The Pogues were founded in King's Cross, a district in north London, in 1982 as Pogue Mahone - "pogue mahone" being the Anglicisation of the Irish póg mo thóin, meaning "kiss my arse". The band specialised in Irish folk music, often playing with the energy of the punk rock scene from which several of the members had their roots.
Their politically-tinged music was reminiscent of The Clash, with whom they played (Joe Strummer produced one of their albums and even joined the group briefly), and used traditional Irish instruments such as the tin whistle, banjo, cittern, mandolin, accordion, and more. In the later incarnations of the band, after the departure of Shane MacGowan, electronic instruments such as the electric guitar would become more prominent. The first of The Pogues' albums, Red Roses for Me, borrows much from the punk tradition of MacGowan's previous band The Nipple Erectors (later dubbed The Nips).
Band history
Shane MacGowan (vocals), James Fearnley (accordion) and Spider Stacy (tin whistle) were the original members of the Pogues, in the days when they busked on the streets of London. Before the rest of the group formed, MacGowan and Stacy were rumoured to have played impromptu performances on street corners and city buses which attracted local interest to their talent. They later added Jeremy 'Jem' Finer (guitar, banjo), Cait O'Riordan (bass) and Andrew Ranken (drums). The band rapidly developed a reputation, started releasing independent work, and ended up opening for The Clash on tour in 1984. Shortening their name to "The Pogues" due to lack of radio play for the curse in their name, they released their first album Red Roses for Me that October.
Phil Chevron (guitar) joined the group soon after, then with the aid of punk and new wave forefather Elvis Costello they recorded the follow up, Rum Sodomy & the Lash, in 1985 (The album title is a famous comment attributed, probably falsely, to Winston Churchill and others in describing the traditions of the British Royal Navy). The album cover featured The Raft of the Medusa, though the faces on the characters in Géricault's painting have been replaced with those of the band members. While the first album had featured a higher percentage of traditional songs, Shane MacGowan came into his own as a songwriter with this disc, offering up poetic story-telling, such as "The Sick Bed of Cúchulainn" and "The Old Main Drag," as well as definitive interpretations of Ewan MacColl's "Dirty Old Town" and Eric Bogle's "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda," the latter of which has become more popular than the original recording.
The band failed to take advantage of the momentum created by the strong artistic and commercial success of their second album. They first refused to record another album (offering up the 4 track EP Poguetry in Motion instead); O'Riordan married Costello and left the band, to be replaced by bassist Darryl Hunt; and they added a multi-instrumentalist in Terry Woods, formerly of Steeleye Span. Looming over the band at this period (as throughout their entire career) was the increasingly erratic behaviour of their vocalist, principal songwriter and creative visionary, Shane MacGowan.
Success & breakup
The band remained stable enough to record If I Should Fall from Grace with God in 1988 (with its Christmas hit duet with Kirsty MacColl "Fairytale of New York") and 1989's Peace and Love. The band was at the peak of its commercial success, with both albums making the top 5 in the UK (nos. 3 and 5 respectively), but MacGowan was spiralling out of control. Following their next album, Hell's Ditch, MacGowan and the band parted company in 1991.
With his departure, the band was thrown into a state of flux. Without their singer, vocal duties were for a time handled by Joe Strummer, before Stacy finally took over permanently. Two politely received albums followed, the first of which, Waiting for Herb, contained the band's third and final top twenty single, "Tuesday Morning" which became their best selling single internationally. In 1996, the Pogues disbanded with just three members remaining.
Post breakup
Shane MacGowan founded Shane MacGowan and The Popes in 1994. They recorded two studio albums in the period up to their split in 2002. MacGowan's autobiography, A Drink With Shane MacGowan, co-written with his journalist girlfriend Victoria Mary Clarke, appeared in 2001. During this time the three other long-term members of the Pogues (Spider Stacy, Andrew Ranken and Darryl Hunt) played together briefly as the Vendettas.
Reunion
The band, including MacGowan, re-formed for a Christmas tour in 2001 and performed 9 shows in the UK in December [2004]. In 2002 Q magazine named The Pogues as one of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die". Also in December 2004, VH1 Conducted a poll to find the best Christmas song ever, with "Fairytale of New York" coming number one with 2,650 of the 10,000 votes cast - over 25%. In early 2005, VH1 conducted another poll to find the 100 greatest number ones that never Were, With The Pogues coming in at number 27.
In July 2005, the band - again including MacGowan - played at the annual Guilfest festival in Guildford before flying out to Japan where they played three dates. Japan is the last place they all played together before MacGowan was originally sacked in 1991, and they have a strong following there. They played a date in Spain in early September. The reunited Pogues played dates in the UK with support from the Dropkick Murphys in late 2005, and re-released their 1987 Christmas classic "Fairytale Of New York" on 19th December, which went straight in at #3 in the UK Singles charts on Christmas Day 2005, showing the song's enduring popularity. On December 22nd 2005 the BBC broadcast a live performance (recorded the previous week) on the Jonathan Ross Christmas show with Katie Melua. "Fairytale of New York" was voted the greatest Christmas Record of all time for the second year running in a poll by UK Music Channel VH1, with "Fairytale of New York" taking in a whopping 39% of the overall vote.
The band was awarded the life-time achievement award at the annual Meteor Ireland Music Awards in February 2006.
In March 2011, the Pogues played a six-city/ten-show sell-out US tour titled "A Parting Glass with The Pogues". In August 2012, The Pogues undertook a 30th Anniversary European Tour.
Discography
Albums
Red Roses for Me - 1984, #89 UK
Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash - 1985, #13 UK
Poguetry in Motion (EP) - 1986, #29
If I Should Fall from Grace with God - 1988, #3 UK, #88 US
Peace and Love - 1989, #5 UK
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah (EP) - 1990, #43 UK
Hell's Ditch - 1990, #11 UK
Waiting for Herb - 1993, #20 UK
Pogue Mahone - 1996
The Best of The Pogues - 1991, #11 UK
The Rest of the Best - 1992
The Very Best of The Pogues - 2001, #18
The Ultimate Collection including Live at the Brixton Academy - 2001, #15 UK
Dirty Old Town: The Platinum Collection
Lorelei
The Pogues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Same old sad songs, same old story
The sirens sing no lullaby
And no one knows but Lorelei
Castles out of fairy tales
Timbers shivered where once there sailed
The lovesick men who caught her eye
And no one knew but Lorelei
River, river have mercy
Take me down to the sea
For if I perish on these rocks
My love, no more I'll see
I've thought of you in far-off places
I've puzzled over lipstick traces
So help me God, I will not cry
And then I think of Lorelei
I travel far and wander wide
No photograph of you beside me
Old man River's not so shy
And he remembers Lorelei
River, river have mercy
Take me down to the sea
For if I perish on these rocks
My love, no more I'll see
If I should float upon this stream
We'll see you in my madman's dream
I'd sink into your troubled eyes
And none would know 'cept Lorelei
Oh river, river, river have mercy
Take me down to the sea
For if I perish on these rocks
My love, no more I'll see
But if my ship which sails tomorrow
Should crash against these rocks
My sorrows, I will drown before I die
It's you I'll see, not Lorelei
The Pogues' "Lorelei" tells the story of a man whose heart has been broken by a woman named Lorelei. She is a seductive and mythical creature, much like the sirens in Greek mythology, whose songs lured sailors to their deaths. The singer, despite having been warned of her dangerous allure, still falls prey to her charms. Lorelei is depicted as a femme fatale who brings nothing but sadness and heartbreak to those who fall for her.
The song also explores themes of nostalgia and longing, as the singer reminisces about his past with Lorelei and wonders if he'll ever see her again. He travels far and wide in search of her, and even though he's left with nothing but memories and a broken heart, he can't help but think of her whenever he's near a body of water.
Overall, "Lorelei" is a hauntingly beautiful and tragic song about the dangers of love and the longing for those who are no longer in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
You told me tales of love and glory
You said things to me about grand love stories and grand acts, but they were really just the same old sad tales.
Same old sad songs, same old story
These tales were really just the same tragic story that has been told countless times before.
The sirens sing no lullaby
The siren's song is not a soothing lullaby, but rather a dangerous call to the rocks.
And no one knows but Lorelei
Only Lorelei understands the power of the siren's song.
Castles out of fairy tales
The castles and stories you told me were the stuff of fairy tales.
Timbers shivered where once there sailed
The timber shook and shivered where those who were foolish enough to follow the siren's song once sailed.
The lovesick men who caught her eye
Those who heard the siren's song and followed it were lovesick men who couldn't resist the call.
And no one knew but Lorelei
Only Lorelei knows what truly happens to those who follow the siren's song.
River, river have mercy
The river is dangerous and unforgiving.
Take me down to the sea
Take me away from this place.
For if I perish on these rocks
If I stay here, I will be lost.
My love, no more I'll see
I will lose my love forever.
I've thought of you in far-off places
I think of you when I am far away from this dangerous place.
I've puzzled over lipstick traces
I am puzzled by the remnants of your presence here.
So help me God, I will not cry
I will remain strong even in the face of danger and loss.
And then I think of Lorelei
I am reminded of the power of the siren's song and the danger that lurks here.
I travel far and wander wide
I travel to many different places seeking adventure and excitement.
No photograph of you beside me
You are not physically here with me on my journeys.
Old man River's not so shy
The river is not a passive force, but rather an active, dangerous one.
And he remembers Lorelei
The river is intimately familiar with the dangers of the siren's song.
If I should float upon this stream
If I were to be swept away by this river.
We'll see you in my madman's dream
I will see you in my delusions and hallucinations.
I'd sink into your troubled eyes
I would be consumed by your troubles and sorrows.
And none would know 'cept Lorelei
Only Lorelei understands the depth of your troubles and how they have consumed me.
Oh river, river, river have mercy
I plead with the river to be merciful and not consume me.
But if my ship which sails tomorrow
If I were to leave this dangerous place.
Should crash against these rocks
And my ship were to meet the same fate as those who listened to the siren's song.
My sorrows, I will drown before I die
I will be consumed by my own sorrows before I meet my end.
It's you I'll see, not Lorelei
In my final moments, I will think of you and not the siren's song that has led so many to their demise.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind