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
Star of the County Down
The Pogues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One morning last July
A boreen green came a sweet colleen
And she smiled as she passed me by
She looked so sweet from her two bare feet
To the sheen of her nut brown hair
Such a coaxing elf, sure I shook myself
From Bantry Bay down to Derry Quay and
From Galway to Dublin Town
No maid I've seen like the brown colleen
That I met in the County Down
As she onward sped, sure I scratched my head
And I looked with a feelin' rare
And I says, says I, to a passer-by
"Whose the maid with the nut brown hair?"
He smiled at me and he says's, says's he
"That's the gem of Ireland's crown
Young Rosie McCann from the banks of a Bann
She's the star of the County Down"
From Bantry Bay down to Derry Quay and
From Galway to Dublin Town
No maid I've seen like the brown colleen
That I met in the County Down
At the Harvest Fair she'll be surely there
I'll dress in my Sunday clothes
My shoes shone bright and my hat cocked
Right for a smile from my nut brown rose
No pipe I'll smoke, no horse I'll yoke
Till my plough turns rust colored brown
Till a smiling bride, by my own fireside
Sits the star of the County Down
From Bantry Bay down to Derry Quay and
From Galway to Dublin Town
No maid I've seen like the brown colleen
That I met in the County Down
From Bantry Bay down to Derry Quay and
From Galway to Dublin Town
No maid I've seen like the brown colleen
That I met in the County Down
The Pogues' song "Star of the County Down" tells the story of a chance encounter with a beautiful woman in the County Down in Ireland. The singer sees her walking down the road and he is struck by her beauty. He asks a passerby who she is and finds out that she is Rosie McCann, the "gem of Ireland's crown." He then vows to marry her someday and wait patiently for her, even though he knows it may take a while.
The lyrics convey a deep sense of admiration for the woman and the beauty of the Irish countryside. The song also touches on themes of love, longing, and devotion. The singer is willing to wait for his true love and work hard to win her over.
Line by Line Meaning
Near Banbridge Town in the County Down
The story begins at Banbridge Town in the County Down.
One morning last July
The event being described happened one morning in July.
A boreen green came a sweet colleen
A beautiful young woman appeared walking down a green path.
And she smiled as she passed me by
The young woman smiled at the artist as she walked by.
She looked so sweet from her two bare feet
Her beauty extended from her bare feet up to her head.
To the sheen of her nut brown hair
Her hair had a bright shine to it and was the color of a nut.
Such a coaxing elf, sure I shook myself
She was so beautiful, I had to shake myself to make sure it wasn't a dream.
For to see I was really there
To confirm that what I was seeing was true.
From Bantry Bay down to Derry Quay and
The artist is mentioning multiple locations that he has traveled or has heard of.
From Galway to Dublin Town
These are some of the places that have been mentioned.
No maid I've seen like the brown colleen
The singer has never seen a girl as beautiful as this young woman.
That I met in the County Down
This young woman is from the County Down.
As she onward sped, sure I scratched my head
When the young woman continued walking, the singer was confused.
And I looked with a feelin' rare
He studied her with a sense of intrigue and astoundment.
And I says, says I, to a passer-by
The singer asked someone nearby about this woman.
"Whose the maid with the nut brown hair?"
He asked the man who the girl with the beautiful brown hair was.
He smiled at me and he says's, says's he
The passerby smiled and answered the artist's question.
"That's the gem of Ireland's crown
This girl is considered one of the most valuable and beautiful treasures of Ireland.
Young Rosie McCann from the banks of a Bann
The girl's name is Rosie McCann and she is from the banks of the Bann River.
She's the star of the County Down"
Rosie McCann is the most beautiful and desirable girl from the County Down.
At the Harvest Fair she'll be surely there
The artist knows Rosie will be at the Harvest Fair.
I'll dress in my Sunday clothes
The artist will be wearing his nicest clothes for the occasion.
My shoes shone bright and my hat cocked
He has polished his shoes and tipped his hat at a jaunty angle.
Right for a smile from my nut brown rose
He hopes to gain a smile from his beloved Rosie.
No pipe I'll smoke, no horse I'll yoke
He will give up smoking and farming until he is married to Rosie.
Till my plough turns rust colored brown
Even his plow will remain unused until he is wedded to Rosie.
Till a smiling bride, by my own fireside
Only after he marries Rosie and she is happily sitting by his side in front of the fire, will he resume normal life.
Sits the star of the County Down
His love, Rosie McCann, is the most important thing in his life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: TERRY WOODS, PETER RICHARD STACY, SHANE PATRICK MACGOWAN, JEREMY MAX FINER, ANDREW DAVID RANKEN, DARRYL GATWICK HUNT, JAMES THIRKHILL FEARNLEY, PHILIP CHEVRON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind