List of songs recorded by the Pogues explained

The Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band the Pogues have recorded songs for seven studio albums as well as one extended play (EP), twenty singles, and various other projects. Having played together occasionally since the late 1970s, Shane MacGowan (vocals), Peter "Spider" Stacy (tin whistle), and Jem Finer (banjo) formed the band in 1982 along with James Fearnley (accordion). The group initially used the name Pogue Mahone, an anglicisation of the Irish phrase póg mo thóin, meaning "kiss my arse". Cait O'Riordan (bass guitar) and Andrew Ranken (drums) had joined by the time of the band's debut album, Red Roses for Me (1984). The album mixed the band's interpretations of traditional British and Irish folk songs such as "Poor Paddy Works on the Railway" and "Greenland Whale Fisheries" with original tracks written by MacGowan, which centred primarily on drinking culture, the darker side of London life, and the experiences of Irish emigrants.[1] [2] The band's second album, Rum Sodomy & the Lash (1985), continued such themes on tracks such as "The Old Main Drag", which depicts a teenager arriving in London and descending into addiction and sex work,[3] and also included cover versions of songs by the folk singers Ewan MacColl and Eric Bogle.

If I Should Fall from Grace with God (1988) incorporated a wider range of musical styles, including Turkish and Spanish influences on the tracks "Turkish Song of the Damned" and "Fiesta", respectively, and songs written by newer band members Philip Chevron and Terry Woods. The album also included the song "Fairytale of New York", originally envisaged as a duet between MacGowan and O'Riordan but eventually recorded with Kirsty MacColl after O'Riordan left the band in 1986. The song reached number 2 in the UK singles chart and has come to be regarded as a Christmas classic, regularly placing highly in polls of the greatest seasonal songs of all time.[4] [5] [6] The track "Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six", from the same album, proved controversial for its lyrical support of the Birmingham Six, a group of Irishmen imprisoned for terrorism offences in relation to the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings.[7] [8] MacGowan's role in songwriting within the band continued to reduce with their fourth album, Peace and Love (1989), which for the first time featured more songs written by other members of the band than by him; the album was also the band's first not to feature versions of any traditional songs. Although MacGowan again wrote the majority of the songs on the Pogues' next album, Hell's Ditch (1990), it proved to be his last with the band, as he was expelled from the group the following year due to his unreliability and substance abuse issues. Stacy took over as lead vocalist for the group's sixth album, Waiting for Herb (1993), for which Finer wrote the majority of the songs. After the 1996 album Pogue Mahone, which included cover versions of songs originally recorded by Ronnie Lane and Bob Dylan, the band broke up, although they reunited for live shows, with MacGowan again in the line-up, from 2001 onwards. MacGowan died in 2023, but the following year several of the remaining members announced their first live performances in over a decade.[9]

The band also recorded songs that did not appear on their seven studio albums, including many which appeared as the B-sides of singles. They contributed original songs to the soundtracks of the films Sid and Nancy (1986) and Straight to Hell (1987), in the latter of which several members of the band also acted. On multiple occasions, they recorded collaborations with the Irish band the Dubliners and with Kirsty MacColl. In 2008, more than forty previously unreleased songs recorded by the band throughout their career were made available in the box set Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!!

Songs

Indicates single release
Song! scope="col
Writer(s)AlbumYear
scope=row "5 Green Queens and Jean"
Hell's Ditch1990[10]
scope=row "Afro-Cuban Be-Bop" (with Joe Strummer)1990
scope=row "Aisling"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "All the Tears That I Cried" (with Kirsty MacColl)
Mark E. Nevin		1991
scope=row "Amadie"Pogue Mahone1996[11]
scope=row "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda"Rum Sodomy & the Lash1985
scope=row "Anniversary"Pogue Mahone1996
scope=row ""Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row ""Red Roses for Me1984[12]
scope=row ""Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Bastard Landlord"1990
scope=row ""If I Should Fall from Grace with God1988
scope=row ""Red Roses for Me1984
scope=row "Big City"Waiting for Herb1993[13]
scope=row "Big Question Mark"Straight to Hell (soundtrack album) 1987[14] [15]
scope=row "Billy's Bones"Rum Sodomy & the Lash1985
scope=row ""Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Blue Heaven"
Peace and Love1989[16]
scope=row "Boat Train"Peace and Love1989
scope=row ""Poguetry in Motion (EP)1986
scope=row "Bolero del Perro Listo"Straight to Hell (soundtrack album) 1987
scope=row "Bottle of Smoke"
If I Should Fall from Grace with God1988
scope=row "Bowery Snax/Spiked"
Philip Chevron		Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row style="background:thistle;""Boys from the County Hell" Red Roses for Me1984
scope=row "Bright Lights"Pogue Mahone1996
scope=row ""If I Should Fall from Grace with God1988
scope=row "Call My Name"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Connemara, Let's Go!"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Cotton Fields"Peace and Love1989
scope=row ""1990
scope=row "Danny Boy"Straight to Hell (soundtrack album)1987
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Dark Streets of London" Red Roses for Me1984
scope=row "Dingle Regatta"Red Roses for Me1984
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Dirty Old Town" Rum Sodomy & the Lash1985
scope=row "Do You Believe in Magic"
Zal Yanovsky		Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008[17]
scope=row ""
Traditional		Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Down All the Days"Peace and Love1989
scope=row "Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go"Red Roses for Me1984
scope=row "Driving Through the City"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Drunken Boat"Waiting for Herb1993
scope=row "Eve of Destruction"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Everyman is a King"
Ron Kavana		1989
scope=row "Eyes of an Angel"1996
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Fairytale of New York" (with Kirsty MacColl)
If I Should Fall from Grace with God1987
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Fiesta"
If I Should Fall from Grace with God1988
scope=row "First Day of Forever"1993
scope=row "Four O'Clock in the Morning"Pogue Mahone1996
scope=row "Garbo (aka in and Out)"
Garbo (soundtrack album)1992
scope=row "Gartloney Rats"Peace and Love1989
scope=row ""TraditionalRum Sodomy & the Lash1985
scope=row ""Hell's Ditch1990
scope=row "Girl from the Wadi Hammamat"
Andrew Ranken		Waiting for Herb1993
scope=row "Glued Up and Speeding"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row ""Straight to Hell (soundtrack album)1987
scope=row "Goodnight Irene"TraditionalJust Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Got A Lot Of Lovin' To Do"
2008
scope=row "Greenland Whale Fisheries"TraditionalRed Roses for Me1984
scope=row "Gridlock"
Andrew Ranken		Peace and Love1989
scope=row "Harmonicas"Straight to Hell (soundtrack album) 1987
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Haunted" Sid and Nancy (soundtrack album)1986
scope=row "Haunting"Waiting for Herb1993
scope=row "Hell's Ditch"
Hell's Ditch1990
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Honky Tonk Women"
Keith Richards		1988
scope=row "Hot Asphalt"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Hot Dogs with Everything"1986
scope=row "How Come"
Kevin Westlake		Pogue Mahone1996
scope=row "House of the Gods"Hell's Ditch1990
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "If I Should Fall from Grace with God" If I Should Fall from Grace with God1988
scope=row "I Fought the Law" (with Joe Strummer)Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day"TraditionalRum Sodomy & the Lash1985
scope=row "Infinity"1990
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "" (with the Dubliners)Traditional25 Years Celebration1987[18]
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Jack's Heroes" (with the Dubliners)1990
scope=row "Japan"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "JB 57"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Jesse James"TraditionalRum Sodomy & the Lash1985
scope=row "Johnny Come Lately" (with Steve Earle)Copperhead Road1988
scope=row "Johnny Was"



Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Junk"Sid and Nancy (soundtrack album)1986[19]
scope=row ""TraditionalJust Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Kitty"TraditionalRed Roses for Me1984
scope=row "L'Amoria"Straight to Hell (soundtrack album) 1987
scope=row ""Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row ""Traditional1985
scope=row ""Traditional1988
scope=row "Living in a World Without Her"
James McNally		Pogue Mahone1996
scope=row "London Calling" (with Joe Strummer)
Mick Jones		Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "London Girl"Poguetry in Motion (EP)1986
scope=row "London You're a Lady"Peace and Love1989
scope=row "Long Cool Day in Hell"Straight to Hell (soundtrack album) 1987
scope=row "Lorca's Novena"
Hell's Ditch1990
scope=row "Lorelei"Peace and Love1989
scope=row "Love Theme from Sid and Nancy"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Love You 'Till the End"Pogue Mahone1996
scope=row "Lullaby of London"If I Should Fall from Grace with God1988
scope=row "Lust for Vomit"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Maggie May"
Rod Stewart		Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Maidrin Rua"TraditionalHell's Ditch1990
scope=row "Medley: The Recruiting Sergeant/
The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Galway Races"		TraditionalIf I Should Fall from Grace with God1988
scope=row "Metropolis"If I Should Fall from Grace with God1988
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Miss Otis Regrets/Just One of Those Things" (with Kirsty MacColl)Red Hot + Blue1990[20]
scope=row ""
Philip Chevron		Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Misty Morning, Albert Bridge" Peace and Love1989
scope=row "Modern World"Waiting for Herb1993
scope=row "Mountain Dew" (with the Dubliners)Traditional25 Years Celebration1987
scope=row "Moving to Moldova"
Terry Woods		Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Murder"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Muirshin Durkin"Traditional1985
scope=row "My Baby's Gone"
Andrew Ranken		Waiting for Herb1993
scope=row "Navigator"Rum Sodomy & the Lash1985
scope=row ""Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Nicaragua Libré"TraditionalJust Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Night on Bald Mountain"Straight to Hell (soundtrack album) 1987
scope=row "Night Train to Lorca"Peace and Love1989
scope=row "North Sea Holes"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "NW3"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Obsession"Straight to Hell (soundtrack album) 1987
scope=row ""Rum Sodomy & the Lash1985
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Once Upon a Time" Waiting for Herb1993
scope=row "" (with Kirsty MacColl)
Mark E. Nevin		Electric Landlady1991
scope=row "Oretown"Pogue Mahone1996
scope=row "Pachinko"Waiting for Herb1993
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "" Rum Sodomy & the Lash1985
scope=row "Paris"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row ""Paris St. Germain"
Terry Woods		1993
scope=row ""Traditional1985
scope=row "Pinned Down/I'm Alone in the Wilderness"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row ""1985
scope=row "Planxty Noel Hill"Poguetry in Motion (EP)1986
scope=row "Pont Mirabeau"Pogue Mahone1996
scope=row "Poor Paddy"TraditionalRed Roses for Me1984
scope=row "Quiet Day in Blanco Town"Straight to Hell (soundtrack album) 1987
scope=row "Rabinga"Straight to Hell (soundtrack album)1987
scope=row "Rain Street"Hell's Ditch1990
scope=row "Rainbow Man"Hell's Ditch1990
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Rainy Night in Soho" Poguetry in Motion (EP)1986
scope=row "Rake at the Gates of Hell"Straight to Hell (soundtrack album)1987
scope=row "Repeal of the Licensing Laws"1984
scope=row "Rince del Emplacada"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Sally MacLennane" Rum Sodomy & the Lash1985
scope=row "Sayonara"Hell's Ditch1990
scope=row "Sea Shanty"Red Roses for Me1984
scope=row "Shanne Bradley"1987
scope=row ""Rum Sodomy & the Lash1985
scope=row "Sit Down by the Fire"If I Should Fall from Grace with God1988
scope=row "Sitting on Top of the World"

Terry Woods		Waiting for Herb1993
scope=row "Six to Go"Hell's Ditch1990
scope=row "Sketches of Spain"1988
scope=row "Small Hours"Waiting for Herb1993
scope=row "Smell of Petroleum"Waiting for Herb1993
scope=row "Something Wild"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Sound of the City Night"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "South Australia"TraditionalIf I Should Fall from Grace with God1988
scope=row "Squid Out of Water"1991
scope=row "Star of the County Down"Traditional1989
scope=row "Streams of Whiskey"Red Roses for Me1984
scope=row "Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six"
Terry Woods		If I Should Fall from Grace with God1988
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Summer in Siam" Hell's Ditch1990
scope=row ""
Spider Stacy		Pogue Mahone1996
scope=row "Sunny Side of the Street"
Hell's Ditch1990
scope=row "Taranta del Fuente"
Straight to Hell (soundtrack album) 1987
scope=row "Thousands Are Sailing"If I Should Fall from Grace with God1988
scope=row "Tombstone"Peace and Love1989
scope=row "Tosspint"Pogue Mahone1996
scope=row ""Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Train Kept Rolling On"1993
scope=row "Transmetropolitan"Red Roses for Me1984
scope=row ""Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Tuesday Morning" Waiting for Herb1993
scope=row "Turkish Song of the Damned"
If I Should Fall from Grace with God1988
scope=row "USA"Peace and Love1989
scope=row "Victoria"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row ""Hell's Ditch1990
scope=row "Waxie's Dargle"TraditionalRed Roses for Me1984
scope=row "When the Ship Comes In"Pogue Mahone1996
scope=row "Where the Love's Been Gone"
Steven Skull		Pogue Mahone1996
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Whiskey in the Jar" (with the Dubliners)Traditional1990
scope=row "Whiskey You're the Devil"Traditional1985
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "White City" Peace and Love1989
scope=row "Who Said Romance is Dead?"Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!2008
scope=row "Wild Cats of Kilkenny"
Rum Sodomy & the Lash1985
scope=row ""Traditional1985
scope=row "Worms"TraditionalIf I Should Fall from Grace with God1988
scope=row style="background:thistle;" "Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah" 1988
scope=row "Young Ned Of The Hill"
Ron Kavana		Peace and Love1989

Notes

References

Works cited

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shane MacGowan: The lyrics that defined a great songwriter. The Irish Times. Kevin. Courtney. 30 November 2023. 20 November 2024. 18 June 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240618234842/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2023/11/30/shane-macgowan-the-lyrics-that-defined-a-great-songwriter/. live.
  2. News: Phillips . Matt . 1 December 2023 . Shane MacGowan, 65, Who Fused Punk and Irish Rebellion, Is Dead . . live . limited . 1 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231201154011/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/30/arts/music/shane-macgowan-dead.html . 1 December 2023.
  3. Web site: A spiritual manifesto for the dispossessed. The Atlantic. James. Parker. 4 December 2023. 20 November 2024.
  4. News: Pogues track wins Christmas poll . . 16 December 2004 . 13 November 2024 . 19 December 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071219180018/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4101207.stm . live .
  5. News: Fairytale still the festive pick . . 15 December 2005 . 13 November 2024 . 13 December 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071213010822/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4533030.stm . live .
  6. News: The Pogues' 'Fairytale of New York' voted favourite Christmas song in nationwide poll. 13 November 2024. The Independent. The poll is the latest in a number of surveys that has named "Fairytale of New York" the nation's favourite Christmas song.. 1 December 2014. Daisy. Wyatt. 21 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190921221225/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-pogues-fairytale-of-new-york-voted-nations-favourite-christmas-song-9896211.html. live.
  7. Web site: The Pogues: 'We expected censure from the beginning'. James. Fearnley. James Fearnley. The Guardian. 23 October 2013. 14 November 2024.
  8. Web site: If I Should Fall from Grace with God proved The Pogues were more than just an Irish punk band. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 30 November 2016. 14 November 2024.
  9. Web site: The Pogues announce first headline tour in 10 years. The Independent. 19 November 2024. 28 November 2024. Roisin. O'Connor. 20 November 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20241120034045/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-pogues-tour-2025-tickets-shane-macgowan-b2649617.html. live.
  10. Web site: Hell's Ditch  - The Pogues . . 14 August 2013.
  11. Web site: Pogue Mahone  - The Pogues . . 20 August 2013.
  12. Web site: Red Roses for Me  - The Pogues . . 10 August 2013.
  13. Web site: Waiting for Herb  - The Pogues . . 15 August 2013 . 7 April 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130407182026/http://www.allmusic.com/album/waiting-for-herb-mw0000105583 . live .
  14. Web site: Straight to Hell  - Returns  - Various Artists . . 15 November 2024.
  15. Web site: Straight to Hell  - Various Artists . . 15 November 2024 . 19 April 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170419050901/http://www.allmusic.com/album/straight-to-hell-mw0000194396 . live .
  16. Web site: Peace and Love  - The Pogues . . 13 August 2013 . 26 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121026024715/http://www.allmusic.com/album/peace-and-love-mw0000199195 . live .
  17. Web site: Just Look Them Straight in the Eye and Say... Pogue Mahone!  - The Pogues . . 13 November 2024 . 24 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231224052033/https://www.allmusic.com/album/just-look-them-straight-in-the-eye-and-say-pogue-mahone!!-mw0001654838 . live .
  18. Web site: 25 Years of Celebration  - The Dubliners . . 15 November 2024 . 28 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240228072620/https://www.allmusic.com/album/25-years-of-celebration-mw0000914761 . live .
  19. Web site: Sid and Nancy [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] ]. . 17 November 2024 . 23 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220523002635/https://www.allmusic.com/album/sid-nancy-original-motion-picture-soundtrack--mw0000650769 . live .
  20. Web site: Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter . . 17 November 2024 . 9 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201109144908/https://www.allmusic.com/album/red-hot-blue-a-tribute-to-cole-porter-mw0000310056 . live .

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