Cover art for U2's cover of Shane MacGowan's "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah."
U2's new recording of "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" by Shane MacGowan and The Pogues was released on Friday by the Dublin-based record label Rubyworks.
Originally released in 1988, “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” captures Shane MacGowan’s signature blend of punk energy and poetic wit. Notably, the song became The Pogues' first single to chart in the US, reaching number 17 on the Modern Rock Charts.
In their new rendition, U2 channels that spirit while infusing the track with their signature driving basslines, textured guitar work, and unmistakable arena-scale dynamic.
U2's reimagined cover of the song will be featured on the upcoming tribute album, "20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan," set for release on November 13 via Rubyworks.
MacGowan died in November 2023 at the age of 65 following a months-long hospital stay. Born in Kent to Irish parents, he was extremely proud of his Irish roots and spent much of his childhood in his mother's family home in Co Tipperary. Following a procession in Dublin, MacGowan's funeral was held in Thurles just over a week after his passing.
“Shane MacGowan was full of contradictions—and that’s where the truth of him lived," U2's The Edge said upon the release of the cover.
"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 was remarkable. He pulled together threads that shouldn’t quite fit—folk tradition, political memory, gallows humour, romance—and made them sound inevitable.
"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."
You can listen to U2's cover of Shane MacGowan's "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" here:
And you can watch the original music video for "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" by The Pogues here:
About "20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan"
Curated in close partnership with Shane's widow Victoria Mary Clarke and his sister Siobhan MacGowan, the forthcoming tribute album takes its title from a project Shane MacGowan himself had long envisioned.
The collection brings together an international assembly of music talent, including Bruce Springsteen, Dropkick Murphys, Hozier, Tom Waits, The Libertines, Johnny Depp, and Imelda May to celebrate the genius of one of Ireland’s greatest lyricists.
In keeping with MacGowan’s lifelong advocacy, at least 50% of all artist royalties from "20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan" will be donated to an Irish charity, Dublin Simon Community. The funds will support people experiencing homelessness across Dublin, a cause MacGowan championed throughout his life.
"20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan" will be available across digital streaming platforms. Pre-order is available now for physical formats: a 2CD, a Deluxe 3LP, and a deluxe Vinyl featuring a 60-page book of archival photographs and liner notes.