New Song: Springsteen Covers Shane MacGowan (The Pogues) “A Rainy Night In Soho” – A Devastatingly Beautiful Song
As I mentioned in my previous post on Depeche Mode’s newly released (stunning) cover song “Universal Soldier” from the charity LP Help(2), I find songs through strange sources these days. In the early days of my rock n roll obsession I need only turn on my local radio station, good ol’ KY/102 to find new music. Many times nowadays I find new tunes through social media.
And so it was with a newly released song from Bruce Springsteen, a cover of the Pogue’s “A Rainy Night In Soho.” I kept seeing these posts from Bruce about Shane MacGowan, the late lead singer of the Pogues – the famous Celtic punk band – heaping praise on him and mentioning the track “A Rainy Night In Soho.”
Springsteen’s post said:
“Over here on E Street, we are heartbroken over the death of Shane MacGowan. Shane was one of my all-time favorite writers. The passion and deep intensity of his music and lyrics is unmatched by all but the very best in the rock and roll canon. I was fortunate to spend a little time with Shane and his lovely wife Victoria the last time we were in Dublin. He was very ill, but still beautifully present in his heart and spirit. His music is timeless and eternal. I don’t know about the rest of us, but they’ll be singing Shane’s songs 100 years from now.”
Bruce Springsteen
That’s pretty high praise. Especially coming from an artist as huge as Bruce Springsteen.
I like to think of myself as pretty knowledgable about most rock n roll but the Pogues are a pretty big blind spot. My friend Doug said he’s always been a fan of the Pogues but his mother was from Scotland which is in the same neighborhood as Ireland so that tracks. Plus he lived in Chicago for a long time and they have cooler radio up there than those of us out here in the provinces.
I mean, sure, I’d listened to Rum Sodomy And The Lash. And my former roommate in college, Drew, has long extolled the brilliance of “Fairytale of New York,” the Pogues’ iconic Christmas song. As someone who traditionally didn’t like Christmas, I can be excused for missing that one.
The track “A Rainy Night In Soho” was originally released on the 1986 EP Poguetry In Motion. The track was produced by Elvis Costello who clashed with Shane MacGowan on which mix to use. One featured an oboe one featured a clarinet. One might say Elvis caused Shane “to get his Irish up.” Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
The track has been covered by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Bono – although I couldn’t find the Bono version anywhere – Bob Dylan and now Bruce Springsteen. The track is the first single from an upcoming (release date November 2026) tribute album honoring MacGowan, 20th Century Paddy – The Songs Of Shane MacGowan that will include a track done by Tom Waits, which is pretty special to my ears.
I mention all of that above perhaps as a way to explain how utterly gobsmacked I was by the beauty of Springsteen’s cover. I immediately sought out the original, brilliant version by the Pogues and even dug deeper for Nick Cave’s version. I even suggested the track to my daughter – I’ve been trying to get her into Springsteen for decades… she said “It’s really pretty.”
Oh my, this song is just amazing. I love all three of the versions I’ve discovered so far. There’s a repetitive piano figure that starts the track, strings and a trumpet. Springsteen’s version would have fit nicely onto his album Twilight Hours from the recent box set Tracks II:The Lost Albums.
It’s a late night love song. And having spent a lot of late nights rambling, I can vouch that it hits home. It opens with a brilliant lyric, “I’ve been loving you a long time, Down all the years, down all the days, And I’ve cried for all your troubles, Smiled at your funny little ways…” That’s love, baby.
I also love the line, “I took shelter from a shower, and stepped into your arms.” Reminds me of the early days with the Rock Chick. The track ends with the line, “And you’re the measure of my dreams, the measure of my dreams.” I don’t think you can say it any better than that.
This song hit my lower brain stem like nothing I’ve heard in years. I feel like it’s a part of my DNA now. Such a wonderful song – whichever version you like the best – and Springsteen handles it with the usual grace and beauty you’d come to expect from the Boss’ treatment of a ballad. His voice is exceptional on this song. This is a must hear track:
I for one, am really looking forward to November when the actual tribute LP comes out. In the meantime it appears I’ve got a lot of Pogues listening to do in order to catch up. If Shane could deliver a song this devastatingly beautiful, I trust there are many more in his catalog that will hit just as hard. I’m guessing Bruce is right… in 100 years people will still be listening to and singing Shane’s songs.
This one is a late night, dark murky fluid in a tumbler kind of track. Enjoy my friends. And wherever you are, there’s always music to get you through the storm.
Cheers!