SINGER

Shane MacGowan

1957 - 2023

Photo of Shane MacGowan

Icon of person Shane MacGowan

Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (25 December 1957 – 30 November 2023) was a British-born Irish singer-songwriter and musician known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He also produced solo material and collaborated with artists including Joe Strummer, Nick Cave, Sinéad O'Connor, and Cruachan. Known for his exceptional songwriting ability and his heavy alcohol and drug use, MacGowan was described by The New York Times as "a titanically destructive personality and a master songsmith whose lyrics painted vivid portraits of the underbelly of Irish immigrant life".Born in Kent, England, to Irish parents, MacGowan spent his early childhood in Tipperary, Ireland. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Shane MacGowan has received more than 9,027,934 page views. His biography is available in 31 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 24 in 2019). Shane MacGowan is the 251st most popular singer (up from 659th in 2019), the 960th most popular biography from United Kingdom (up from 2,165th in 2019) and the 28th most popular British Singer.

Shane MacGowan is most famous as the lead vocalist and songwriter for The Pogues, a band renowned for blending traditional Irish folk with punk rock. He is particularly noted for his distinctive voice and poetic lyrics, with the Christmas classic "Fairytale of New York" being one of his most celebrated works. MacGowan's contributions have significantly influenced the folk-punk genre.

Memorability Metrics

  • 9.0M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 59.90

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 31

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.20

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.36

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Page views of Shane MacGowans by language

Over the past year Shane MacGowan has had the most page views in the with 3,991,500 views, followed by German (557,239), and French (308,444). In terms of yearly growth of page views the top 3 wikpedia editions are Ukrainian (775.88%), Portuguese (732.95%), and Italian (677.02%)

Among SINGERS

Among singers, Shane MacGowan ranks 251 out of 4,381. Before him are Milva, Bessie Smith, Lepa Brena, Sam Cooke, F. R. David, and Debbie Harry. After him are Sade, Giuseppina Strepponi, Zdravko Čolić, Victoria Beckham, Marian Gold, and Lil Wayne.

Most Popular Singers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1957, Shane MacGowan ranks 38. Before him are Kelly McGillis, Theo van Gogh, Rumiko Takahashi, Luis Garavito, Michael Madsen, and Marita Koch. After him are Ivo Josipović, Masayoshi Son, Michael Cretu, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, Anna Lindh, and Caroline Kennedy. Among people deceased in 2023, Shane MacGowan ranks 98. Before him are Françoise Gilot, Luis Garavito, Dariush Mehrjui, Ruud Geels, Dmitry Utkin, and Matteo Messina Denaro. After him are Bo Larsson, Hélène Carrère d'Encausse, Aleksandr Viktorenko, Burt Bacharach, Marouf al-Bakhit, and Sixto Rodriguez.

Others Born in 1957

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Others Deceased in 2023

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, Shane MacGowan ranks 960 out of 8,785. Before him are William Hyde Wollaston (1766), Lady Sarah Chatto (1964), Isabella of England (1214), Thomas Graham (1805), Eric Idle (1943), and Albert Pierrepoint (1905). After him are Terry Jones (1942), Alan Moore (1953), Joseph Chamberlain (1836), Natasha Richardson (1963), Thomas Chatterton (1752), and Thomas Lawrence (1769).

Others born in United Kingdom

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Among SINGERS In United Kingdom

Among singers born in United Kingdom, Shane MacGowan ranks 28. Before him are Tom Jones (1940), Eric Burdon (1941), David Coverdale (1951), Rob Halford (1951), Petula Clark (1932), and Van Morrison (1945). After him are Victoria Beckham (1974), Glenn Hughes (1951), Robbie Williams (1974), Dave Gahan (1962), Rod Evans (1947), and Peter Green (1946).

British born Singers

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