Rubyworks have released U2’s new recording of Shane MacGowan’s “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.” The track is taken from the forthcoming 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 had long envisioned. The collection brings together an international line-up of artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Hozier, Tom Waits, The Libertines and Glen Hansard, to celebrate one of Ireland’s greatest lyricists.
Speaking about MacGowan, The Edge said: “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.’”
He added: “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.”
Originally released in 1988, “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” captures MacGowan’s signature blend of punk energy and poetic wit. U2’s new version channels that spirit while adding the band’s driving basslines, textured guitar work and arena-scale dynamics.
In keeping with 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 MacGowan championed throughout his life.
20th Century Paddy – The Songs Of Shane MacGowan will be available across digital streaming platforms, with physical formats also available to pre-order, including 2CD, deluxe 3LP and deluxe vinyl editions featuring a 60-page book of archival photographs and liner notes.
