The tribute album for the late Pogues frontman will be released in November 2026 and will feature duets from Hozier and Jessie Buckley along with Johnny Depp and Imelda May.
The album titled 20th Century Paddy - The Songs of Shane MacGowan will also include covers of MacGowan's songs from Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, Kate Moss, and Tom Waits.
The first single from the album was Springsteen's cover of A Rainy Night in Soho and was released at midnight last night.
MacGowan’s widow Victoria Mary Clarke said of the new project: "Shane’s spirit and songwriting are eternally exalted through this glorious collection. Each song is uniquely and graciously interpreted by these beyond beautiful artists and his family are humbled by and thankful to each and every one of the musicians involved, to the delightful team at Rubyworks, and to John Kennedy without whom this would not have happened."
50% of artist royalties from the album will be donated to Dublin Simon Community to provide housing and healthcare for those experiencing homelessness.
Bruce Springsteen released a statement to announce the new album, he said: "Every once in a while, every once in a great while, an artist comes along whose voice seems to speak to history itself. Woody Guthrie, Jimmy Rogers, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Miles Davis, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, John Coltrane, Patti Smith, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, John Lydon, Hank Williams, Sinatra. Geniuses all, they were both timeless and the embodiment of their moment in time. Many, unsurprisingly, led difficult lives not easily bound by the shackles of convention. Th
ey were natural rebels unable to stifle or heed the impulses that led them to their glory and personal hardships."
"Great art is by nature lawless. We do not get to choose our obsessions. We do not get to dictate our blessings or our transgressions. It’s a little joke the gods play on us. Shane’s voice was so deeply real, profane and honest, his writing so flashing, alive and historically rich its genesis appeared as a mystery to all including, I believe, its creator. The dangerous joy, the glee and courage, the humour in the face of fate, the wild ramble of a life driven towards the artistic heavens and the daily balm of self-obliteration," Springsteen said.
"Shane was all naked, bottomless humanity. Threatening to force us to ask ourselves if we were living deeply, authentically. He was raw, hilarious, no apologies and profound. His soul was filled with the transgressive and ecstatic properties of the saints. I don’t know who’ll be listening to my music in 100 years but I know they’ll be listening to Shane’s. Though I did not know Shane very well, I spent a lovely afternoon in his presence shortly before he passed. He was not well but he and his wife Victoria proved warm and gracious hosts. As I left, I thanked him for his beautiful work, his music, his songs, his life. I stood in his warmth, kissed him and told him I loved him," he continued.
