Today is a day that is often defined by excess, albeit in a form that cannot be fully contained musically. But if there were ever a song that captures that spirit of excess to me, it’s “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” by The Dropkick Murphys. Blasted at every sporting event in or related to Boston and in many movies set in Boston, this song is Boston in a bottle. And what city captures the spirit of St. Patrick’s day more than Boston? St. Louis? Certainly not, just because Saint is in the name doesn’t mean anything.
But the location of the Irish spirit of excess matters not, for it is everywhere on St. Patty’s day. For in every pint of Guinness there is something special that spreads holiday cheer, in a way we are all shipping up to Boston.