The Sunnyside of the Street: The Pogues
Shuffling my “Life of Bryon” playlist on Spotify, a playlist made to revive that nostalgic feeling of childhood, a sudden burst of euphoric tin whistle, flute, banjo, and accordion blessed my ears and exploded into the anthem that is The Sunnyside of the Street by The Pogues. The song hit me with a wave of memories and an almost tangible feeling of hope. I have had it on repeat ever since.
The song opens boldly and triumphantly with The Pogues’ unmistakable Irish-folk sound that hooks you in completely. The striking four-note opener that raises a note each time builds the instrumental in an exciting and upbeat way, the drums then layered on top of this, coupled with further instruments, is like a carnival for the ears.
The first verse opens with Shane MacGowan’s distinctive voice, the grit in his voice gives the song that edgy punk side that The Pogues were infamous for. Throughout the song, he sings with a nonchalant but all-knowing attitude that helps convey this “Sunnyside of the Street” view on life despite being aware of the horrors happening in the world around him.
The song explores the contrast between these atrocities and trying to stay on “the sunny side of the street” i.e., in a more positive state of mind.
For example, the first verse tells the tale of experiencing “the carnival at Rome” including the “women” and “the booze” but only being able to remember “the little kids without no shoes”. To escape this haunting reality the voice hops on a train “with a heart full of hate and a lust for vomit” and is now “walking on the sunny side of the street”. Here Shane MacGowan openly acknowledges how difficult it is to forget what is happening in the world as he can only remember “the little kids without no shoes” from his trip to Rome. His oxymoronic “heart full of hate and a lust for vomit” (one of my favourite lines) shows how deeply this affected him, the fact he lusts for something so vile highlights how far he would go to change his feelings of fury at his inability to change the situation. Ultimately, he acknowledges the hurt in the world but decides instead to live his life on the Sunnyside of the street, a seemingly simpler way of life.
As the song continues the instrumental remains outstanding, the way in which all the instruments play cohesively to create an effective and dramatic build-up to the chorus is beautiful. It creates an emotional but hopeful effect to the song, essentially embodying exactly how it feels on the Sunnyside of the street. By the end you feel uplifted and long for the song to continue, lines such as “I just don’t want to be reborn a snail” replay in your mind for their comic effect and intriguing imagery. Shane MacGowan perfectly captures a small snippet of the Sunnyside of the street life, leaving you inspired, uplifted and always wanting more.
Looks like I have a new song to add to my ever growing playlist!