The Playlist is a brand new column for Pop Break. The Playlist’s purpose is to celebrate songs that we love and share our love for these songs to our readers in order to enrich their playlists and musical journey. This column will feature recommendations from the writers of Pop Break as well as our friends from the world of journalism, entertainment, podcasting and our everyday lives. The column will also have two themes. One is a specified theme, usually based around a holiday or cultural event. The other is our recommendations for songs that we’re currently in love with.
In our premiere, we pick a very, very obvious choice — the songs to hoist a pint to on Saint Patrick’s Day. Now whether that’s a pint of Guinness, Harp, soda or water, these songs are not just about drinking (well, the first one literally is), but it’s that celebration of what makes this day so special. It’s that feeling of camaraderie, friendship, joy and celebration. And some of the choices you’ll find here are not all done by cable knit and kilt wearing boys with brogues either. So enjoy the first playlist column!
The Curators For This Playlist Are:
Bill Bodkin – Editor-in-Chief of ThePopBreak.com
Sam Cohen – Music Writer for ThePopBreak.com and The Daily Targum
Kris Ingersoll – Co-Host of the Media/Lit Podcast and Batman by The Numbers
“Beer Beer Beer” by Clancy Brothers (Bill Bodkin)
This is the ultimate anthem to hoist a pint in the air to. The Aran-sweater clad Clancy Brothers are the quintessential Irish folk outfit that knows how to craft a pub anthem with wonderful musicality and raucous charm. This song is a celebration of, you guessed it, beer. It’s the kind of song you want to pound a pint, rip a big ol’ hunk of soda bread off and dance with your friends, family and partner. For those steeped in all things Dropkick and Flogging Molly, the Clancys are a must-listen.
“Party Barge” by Silver Jews (Sam Cohen)
Woah! A Silver Jews song on a St. Pattys playlist!? What is an atheist Jew with nothing to do with Ireland doing on the list? Well, it’s David Berman’s singular party song for any occasion. Coming from a mind whose happy moments were portrayed in humor, “Party Barge” is the rare celebratory Joos cut. Trust me, you’ll be stomping your foot by the end of it.
“Seven Drunken Nights” by The Dubliners (Bill Bodkin)
The whiskey drenched vocals of Ronnie Dew are the perfect vessel for this ridiculous song about a drunken man who comes home to a cheating wife, who convinces him all the clues of her infidelity are just figments of his imagination. That includes seeing the face of the man she’s cheating with — who she convinces her husband is actually a baby that her family sent to her to take care of. It’s an absurdly silly song that’s just a lot of fun to listen to on March 17.
“I’m Shipping Up to Boston” by Dropkick Murphys: (Kris Ingersoll)
With lyrics crafted from fragments found in the Woody Guthrie archives, Dropkick Murphys have been blowing the doors off of pubs worldwide with this Celtic punk hit since 2005. After a major boost from The Departed in 2006, “Shipping Up to Boston” has become an almost inescapable anthem used in sports stadiums around the world. Whether your Saint Paddy’s Day pub is in Boston, Galway, or New York City (yeah, even there) you can expect to be raising a pint and scream-chanting about your wooden leg.
“The Irish Rover” by The Dubliners & The Pogues (Bill Bodkin)
“The Irish Rover” is an Irish standard that has been covered by a litany of artists. It’s a folk song about a massive ship that ultimately meets its gruesome ending. Classic Irish. The most famous version of the song was created by The Dubliners and The Pogues. The wild voices of Ronnie Dew and Shane MacGowan on a song together is the stuff of legend. It’s a rollicking good time of a song about death. Again, classic Irish.
Hangover Game by Mj Lenderman (Sam Cohen)
This one’s for the worst morning of the year, March 18th. Well, maybe the morning after election day is worse, but this comes close. MJ loves to party; he’ll tell you about it at the end of the song, “I love drinking too.” “Hangover Game” is the tune for the nostalgic drunks remembering the good times rather than getting out of bed.
“Wagon Wheel” by Nathan Carter (Kris Ingersoll):
When my wife, Kelly, and I first visited Ireland in 2018 we quickly came to know two things. First, that Ireland is a land of live music and second, that it’s a land that, apparently, loves the song Wagon Wheel. Just weeks before Darius Rucker made it a stateside hit again with his cover featuring Lady Antebellum, Nathan Carter was already topping the Irish charts with Wagon Wheel as the first single and title track off his fourth studio album back in 2012. In nine nights on the Emerald Isle, we didn’t go a day without hearing Wagon Wheel performed live, often hearing it several times a night as we moved from pub to pub. So throw your arms around your friends and sing along, “Hey…mama rock me!”
“The Unicorn” by The Irish Rovers (Bill Bodkin):
Most kids of Irish heritage are introduced to the music of their heritage with this ’60s folk song about the unicorn’s getting lost in the Great Flood, because they were too busy playing instead of getting on Noah’s Ark. Fairly dark for a kid’s song, but welcome to being Irish. The song’s masterwork here is its ability to reflect the playful and fantastical nature of the mythic beats — complete an undeniable gang chorus — while still emphasizing the tragedy of the entire situation. On a personal note, this is the first “Irish” song I ever played for my daughter, likely starting when she was 3 or 4. On March 15 of this year she sat in my car and exclaimed “I’ve got the perfect song to play for today!” And low and behold it was this. Did I cry? Of course.
