequently explored Irish culture and nationalism, as well as the experiences of the Irish diaspora, particularly in England and the US.
MacGowan is survived by his wife, Clarke, as well as his sister, Siobhan, and father, Maurice.
Singer-songwriter Shane MacGowan remembered as iconic and beloved musician
President Michael D Higgins has led tributes to Shane MacGowan, saying his songs seemed to capture “the measure of our dreams”.
MacGowan’s death at 65 comes after a prolonged period of ill health, including time spent in intensive care. He was best known as the frontman of The Pogues, whose single Fairytale of New York has become a popular Christmas song across Ireland and the UK.
In a statement, Mr Higgins said MacGowan would be remembered “as one of music’s greatest lyricists”.
“His words have connected Irish people all over the globe to their culture and history, encompassing so many human emotions in the most poetic of ways,” he said.
“The genius of Shane’s contribution includes the fact that his songs capture within them, as Shane would put it, the measure of our dreams,” he said.
Fairytale of New York, MacGowan’s best-known song, had a “timeless quality” that would likely see it continue to be listened to every Christmas “for the next century or more”, Mr Higgins said.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said MacGowan was an “amazing” musician and artist. “His songs beautifully captured the Irish experience, especially the experience of being Irish abroad,” he said.
Speaking in the Dáil, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said MacGowan was “an iconic musician who blended many different musical disciplines and genres”.
Mr Martin said his death was “particularly poignant” at this time of year in the context of Fairytale of New York, one of the most “enduring” Christmas songs and “resonates with all of us and continues to do so”.
The singer was born Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan on December 25th, 1957, in Pembury, Kent to Irish parents. His father was from Dublin and his mother from Co Tipperary, where he spent many summers in his youth.
His wife Victoria Mary Clarke posted on Instagram that the “love of her life and “measure of her dreams” had died. The pair had married in 2018, having been together for 32 years and engaged for 11 years.
Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said Ireland had “lost one of its most beloved icons”.
“Nobody told the Irish story like Shane – stories of emigration, heartache, dislocation, redemption, love and joy,” she said.
Sinn Féin deputy leader Pearse Doherty said MacGowan was a “musical icon”, who would be remembered “as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation”.
Siobhán McSweeney, the Irish actor who played Sister Michael in Derry Girls, said MacGowan “was the voice of London for us Irish”.
“When I was scared about moving here he lured me over with songs about chancers, drinkers, lovers, poets and scoundrels … He also taught me how to miss Home, whatever that may be,” she said.
Rest in Peace, Kirsty McColl and Shane MacGown. Thank you for “Fairytale”
By Dai Bando published 12/20/2021 (updated 11/30/2023)
There are five new additions to my annual “Greatest Christmas Songs” list, now thirty songs in total! This is disconcerting, since my original raison d’être was that there are only about ten good Christmas songs. Then ten became fifteen, then twenty-five, and now thirty.
So, I appear to be wr…wr… challenged, in my original belief.
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is not on the list, despite the fact that the song has had 309 million streams across all platforms in the US. In truth, there’s probably a derth of “uber-hits” here, with the exception of the classics from Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole. But there are beautiful hymns, traditional carols and several slightly-obscure Christmas pop chestnuts. Sorry, Mariah – you don’t make the cut this year.
We lost some wonderful performers from the list post-Covid, notably Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains, Nanci Griffith, Sinead O’Connor and only yesterday, the legendary Shane MacGowan. Rest in Peace and thank you for your music.
30. “Simple Gifts” performed by YoYo Ma and Alison Krauss
“Simple Gifts” is special to me because it was performed at my daughter’s annual school holiday concert. At “Lumina,” the senior girls would sing in candlelight procession entering a building packed with smartly dressed parents and grandparents – none wearing face-masks, because this would’ve appeared simply nutters ten years ago. Ah, those carefree days of 2011!
“Simple Gifts” was written in 1848. The lyrics are:
“’Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free ’Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be, And when we find ourselves in the place just right, ‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.”
Finding ourselves “where we ought to be” – what could be a more wonderful Christmas gift than that?
On this recording, Yo Yo Ma contributes his masterful cello playing while Alison Krauss adds her typically sublime vocals. Such an extraordinary ode to simplicity!
A Christmas Quiz:
“Simple Gifts” was written in 1848 by: A. Barbeque Bob B. Shaker Elder Joseph Brackett C. Bumblebee Slim
29. Auld Lang Syne” performed by Johnny Cunningham and Susan McKeown
I find New Years as much a spiritual time as Christmas, perhaps even more-so. This version of Robert Burns “Auld Land Syne” includes both Burns’ original Scottish melody, as well as the familiar Guy Lombardo update. “We’ll tak a cup of kindness yet” – how beautiful! I was fortunate to see the late Johnny Cunningham and Irish singer Susan McKeown perform together at a small garden concert some years ago – a treasured memory. Rest in Peace, Johnny. Slàinte Susan!
28. “I’m Gonna Lasso Santa Claus” performed by Brenda Lee
I first heard this novelty when it was featured in the 1988 film The Accidental Tourist, with actress Geena Davis singing these goofy lyrics while baking Christmas cookies. At the amazing age of nine (!), Brenda Lee recorded “Lasso Santa Claus” – two full years before recording her better-known hit “Rockin Around the Christmas Tree.” The only younger performer on my list here is probably “Cindy-Lou Who” who sings backup on “Dah Who Doraze”, but since the Whos’ ages are measured in ‘dog years’, she was technically seventy-five.)
I love the musicianship on “Lasso”, notably Nashville legend Don Helms playing that tasty double-neck steel guitar (Helms played in Hank Williams band and recorded with Hank, Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash.)
I also I love the woke lyric: “Then I’ll take his bags of toys and run And bring to all the kids who don’t have none”
Hellsyeah, Brenda! Power to the people. Stick it to the man!
Written by husband-wife team of Claude and Ruth Thornhill, this song is perfect for your Christmas cocktail Jazz party. Your guests will ask, “Is this a bonus track from Charlie Brown’s Christmas?” And you can pour a martini and reply, “I should say not! This is a 1958 live performance by the Ahmad Jamal Trio !” (If in Glasgow, add “… ya clueless bawbag!”)
“Snowfall” has been recorded by Tony Bennet and Wes Montgomery, as well as “Enoch Light and the Light Brigade” and NRBQ (wouldn’t those two bands have been a great twin-bill live show?)
Ahmad Jamal’s evocative instrumental version is my favorite rendition of this tune. You can almost see the snowflakes falling – am I right?
#26 Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel (traditional)
I’ve seen it written that this hymn has an “undeniably spooky quality to it” and I can’t disagree. The music is set in a minor key, and the lyric speaks of “mourning in lonely exile”, a mention of a ransom, and who is this mal hombre Emmanuel, anyway? Listen to the eerie church organ in this recording by The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge. I almost expect to see the camera pan to reveal Vincent Price playing!
In the Book of Isaiah, the prophesied messiah is called Emmanuel, which means means “God is with us.” I like that. It’s exactly where God oughta be.
Original titled “Veni Veni Emmanuel” this dates back to the twelfth century, and as we all know, the good Christians of 12th century really had their shit together when it came to producing beautiful hymns, majestic cathedrals and bloody crusades.
The darkness in this song, described as “mingled joy and sorrow performed in a minor key”, agrees with Christmas in the age of Covid. Yet the song reminds us, God is with us.
A beautiful Christmas song by Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, written for the band’s founding guitarist James Honeyman-Scott who died 1983 at 25 years old, the year the song was written. (Robbie McIntosh replaced him and plays magnificent lead here.) Chrissie’s vocals and Robbie’s guitars create a holiday masterpiece that’s full of both melancholy and hope.
“And these frozen and silent nights Sometimes in a dream You appear Outside under the purple sky Diamonds in the snow Sparkle”
Chrissie’s heartfelt lyrics remind me of Pablo Nurado’s poem about death, grief and ultimately living, The Dead Woman:
“Forgive me If you are not living If you, beloved, my love, If you have died All the leaves will fall on my breast It will rain on my soul all night, all day My feet will want to march to where you are sleeping But I shall go on living”
24. The Wexford Carol (traditional)
This is one of the oldest carols, originating from County Wexford, Ireland. The recording is from The Chieftains “Bells of Dublin” LP which I consider indispensable for holiday gatherings.
We recently lost Paddy Moloney and Nanci Griffith who perform on this track from The Bells of Dublin. They were each great ambassadors of their particular brands of folk music. Rest in Peace.
23.“River” – Joni Mitchell (1971)
One my very favorite performers from the ‘60s, Joni Mitchell wrote this heartbreaking song which first appeared on her classic album ‘Blue’. I love “River, “from the ‘jingle bells’ piano intro to Joni’s lyric “I wish I had a river I could skate away on.” Who hasn’t wished for this during this Covid winter?
22. Jingle Bells (with “Batman smells” verse)
“Jingle Bells” was written by James Lord Pierpont in 1857. I believe Pierpont’s song is best appreciated when performed by frozen-mitten wearing kids singing at the top of their lungs, and adding the “Batman smells” verse. What 5th grade boy hasn’t sung “jingle bells, batman smells” while huddled in the wintry schoolyard with his pal Tommy, lusting after Mrs. Fouch – the only teacher at St. Peters who wasn’t a nun. (OK, maybe that was just me and Tommy Tanner, but you get the idea.) The first version of the Batman Smells verse surfaced in the 1966 Christmas season when the Batman TV show (with Adam West – the greatest Batman) was becoming a massive hit. “Batman Smells” was further glorified by Bart Simpson in “The Simpsons Christmas Special,” in December of 1989. Lisa Simpson was undoubtably wishing for a river she could skate away on.
21. “Greensleeves” (traditional)
I fell in love with this song at the afternoon matinee showing of “How the West Was Won” at the the Warwick Cinema, back when and a box of popcorn cost 50 cents and the longer movies such as this one had “Intermissions.” In the 1962 movie, Debbie Reynolds sings “A Home in the Meadow,” which was essentially the music of “Greensleeves” with American frontier lyrics added by Tin Pan Alley songman Sammy Cahn. What’s that got to do with Christmas? As Yukon Cornelius might say, “Nuthin!” But read on!
The original “Lady Greensleeves” was an English folk song dating back to 1580. There is a some belief that the ballad was actually composed by Henry the VIII who was an accomplished musician before he got fat and nasty. (He was said to be a wiz on the tennis court, too – imagine that!) Now, at that time in England, to label a woman “green sleeves” was meant to suggest she was prone to enjoying a roll around in the grass (getting green stains on her… well, you get the idea.) So this song was a 16th century “I’m too sexy for my shirt.”
Fast forward to 1865 when Christian hymn writer William Chatterton Dix thought it prudent to remove the randy “greens sleeves” reference altogether and rename the song “What Child Is This?”- a question that can indeed follow a roll in the grass, I suppose.
I love Greensleeves best without any lyrics – either played unadorned on acoustic guitar or the orchestral version by Ralph Vaughan Williams. And thank you Debbie Reynolds, mostly for giving us Carrie Fisher. What child was that one!
By BP Fallon
