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Bthejerk t1_jck8nv0 wrote

Love the Pogues, Dubliners and this song. Shane MacGowan is an amazing songwriter.

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Davy_Dee t1_jcl7804 wrote

Don’t disagree, but this song is attributed to J.M. Crofts in 1937.

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Bthejerk t1_jcl7xhf wrote

I know he didn’t write The Irish Rover. My comment stands alone; I believe he’s an amazing songwriter. I should have been more specific.

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Sushi1039 t1_jcl9r8k wrote

I like that story about how he wrote Fairytale of New York as a bet with Elvis Costello to show he was a better songwriter

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Porrick t1_jclof6d wrote

How can anyone tell whether his lyrics are good or bad? He's completely unintelligible and has been for decades.

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HchrisH t1_jclvdnu wrote

Listen to enough Punk and/or enough Irish accents and it's a fair bit easier. Also The Pogues were big at a time when people still bought CDs and cassettes, and those had liner notes with the lyrics in 'em.

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Porrick t1_jclvwdg wrote

I'm from near Dublin and Shane & Victoria have been sort-of-regular guests at my mother's house for as long as I can remember. Shane is unintelligible even in one-on-one conversation. His accent has nothing to do with it.

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HchrisH t1_jclzref wrote

That's kind of hilarious. I always thought he just sounded like a pretty typical Punk vocalist with some Irish pronunciations added to the mix, but I guess it's a bit more than that.

Still, when he wanted to drive it home on songs like Thousands Are Sailing I always thought he annunciated well enough.

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drivermcgyver t1_jcm32bi wrote

His alcoholism is a big part of his slurring I believe. I wouldn't call it hilarious.

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Exact_Grand_9792 t1_jcnm9me wrote

Yes his alcoholism made it worse but I always understood him well enough. There were other singers of that era who clearly prioritized sound of word over meaning and were also hard to understand. Michael Stipe for example in R.E.M. I find it sad you know the guy personally and took the time to make this comment. And since plenty of us do understand his lyrics in songs, he really is not completely unintelligible when singing.

Punk music has never been about enunciating or singing properly. Someone like Christy Moore would not take the time to cover Fairytale of New York if it were not an awesome song.

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Porrick t1_jcnokke wrote

I guess I just always found it tiresome that this guy comes over and mumbles incoherently while everyone crowds around him and pretends he’s being profound. He’s like a brain-damaged, foul-smelling Chauncy The Gardener.

At least he’s cheerful I guess, that’s worth a lot in my book. And Victoria is lots of fun even on a bad day.

I’ve not been home in a few years, so I’ve not seen them since he got his new teeth. Maybe he’s easier to understand now.

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Exact_Grand_9792 t1_jcnpjjf wrote

I always thought that was a huge part of it too. The teeth. I saw him live in the mid 90s. I can see why interacting with him might be difficult--the alcoholism was well known and yeah speaking he was hard to understand (on a live mic anyway I've never met the guy). But I love their music and don't find him hard to understand when singing. The studio cuts always sounded comprehensible to me.

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Hungry_Guidance5103 t1_jclwtoc wrote

Fairytale of New York is still ranked among my favorite songs ever.

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HchrisH t1_jclzwrw wrote

Been listening to them, Flogging Molly, and Blood or Whiskey all month. I mean, I listen to them in other months too, but it's become my March tradition.

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[deleted] t1_jck6t9k wrote

[deleted]

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Dopesmoker402 t1_jcllvmc wrote

I really want to know what you are smoking cause that is some really strong shit to spout such shit idiotic takes

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TheBlitzkid46 OP t1_jclqdw9 wrote

Was that the comment about them being the only good band of the 80's?

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