U2 – honour Shane MacGowan with reimagined cover of ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah’

Proceeds from the landmark tribute album to support the Dublin Simon Community in memory of Shane MacGowan.

DUBLIN, IRELAND, 28 AUGUST 2026 – Rubyworks have today released a new recording by U2 of Shane MacGowans’ high energy track “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”. The powerful new interpretation features as a standout track on the upcoming tribute album, 20th Century 

Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan, set for release on November 13, 2026, via Rubyworks. 

Curated in close partnership with Victoria Mary Clarke and Siobhan MacGowan, the 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, Hozier, Tom Waits, The Libertines, and Glen Hansard, to celebrate the genius of one of Ireland’s greatest lyricists.

“Shane MacGowan was full of contradictions—and that’s where the truth of him lived. 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.” – The Edge 

Originally released in 1988, “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” captures Shane MacGowan’s signature blend of punk energy and poetic wit. 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. 

In keeping with Shane MacGowan’s lifelong advocacy, at least 50% of all artist royalties from 20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan will be donated to the Dublin Simon Community. The funds will support people experiencing homelessness across Dublin, a cause Shane 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 format, a 2CD, a Deluxe 3LP and a deluxe Vinyl featuring a 60 page book of archival photographs and liner notes. 

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