Dropkick Murphys make their version of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” available with Pre-Orders of upcoming album 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory, due out January 6, 2017
Dropkick Murphys have made their version of the classic “You’ll Never Walk Alone available to fans who pre-order the band’s ninth studio album, 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory, which will be released on January 6, 2017 through their label Born & Bred Records. Hear the song via YouTube via the link below.
Known alternately as a haunting elegy from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel, a rousing soccer anthem sung by Liverpool F.C. fans, or an early Merseybeat hit made famous by Gerry and The Pacemakers, “You’ll Never Walk Alone is repurposed by Dropkick Murphys as a message of hope for, and solidarity with, those struggling with opiate addiction. It’s a theme that the band revisits often on 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory, and one that they don’t take lightly.
Dropkick Murphys have seen the trials and tribulations of the opiate epidemic ravaging the country -- and especially their native New England -- up close through work with their charity The Claddagh Fund, which was created in part to support addiction recovery. But the epidemic hit home and hardest when lead vocalist Al Barr’s brother-in-law died of an overdose.
“Between Al’s loss and all the friends and people that I know, I’d say I’ve been to 50 wakes in the last three years,” says singer/bassist Ken Casey. “I was leaving another overdose wake and the song came on in the car,” he adds. “My music was on shuffle, and ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ randomly played. As I heard the chorus, ‘Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart and you’ll never walk alone,’ it struck me how powerfully the song related to the struggle and how you don’t have to do it alone.”
From that moment of inspiration, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” became the first song recorded for the album – and, in a sense, it became a mission statement for these 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory, the most powerful Dropkick Murphys album yet.
Pre-order 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory on iTunes + get an instant download of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at: http://smarturl.it/dkmpain-it
Pre-order limited edition CDs & vinyl on the band's official webstore.
Stream “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8SK8JHKn1k
Tickets are on sale now for Dropkick Murphys’ 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory tour, which kicks off February 21 in Bethlehem, PA, and culminates with the band’s annual hometown run of Boston shows St. Patrick's Day Week (March 15-19, 2017).
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Dropkick Murphys HistoryDropkick Murphys have become ambassadors for their city. In Boston, it seems like everybody knows someone connected to the band whether by blood, friendship, or the time they shared a brew at a Bruins game. They've built a legacy that does Beantown proud. Since their 1996 formation, they've sold a staggering 4 million albums worldwide with 2005's The Warrior's Code achieving an RIAA Gold certification and its smash single "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" nearing double platinum and appearing during a key moment of Martin Scorsese's Academy Award-winning The Departed. Most recently, 2013's Signed And Sealed In Blood netted their second consecutive Top 10 debut on the Billboard Top 200, and debuted at number 6 in Germany. The album spawned standout tracks "The Boys Are Back," "Out Of Our Heads," "Prisoner's Song," and "Rose Tattoo," a fan favorite that has accumulated 24 million views on YouTube -- without the aid of being a radio hit. A special version of this song featuring the band's buddy Bruce Springsteen was released as a benefit for the Boston Marathon bombing victims. They've hosted sold out concerts at most of the city's landmarks, including Fenway Park, TD Garden, the Boston Pops, and even the last voyage of the USS Constitution. They updated the Boston Red Sox anthem "Tessie" in 2004, which may or may not have had something to do with the team's first World Series win in 86 years...
Lead singer Al Barr, whose raspy bite falls somewhere between that of AC/DC vocalists Brian Johnson and Bon Scott, prowled the stage while the unerring outfit around him blended punk and Celtic pub rock with everything from accordion and whistle to banjo and mandolin, all layered atop a solid foundation of bass, guitar and drums. The straightforward “Going Out in Style,” for instance, might have been a simple punkish tune from another group, but with Scruffy Wallace’s energetic bagpipes in the mix, the tune was anything but routine.
