Johnny Depp and Imelda May have recorded a new version of Shane MacGowan’s “Haunted” for a tribute album set for release on Nov. 13. The track is out now as the second preview from 20th Century Paddy, The Songs Of Shane MacGowan.
The song is one of MacGowan’s most closely revisited pieces. The Pogues first released “Haunted” in 1986 for the Sid And Nancy soundtrack with Cait O’Riordan on vocals, and it reached No.42 in the UK. MacGowan later returned to it in 1995 with Sinéad O’Connor, when their duet climbed to No.30 in the UK.
The new recording arrives after Bruce Springsteen’s version of “A Rainy Night In Soho” opened the album campaign and before a long list of other contributors are heard across the record. More than 30 artists are already confirmed, including David Gray on “The Old Main Drag,” Lisa Moorish with Another Day on “Rain Street,” Madra Salach on “Turkish Song Of The Damned,” Primal Scream on “A Pair Of Brown Eyes” and The Jesus And Mary Chain on “I’ll Be Your Handbag.”
Victoria Mary Clarke and manager John Kennedy assembled the project as a multi-artist salute to MacGowan’s songwriting, and half of all artist royalties will go to the Dublin Simon Community, which supports housing and healthcare initiatives for people experiencing homelessness. The album’s release also ties back to the outpouring that followed MacGowan’s death, when a rendition of “A Rainy Night In Soho” at his funeral helped spark the idea for a curated tribute.
May said her vocals were recorded using O’Connor’s microphone by longtime collaborator John Reynolds, and she described the performance as being made for “our forever missed friends” with “huge love” and “utmost respect.” Depp said he sees May as someone who carries something timeless in her and called making music with her one of his greatest joys. The pair have worked together before, including on a move into spirits with Three Hearts Rum, but this release places them in a very different setting: inside the emotional center of the MacGowan tribute. With two previews now out and the full album still days away, the answer is already plain enough — this project is not being sold as nostalgia, but as a living farewell shaped by the people who knew the songs best.