U2 have paid tribute to the late Shane MacGowan with a new recording of “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”, released ahead of the forthcoming tribute album, 20th Century Paddy — The Songs of Shane MacGowan.
The Irish rock giants’ take on the high-energy track is out now through Rubyworks, with the full tribute album set to arrive on November 13th.
Originally released in 1988, “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” showcased MacGowan’s distinctive collision of punk energy and poetic wit. U2’s new interpretation leans into that same spirit while bringing the band’s own driving baselines, textured guitar and arena-sized dynamics to the song.
Reflecting on MacGowan and the singular voice he created, U2 guitarist The Edge said his contradictions were central to what made him such a compelling artist.
“Shane MacGowan was full of contractions — and that’s where the truth of him lived,” he said. “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 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.”
What he did with that voice, The Edge continued, was remarkable.
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“He pulled together threads that shouldn’t quite fit — folk tradition, political memory, gallows humour, romance — and made them sound inevitable,” he said. “His songs sound like they have always existed. He dissolved himself into them and, in the process, created the Shane MacGowan myth. The details of his life barely surface, but you learn exactly what he cared about. And that’s the point.”
20th Century Paddy — The Songs of Shane MacGowan was curated in close partnership with MacGowan’s wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, and his sister, Siobhan MacGowan, and takes its title from a project the Pogues frontman had long envisioned himself.
The album brings together an international group of artists to celebrate MacGowan’s songwriting, with Bruce Springsteen, Hozier, Tom Waits, The Libertines and Glen Hansard among those involved.
The tribute will also continue MacGowan’s support for people experiencing homelessness. At least 50 per cent of all artist royalties from 20th Century Paddy will be donated to the Dublin Simon Community, supporting people experiencing homelessness across Dublin.
The album will be available across digital streaming platforms, with physical editions available to pre-order, including a 2CD set, deluxe 3LP edition and a deluxe vinyl package featuring a 60-page book of archival photographs and liner notes.
U2’s “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” is out now.
20th Century Paddy — The Songs of Shane MacGowan will be released on November 13th.
