In 2005 the Dropkick Murphys released a collection of B-sides, covers and other material that had not made it onto any previous album.
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Later that year, their fifth album, The Warriors Code, was released. It reached number 49 in the album charts making it their highest charting album to that point.
The album contains a deeply poignant song, Last Letter home, which contains excerpts from letters sent between a soldier serving in Iraq and his wife and mother.
The soldier, Sgt Andrew Farrar, died in Iraq on his 31st birthday.
In one of his letters he had requested that if he died he would like a Dropkick Murphys song to be played at his funeral.
The band attended his funeral and played The Fields of Athenry as his body was carried into the church.
They released Last Letter Home and Fields of Athenry as a single. All the profits went to the family of Sgt Farrar.
I’m Shipping up to Boston
The Dropkick Murphys gained great exposure when their song, I’m Shipping up to Boston, was used throughout The Departed, the movie that finally saw Martin Scorsese receive an Oscar for Best Director. The song became a big hit for the band and they made a video featuring scenes from the movie.
It gained more exposure when it was featured in a Simpsons episode, The Debarted, that spoofed The Departed.
Jonathan Papelbon, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, used the song as his walk on music. The Red Sox won the Championship in 2007 and the Dropkick Murphys played the song on a float in the victory parade.
The Meanest of Times
Their sixth album, The Meanest of Times, was released in 2007. It was the first to be released on the band’s own label and reached No 20 in the charts. The single, The State of Massachusetts, was one of the 60 most played alternative songs of the year in the States.
Several of the songs featured on a Dropkick Murphys track pack for Guitar Hero III which was released for St Patrick’s day 2008.
They continued to tour and were playing in front of bigger and bigger audiences. Over 10,000 people saw them in Pawtucket which was their biggest gig to date. In 2009, they joined Bruce Springsteen on stage during his Working on a Dream Tour. The band’s guitarist, Tim Brennan, proposed to his girlfriend while on stage. They then played the Bruce Springsteen song, So Young and in Love.
Going Out In Style
They released their seventh album, Going Out In Style in 2011. It reached No 6 in the US charts, making it their most successful album to date. It features guest appearances from Fat Mike, Chris Cheney, Lenny Clarke and the Boss, Bruce Springsteen.
The band embarked on a St Patrick’s Day tour in March 2012 and began working on their eighth studio album in April.
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