The Medusa Fora

I wanted to start a thread to try and figure out where all the bits and pieces of music in Pogues and MacGowan songs (that THEY "wrote") came from. There was some discussion about the Reel (or Polka) played at the end of South Australia on this board already....I think it'd be cool to try and catalog all the musical references made in Pogues/MacGowan songs. Some that I know already:
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House of the Gods (from Hell's Ditch):
-the intro theme was borrowed from the intro of the Beach Boy's song 'You Still Believe in Me" (from Pet Sounds)

Paddy Public Enemy No. 1 (from Crock of Gold):
-this is the same song as "Pat from Mullingar" as recorded by the Irish Rovers, but with Shane's new lyrics. Also, the instrumental sections are an Irish jig, called "The Kesh".

Sea Shanty (from Red Roses for Me):
-Shane used the same Irish jig as above, "The Kesh", in this song too.

South Australia (from If I Should Fall...):
-not sure if there was a final verdict on the other thread, but it seems the intrumental bit at the end of this song is either a Reel called 'Salmon Tails Down the Water' or a Polka called 'Red Haired Mary'. I listened to MIDI files of both, and I'm going with 'Salmon Tails Down the Water'.

The Broad Majestic Shannon:
-the instrumental bridge of BMS seems to be borrowed from an O'Cathain (c.1570-c.1650) harp tune called 'Tabhair Dom Do Lamh (Give me your hand)' which Planxty recorded on their first album. Another part of the Broad Majestic Shannon seems close to another tune I've heard, but I can't remember which....

OTHER SPECULATIONS:
I know there's a lot more than this...

...about a month ago I remember reading that the verse melody of 'The Song with No Name' (I think!!) was taken from an old Irish song...I think called "The Curragh of Kildare". Can anyone verify?

Also, there was something mentioned on the FOS board about the old song "Homes of Donegal" being used by Shane in one of his tunes...but which? Can't remember.

Finally, anyone have any idea what tunes (3 of them I think) make up 'The Battle March Medley' on "If I should fall..." ???

Graek wrote:Finally, anyone have any idea what tunes (3 of them I think) make up 'The Battle March Medley' on "If I should fall..." ???

Here

Recruiting Sargeant, Rocky Road to Dublin, Galway Races

Oh, those are the songs that make up the track Medley (track 9 on my CD). I was talking about "The Battle March Medley" (instrumental), which is track 12.

Oh yeah. Sorry, I wasn't thinking clearly there.

The Body of An American, the middle intrumental part. It is alot like the melody in the ska classic "Guns Of Navarone" with for example The Skatalites.

I read the above on the F.O.S. forum.

I searched through poguetry.com and elsewhere and found some additions:

Paddy Rolling Stone (from Crock of Gold)
-first, I recognized right off that the lyrics were largely based on the traditional Irish tune, "Jug of Punch". But some of the lyrics and also part of the melody was borrowed from Hoyt Axton's "Lightning Bar Blues" (1971). Though some of Axton's tue seems to have been inspired by Jug of Punch as well.

B&I Ferry (from Crock of Gold)
-this tune borrowed lyrical motif's and some of it's melody from songs of the reggae band Culture. Specifically the songs, "Alone in the Wilderness" and "Black Starliner Must Come" (from their album Two Sevens Clash). And others?

Back in the County Hell (from Crock of Gold)
- partial lyrics and melody borrowed from Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee" (popularized by Janis Joplin)

St. John of Gods (from Crock of Gold)
- borrows the bassline from Bob Marley's "Stir it Up"...especially noticable at 6:04 minutes into the song

Christmas Lullaby (from The Rare Oul' Stuff, etc.)
- part of the verse melody is borrowed from Nick Cave's "Lucy" (which MacGowan sang a version of on a NC single). The chorus comes from the old song "Too-ra-loo-ra, an Irish Lullaby" by James Royce Shannon, popularized by Bing Crosby.

Cotton Fields (from Peace and Love)
-probaby inspired by the old American tune of the same name...not the same melody. I like listening to the version by Leadbelly of the old trad. tune. Johnny Cash did a good version too.

Fiesta (from If I Should Fall From Grace...)
-the melody is definitely borrowed from an old polka called "Lichtensteiner Polka" by Edmund Koetscher and Rudi Lindt.

USA
-borrow from the old American song "Battle Hymn of the Republic"

ACtually The curragh Of Kildare was borrowed for White City... A good example is the Oyster Bands' version of Curragh... great fucking tune!

The Son With No Name borrows from The Homes Of Donegal.

sanx

Yeah, I had read that about 'Homes of Donegal' and 'Curragh of Kildare'. I found two good versions of 'Curragh of Kildare'...the Christy Moore version and one by The Fureys (Eddie and Finbar Furey).

Any idea what a good version of Homes of Donegal is? I found a version by Paul Brady that is just awful.

Okay, new ones so far...posting them as I verify them...all this makes for a good "mix tape" (CD actually) for the car...

White City
- same melody as Curragh of Kildare

Song with No Name
- borrows from Homes of donegal

Church of the Holy Spook
- borrows from Jim Reeves' "(Gimme that) Old Time Religion"

The Body of An American
- instrumental melody in the middle of the song borrowed from "Guns of Navarone" originally written for a film by Dimitri Tiomkin, but popularized by the ska bands The Skatalites and The Specials

Graek wrote:The Body of An American
- instrumental melody in the middle of the song borrowed from "Guns of Navarone" originally written for a film by Dimitri Tiomkin, but popularized by the ska bands The Skatalites and The Specials

Hey, that's right indeed,

...daa da da daa daa da dadada

I didn't make the connection until now!
I love the Specials doing Guns of Navarone.

Hey Alex, you should also check out The Skatalites verion of Guns Of Navarone it really rocks.

Rock n Roll Paddy is basically note for note the same song as Barnyards of Delgaty (done by the CB&TM among others).

Clued in by another post in the forum:

USA (from Peace and LOVE)
- the 'chant' at the end of the Pogues tune is borrowed from the refrain in Dr. John's 'Walk On Gilded Splinters'. Also has some lyrical (and melody?) references to 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' (1861) by Julia Ward Howe; namely 'Mine eyes have seen the glory of the comin' of the Lord'.

What noone seems to know is that the entire melody featured in "The old main drag" is borrowed from some Italian socialist anthem called Contessa.
I love both versions,. though I understand MacGowans superb lyrics better. But im sure Contessa got some points too

shane and the popes' 'song with no name' sounds a lot like the traditional song 'roddy mccorley' (by the dubliners). or maybe it's just me.