Rainy Night in Soho
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Rainy Night in Soho" is a song by The Pogues. Originally included on their Poguetry in Motion EP, a different version can be found on an expanded edition of the group's 1985 release, Rum, Sodomy and the Lash. The song is a live favourite among fans and has been included in their recent setlists since their reformation in 2001. It is considered to feature some of frontman Shane MacGowan's best most poetic lyrics with haunting lines such as "We watched our friends grow up together, and we saw them as they fell, some of them fell into heaven, some of them fell into hell". Although it is not entirely obvious what the song's theme is based upon, it is sensible to presume that it is about two lovers who have come to meet again after a prolonged estrangement from each other. Unlike many of The Pogues' more racous, fast songs, "Rainy Night in Soho" led by a piano shows a quieter, more romantic side to MacGowan.
The song has been included on every Greatest Hits album the band has released, and is the first track on their 2001 disc, Ultimate Collection. It has also been covered by numerous artists, with the most famous being Nick Cave (a close friend of MacGowan) and his band The Bad Seeds, who performed it on an EP in which MacGowan performed a Cave song, "Lucy". Also on the EP they both perform a duet of Louie Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World".
