Bruce Springsteen to release 'A Rainy Night in Soho' cover in tribute to Shane MacGowan this week

Bruce Springsteen is set to officially release a cover of The Pogues' 'A Rainy Night in Soho' this Thursday, March 12, as a tribute to Shane MacGowan.

The news was shared across the late Pogues legend's social media platforms – with Springsteen's "beautiful version" described as "a stunning tribute to Shane's songwriting".

The announcement has also been shared by MacGowan's wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, and Rubyworks Records.

Back in November, around the second anniversary of her husband's death, Victoria Mary Clarke told Brendan O'Connor on RTÉ Radio 1 that a Shane MacGowan tribute album was to be released in 2026.

"There's Americans, there's English people, Irish people – it's kind of a mix," she said of the artists that would feature on the album.

"I probably shouldn't say who they are, but they're kind of obvious. Some of them are obvious, but then some of them are not obvious, and they're the ones I'm kind of interested for people to hear."

As Hot Press reported back in 2024, Springsteen previously performed a cover of 'A Rainy Night in Soho' during a show at Kilkenny's Nowlan Park. Following MacGowan's death in November 2023, the New Jersey singer described him as "one of my all-time favourite writers."

"The passion and deep intensity of his music and lyrics is unmatched by all but the very best in the rock and roll canon," his tribute continued. "I was fortunate to spend a little time with Shane and his lovely wife Victoria the last time we were in Dublin.

"He was very ill, but still beautifully present in his heart and spirit. His music is timeless and eternal. I don’t know about the rest of us, but they’ll be singing Shane’s songs 100 years from now."

More recently, Bob Dylan performed a rendition of 'A Rainy Night In Soho' at his 3Arena show in November. He had previously covered the song live in Phoenix, Arizona, as part of the Outlaw Music Festival Tour.

You can pre-save Bruce Springsteen's cover of 'A Rainy Night in Soho', out on March 12, here.

 

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