What is a gasworks croft?
The first verse refers to the gasworks croft, which was a piece of open land adjacent to the gasworks, and then speaks of the old canal, which was the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal. The line in the original version about smelling a spring on “the Salford wind” is sometimes sung as “the sulphured wind”.
Who wrote the Pogues Dirty Old Town?
Ewan MacCollDirty Old Town / Lyricist
James Henry Miller, better known as the songwriter Ewan MacColl, was born there on January 25th, 1915. And among his later achievements was the ballad that immortalised the place, Dirty Old Town.
Did the Pogues write Dirty Old Town?
DIRTY OLD TOWN, a song made famous by The Pogues and The Dubliners, isn’t actually about Dublin. Written in 1946 by Scottish folk singer Ewan MacColl, the song was written about Salford, a town just outside Manchester in the north-west of England, where MacColl grew up.
Is Dirty Old Town about Manchester?
Dirty Old Town by Ewan MacColl “Dirty Old Town,” however, was written about MacColl’s hometown of Salford, a part of Lancashire (now part of Greater Manchester), in Great Britain. The song is about growing up amid the brick and smoke of Salford.
Is Dirty Old Town a Christmas song?
In the way that Fairytale of New York presents a gritty alternative to traditional Christmas songs, Dirty Old Town presents true version of most people’s upbringing in urban settings.
Where was Ewan MacColl born?
Lower Broughton, Salford, United KingdomEwan MacColl / Place of birthBroughton is a suburb of Salford, England, on the east bank of the River Irwell, it is 1.3 miles northwest of Manchester city centre and 2.1 miles south of Prestwich, which includes Broughton Park, Higher Broughton and Lower Broughton. Wikipedia
What does Pogues mean?
1A (young) homosexual man, especially one who is the passive partner in a sexual relationship. 2A non-combatant soldier, especially one who is assigned administrative and supply duties.
Was Ewan MacColl in The Pogues?
The Pogues also recorded it for their 1985 album Rum, Sodomy and the Lash, and the song became so closely associated with the band that it later became the title of their greatest hits album. (The Pogues’ biggest hit, “Fairytale of New York”, featured the voice of Ewan MacColl’s daughter, Kirsty.)
Are The Pogues Irish or British?
It’s always been assumed that The Pogues are one of the most aesthetically “Irish” bands ever. But while MacGowan is Irish, the group was actually formed in London and features many members from the U.K. Unfortunately, U2 has more authentic Irish roots than this band.
Is Ewan MacColl still alive?
Deceased (1915–1989)Ewan MacColl / Living or Deceased
Who was Ewan MacColl married to?
Peggy Seegerm. 1977–1989
Jean Newlovem. 1949–1974Joan Littlewoodm. 1935–1950
Ewan MacColl/Spouse
Married three times – to the theatre director Joan Littlewood (with whom he ran a radical theatre company in the 1930s and 40s), the choreographer Jean Newlove and to the American folk singer Peggy Seeger – MacColl saw three of his five children follow him into music.