Billy Bragg (Stephen William Bragg, Barking, Essex, England, 20 December, 1… Read Full Bio ↴Billy Bragg (Stephen William Bragg, Barking, Essex, England, 20 December, 1957) is an English singer, songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes.
In 1977, Bragg formed the punk rock/pub rock band Riff Raff, and toured London's pubs and clubs. The band released a series of singles, which did not receive wide exposure. He also worked in Guy Norris Records in Barking. Bragg became disillusioned with his music career, and in May 1981 joined the British Army as a recruit destined for the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars of the Royal Armoured Corps. After three months, he bought his way out of the army for £175 and returned home, having attended basic training but having never served in a regiment as a soldier.
Bragg began performing frequent concerts and busking around London, playing solo with an electric guitar. His roadie at the time was Andy Kershaw, who became a BBC DJ (Bragg and Kershaw later, in 1989, appeared in an episode of the BBC TV programme, Great Journeys, in which they travelled the Silver Road from Potosí, Bolivia, to the Pacific coast at Arica, Chile). Bragg performing at South by Southwest in 2008.
Bragg's demo tape initially got no response from the record industry, but by pretending to be a television repair man, he got into the office of Charisma Records' A&R man Peter Jenner. Jenner liked the tape, but the company was near bankruptcy and had no budget to sign new artists. Bragg got an offer to record more demos for a music publisher, so Jenner agreed to release them as a record. Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy was released in July 1983 by Charisma's new imprint, Utility. Hearing DJ John Peel mention on-air that he was hungry, Bragg rushed to the BBC with a mushroom biryani, so Peel played a song from Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy although at the wrong speed (since the 12" LP was, unconventionally, cut to play at 45rpm). Peel insisted he would have played the song even without the biryani and later played it at the correct speed.
Within months, Charisma had been taken over by Virgin Records and Jenner, who had been laid off, became Bragg's manager. Stiff Records' press officer Andy Macdonald – who was setting up his own record label, Go! Discs – received a copy of Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy. He made Virgin an offer and the album was re-released on Go! Discs in November 1983.[citation needed] In 1984, he released Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, a mixture of political songs (e.g., "It Says Here") and songs of unrequited love (e.g., "The Saturday Boy"). The following year he released Between the Wars, an EP of political songs that included a cover version of Leon Rosselson's "The World Turned Upside Down" – the EP made the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart and earned Bragg an appearance on Top of the Pops. Bragg later collaborated with Rosselson on the song, "Ballad of the Spycatcher". In 1985, his song "A New England", with an additional verse, became a Top 10 hit in the UK for Kirsty MacColl. After MacColl's early death, Bragg always sang the extra verse in her honour. In 1984–1985 he toured North America.
In 1986, Bragg released Talking with the Taxman about Poetry, which became his first Top 10 album. Its title is taken from a poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky and a translated version of the poem was printed on the record's inner sleeve. Back to Basics is a 1987 collection of his first three releases: Life's A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy, Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, and the Between The Wars EP. Bragg released his fourth album, Workers Playtime, in September 1988. With this album, Bragg added a backing band and accompaniment.
In May 1990, Bragg released the political mini-LP, The Internationale. The songs were, in part, a return to his solo guitar style, but some songs featured more complicated arrangements and included a brass band. The album paid tribute to one of Bragg's influences with the song, "I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night", which is an adapted version of Earl Robinson's song, "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night", itself an adaptation of a poem by Alfred Hayes.
The album Don't Try This at Home was released in September 1991, and included the song, "Sexuality", which reached the UK Singles Chart. Bragg had been persuaded by Go! Discs' Andy and Juliet Macdonald to sign a four-album deal with a million pound advance, and a promise to promote the album with singles and videos.[citation needed] This gamble was not rewarded with extra sales, and the situation put the company in financial difficulty. In exchange for ending the contract early and repaying a large amount of the advance, Bragg regained all rights to his back catalogue.[citation needed] Bragg continued to promote the album with his backing band, The Red Stars, which included his Riff Raff colleague and long-time roadie, Wiggy.
Bragg released the album William Bloke in 1996 after taking time off to help raise his son. Around that time, Nora Guthrie (daughter of American folk artist Woody Guthrie) asked Bragg to set some of her father's unrecorded lyrics to music. The result was a collaboration with the band Wilco and Natalie Merchant (with whom Bragg had worked previously). They released the album Mermaid Avenue in 1998, and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II in 2000. A rift with Wilco over mixing and sequencing the album led to Bragg recruiting his own band, The Blokes, to promote the album. The Blokes included keyboardist Ian McLagan, who had been a member of Bragg's boyhood heroes The Faces. The documentary film Man in the Sand depicts the roles of Nora Guthrie, Bragg, and Wilco in the creation of the Mermaid Avenue albums.
In 2004, Bragg joined Florida ska-punk band Less Than Jake to perform a version of 'The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out' for the Rock Against Bush compilation.
At the 2005 Beautiful Days Festival in Devon, Bragg teamed up with the Levellers to perform a short set of songs by or associated with The Clash in celebration of Joe Strummer's birthday. Bragg performed guitar and lead vocals on "Police and Thieves", and performed guitar and backing vocals on "English Civil War", and "Police on my Back".
In 2007, Bragg moved closer to his English folk music roots by joining the WOMAD-inspired collective The Imagined Village, who recorded an album of updated versions of traditional English songs and dances and toured through that autumn. Bragg released his album Mr. Love & Justice in March 2008. This was the second Bragg album to be named after a book by Colin MacInnes. In 2008, during the NME Awards ceremony, Bragg sang a duet with British solo act Kate Nash. They mixed up their two greatest hits, Nash playing "Foundations", and Bragg redoing his "A New England". Bragg also collaborated with the poet and playwright, Patrick Jones, who supported Bragg's Tour.
In 2008, Bragg played a small role in Stuart Bamforth's film "A13: Road Movie". Bragg is featured alongside union reps, vicars, burger van chefs and Members of Parliament in a film that explored "the overlooked, the hidden and the disregarded."
He was involved in the play Pressure Drop at the Wellcome Collection in London in April and May 2010. The production, written by Mick Gorden, and billed as "part play, part gig, part installation", featured new songs by Bragg. He performed during the play with his band, and acted as compere.
Bragg curated the Leftfield stage at Glastonbury Festival 2010.
He took part in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty Six where he has written a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.
Bragg performed a set of the Guthrie songs that he had set to music for Mermaid Avenue during the Hay Literary Festival in June 2012. Mermaid Avenue Vol. III and Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions were also released in early 2012.
On 18 March 2013, Bragg released his latest studio album, five years since Mr. Love & Justice, titled Tooth And Nail. It featured 11 original songs, including one written for the Bush Theatre, and a Woody Guthrie cover. Stylistically, it continues to explore genres of Americana (music) and Alternative country, both of which he has said he has been playing and writing regularly since Mermaid Avenue (1998).
In November 2017, he released all six tracks from the mini-album Bridges Not Walls as downloads and CD through the Billy Bragg website and other sellers, followed by the single Full English Brexit through Cooking Vinyl.
In 1977, Bragg formed the punk rock/pub rock band Riff Raff, and toured London's pubs and clubs. The band released a series of singles, which did not receive wide exposure. He also worked in Guy Norris Records in Barking. Bragg became disillusioned with his music career, and in May 1981 joined the British Army as a recruit destined for the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars of the Royal Armoured Corps. After three months, he bought his way out of the army for £175 and returned home, having attended basic training but having never served in a regiment as a soldier.
Bragg began performing frequent concerts and busking around London, playing solo with an electric guitar. His roadie at the time was Andy Kershaw, who became a BBC DJ (Bragg and Kershaw later, in 1989, appeared in an episode of the BBC TV programme, Great Journeys, in which they travelled the Silver Road from Potosí, Bolivia, to the Pacific coast at Arica, Chile). Bragg performing at South by Southwest in 2008.
Bragg's demo tape initially got no response from the record industry, but by pretending to be a television repair man, he got into the office of Charisma Records' A&R man Peter Jenner. Jenner liked the tape, but the company was near bankruptcy and had no budget to sign new artists. Bragg got an offer to record more demos for a music publisher, so Jenner agreed to release them as a record. Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy was released in July 1983 by Charisma's new imprint, Utility. Hearing DJ John Peel mention on-air that he was hungry, Bragg rushed to the BBC with a mushroom biryani, so Peel played a song from Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy although at the wrong speed (since the 12" LP was, unconventionally, cut to play at 45rpm). Peel insisted he would have played the song even without the biryani and later played it at the correct speed.
Within months, Charisma had been taken over by Virgin Records and Jenner, who had been laid off, became Bragg's manager. Stiff Records' press officer Andy Macdonald – who was setting up his own record label, Go! Discs – received a copy of Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy. He made Virgin an offer and the album was re-released on Go! Discs in November 1983.[citation needed] In 1984, he released Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, a mixture of political songs (e.g., "It Says Here") and songs of unrequited love (e.g., "The Saturday Boy"). The following year he released Between the Wars, an EP of political songs that included a cover version of Leon Rosselson's "The World Turned Upside Down" – the EP made the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart and earned Bragg an appearance on Top of the Pops. Bragg later collaborated with Rosselson on the song, "Ballad of the Spycatcher". In 1985, his song "A New England", with an additional verse, became a Top 10 hit in the UK for Kirsty MacColl. After MacColl's early death, Bragg always sang the extra verse in her honour. In 1984–1985 he toured North America.
In 1986, Bragg released Talking with the Taxman about Poetry, which became his first Top 10 album. Its title is taken from a poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky and a translated version of the poem was printed on the record's inner sleeve. Back to Basics is a 1987 collection of his first three releases: Life's A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy, Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, and the Between The Wars EP. Bragg released his fourth album, Workers Playtime, in September 1988. With this album, Bragg added a backing band and accompaniment.
In May 1990, Bragg released the political mini-LP, The Internationale. The songs were, in part, a return to his solo guitar style, but some songs featured more complicated arrangements and included a brass band. The album paid tribute to one of Bragg's influences with the song, "I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night", which is an adapted version of Earl Robinson's song, "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night", itself an adaptation of a poem by Alfred Hayes.
The album Don't Try This at Home was released in September 1991, and included the song, "Sexuality", which reached the UK Singles Chart. Bragg had been persuaded by Go! Discs' Andy and Juliet Macdonald to sign a four-album deal with a million pound advance, and a promise to promote the album with singles and videos.[citation needed] This gamble was not rewarded with extra sales, and the situation put the company in financial difficulty. In exchange for ending the contract early and repaying a large amount of the advance, Bragg regained all rights to his back catalogue.[citation needed] Bragg continued to promote the album with his backing band, The Red Stars, which included his Riff Raff colleague and long-time roadie, Wiggy.
Bragg released the album William Bloke in 1996 after taking time off to help raise his son. Around that time, Nora Guthrie (daughter of American folk artist Woody Guthrie) asked Bragg to set some of her father's unrecorded lyrics to music. The result was a collaboration with the band Wilco and Natalie Merchant (with whom Bragg had worked previously). They released the album Mermaid Avenue in 1998, and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II in 2000. A rift with Wilco over mixing and sequencing the album led to Bragg recruiting his own band, The Blokes, to promote the album. The Blokes included keyboardist Ian McLagan, who had been a member of Bragg's boyhood heroes The Faces. The documentary film Man in the Sand depicts the roles of Nora Guthrie, Bragg, and Wilco in the creation of the Mermaid Avenue albums.
In 2004, Bragg joined Florida ska-punk band Less Than Jake to perform a version of 'The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out' for the Rock Against Bush compilation.
At the 2005 Beautiful Days Festival in Devon, Bragg teamed up with the Levellers to perform a short set of songs by or associated with The Clash in celebration of Joe Strummer's birthday. Bragg performed guitar and lead vocals on "Police and Thieves", and performed guitar and backing vocals on "English Civil War", and "Police on my Back".
In 2007, Bragg moved closer to his English folk music roots by joining the WOMAD-inspired collective The Imagined Village, who recorded an album of updated versions of traditional English songs and dances and toured through that autumn. Bragg released his album Mr. Love & Justice in March 2008. This was the second Bragg album to be named after a book by Colin MacInnes. In 2008, during the NME Awards ceremony, Bragg sang a duet with British solo act Kate Nash. They mixed up their two greatest hits, Nash playing "Foundations", and Bragg redoing his "A New England". Bragg also collaborated with the poet and playwright, Patrick Jones, who supported Bragg's Tour.
In 2008, Bragg played a small role in Stuart Bamforth's film "A13: Road Movie". Bragg is featured alongside union reps, vicars, burger van chefs and Members of Parliament in a film that explored "the overlooked, the hidden and the disregarded."
He was involved in the play Pressure Drop at the Wellcome Collection in London in April and May 2010. The production, written by Mick Gorden, and billed as "part play, part gig, part installation", featured new songs by Bragg. He performed during the play with his band, and acted as compere.
Bragg curated the Leftfield stage at Glastonbury Festival 2010.
He took part in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty Six where he has written a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.
Bragg performed a set of the Guthrie songs that he had set to music for Mermaid Avenue during the Hay Literary Festival in June 2012. Mermaid Avenue Vol. III and Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions were also released in early 2012.
On 18 March 2013, Bragg released his latest studio album, five years since Mr. Love & Justice, titled Tooth And Nail. It featured 11 original songs, including one written for the Bush Theatre, and a Woody Guthrie cover. Stylistically, it continues to explore genres of Americana (music) and Alternative country, both of which he has said he has been playing and writing regularly since Mermaid Avenue (1998).
In November 2017, he released all six tracks from the mini-album Bridges Not Walls as downloads and CD through the Billy Bragg website and other sellers, followed by the single Full English Brexit through Cooking Vinyl.
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Billy Bragg Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Billy Bragg:
20.The World Turned Upside Down In 1649 to St. George's Hill A ragged band they called…
A Change Is Gonna Come I was born by the river in a little tent…
A Lover Sings You and I are victims of a love That lost a…
A Miner's Life (cover of traditional song) A miner's life is like a sailor…
A New England I was twenty one years when I wrote this song I'm…
A Nurse's Life Is Full of Woe To live forever in your stupid dream and face the ignominy…
A Pict Song Rome never looks where she treads Always her heavy hooves f…
A13 Trunk Road to the Sea If you ever have to go to Shoeburyness Take the A…
Accident Waiting to Happen I've always been impressed with a girl Who could sing for…
All Fall Down Councillors, magistrates, men of renown, who needs to live …
All You Fascist Bound To Lose Gonna tell all you fascists you may be surprised People all…
Another Kind Of Judy Crawling round on all fours I was looking for a lover…
Another Man's Done Gone Sometimes I think I'm gonna lose my mind But it don't…
As Long As You Hold Me As long as you hold me I'll get by As long…
At My Window Sad and Lonely At my window sad and lonely Oft times do I think…
At the Dark End of the Street At the dark end of the street That's where we always…
Baby Faroukh Standing, standing up for the first time Baby Farouk is here…
Back To The Old House I would rather not go, Back to the old house. I would…
Bad Penny I have a letter from her When she worked for the…
Between The Wars I was a miner I was a docker I was a railway…
BetweenThe wars I was a miner I was a docker I was a railway…
BILLERICAY DICKIE Good evening, I'm from Essex In case you couldn't tell My …
Birds And Ships The birds are singing in your eyes today Sweet flowers blos…
Black Wind Blowing There's a black wind blowing in the cotton field, honey Ther…
Blake's Jerusalem And did those feet in ancient time Walk upon England's moun…
BNP Is The Enemy Scholarship is the enemy of romance Where does that leave me…
Body Of Water I will cross this body of water If you promise you…
Bread & Circuses Crowds gather round kneeling at the feet of common thieves…
Brickbat I ought to leave Enough hot water For your morning bath That…
Bugeye Jim If I get up and let you in I lose my…
California Stars I'd like to rest my heavy head tonight On a…
Chain of Broken Hearts This world looks like a chain of heavy broken hearts It…
Chasing Rainbows The wheels have come off again And the fault is…
Chile Your Water Run Red Through Sewto Chile your water runs read Through Soweto If you heard about…
Christ for President Let's have Christ our president Let us have him for…
Cindy Of 1000 Lives Blue velvet America Half glimpsed in the headlights between…
Cindy of a Thousand Lives Blue velvet America Half glimpsed in the headlights between …
Days Like These The party that became so powerful By sinking foreign boats I…
Deportees The crops are all in and the peaches are rotting The…
Distant Shore Everyone knows That there's no place like home But I'm just …
Do Unto Others In the Bible, we are told God gave Moses in the…
Dolphins Sometimes I think about Saturday's child And all about the t…
Dreadbelly Horses, hounds and humans all sitting on an underground trai…
Eisler on the Go Eisler on the go, Eisler on the move Brother is on…
England Half English My mother was half English And I'm half English too I'm a…
Everybody Loves You Babe Everybody likes you babe but me I guess that proves how…
Everywhere Dig in boys for an extended stay Those were the final…
Farm Boy Whisper under my breath, say a little prayer Same as I…
Fear Is a Man Standing waiting for a man to show Wide-eyed, one eye fixed…
FOURTEENTH OF FEBRUARY I wish that I could remember the first moment that…
From a Vauxhall To a Velox She said "do these seats fold down" And I said "if…
From Red To Blue Another day dawn's grey It's enough to make me spit But we…
Gentle On My Mind It's knowing that your door is always open And your path…
GLAD AND SORRY Thank you kindly For thinking of me If I'm not smiling I'm j…
Go Down To The Water Drop-dead gorgeous and the rest Resurrected his interest Clo…
Goalhanger He's got the bonhomie Of a game show host And his handshake…
God God's footballer hears the voices of angels Above the choir …
GOD’S FOOTBALLER God's footballer hears the voices of angels Above the choir…
Goodbye Goodbye Goodbye to all my friends The time has come for me…
Greeting To A New Brunette Shirley, It's quite exciting to be sleeping here in this new…
Greetings To A New Brunette Shirley, It's quite exciting to be sleeping here in this ne…
Greetings to the New Brunette Shirley, It's quite exciting to be sleeping here in this new…
Groove is in the Heart We're going to dance We're going to dance We're going to dan…
Handyman Blues I'm never gonna be the handyman around the house my…
He Drop-dead gorgeous and the rest Resurrected his interest C…
He'll Go Down Drop-dead gorgeous and the rest Resurrected his interest Clo…
Heart Like A Wheel Some say the heart is just like a wheel When you…
Help Save the Youth of America Help save the youth of America Help save them from themselve…
Hesitating Beauty For your sparkling cocky smile I have walked a million miles…
HE’LL GO DOWN Drop-dead gorgeous and the rest Resurrected his interest Clo…
Hold the Fort We meet to die in freedoms cause And raise our voices…
Home I ain't got no home, I'm just a-roamin' 'round Just a…
Honey I I can see the kitchen light From the road where I…
Honey I'm A Big Boy Now I can see the kitchen light From the road where I…
I Ain I ain't got no home, I'm just a-roamin' 'round Just a…
I Almost Killed You You see a rainbow I see a dark cloud You see your…
I Don't Need This Pressure Ron What was that bang It was the next big thing Exploding ove…
I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night I dreamed I saw Phil Ochs last night Alive as you…
I Guess I Planted I guess I planted some long lonesome seed of a…
I Keep Faith If you want to make the weather Then you have to…
I Was Born I was born at half past twelve, almost one in…
Ideology When one voice rules the nation Just because they're on top…
If You Ever Leave Walking out together All along the shore Arm in arm beneath …
Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman, Ingrid Bergman Let's go make a picture O…
Internationale The Stand up all victims of oppression For the tyrants fear you…
Island Of No Return Digging all day and digging all night To keep my foxhole…
It Must Be A River Something starts swimming inside of me, At the sound of your…
It Says Here It says here that the Unions will never learn It says…
Jane Allen Jane Allen took me by surprise said she heard I…
January Song I'm so tightly wound in tension Feel just like a guitar…
Jeane Jeane The low-life has lost its appeal And I'm tired of walk…
Joe Dimaggio Done It Again Joe DiMaggio's done it again Joe DiMaggio's done it again Cl…
Joe Hill Joe Hill come over from Sweden shores Looking for some work…
Just One Victory We′ve been waiting so long We've been waiting so long, oh We…
King James He was trapped in a haircut He no longer believed in She…
King James Version He was trapped in a haircut He no longer believed in She…
Lay Down Your Weary Tune Lay down your weary tune, lay down, Lay down the song…
Levi Stubb' Tears With the money from her accident She bought herself a mobil…
Levi Stubb's Tears With the money from her accident She bought herself a mobile…
Levi Stubbs With the money from her accident She bought herself a mobil…
Levi Stubbs Tears With the money from her accident She bought herself a mobile…
Levi stubbs' tears With the money from her accident She bought herself a mobil…
Levi Stubbs' Tears With the money from her accident She bought herself a mobile…
Life With The Lions I hate the arsehole I become Every time I'm with you You…
Like Solders Do Blues eyes fighting the grey eyes fighting the tears Armed t…
Little Time Bomb One of them's off her foot And the other one's off…
Love Gets Dangerous The love of a woman A fear of the phone A secret…
Love Has No Pride I've had bad dreams too many times To think that they…
Love Lives Here From a window up high I watched the world go by I…
Lovers Town All the lies they told us in the classroom Wouldn't fit…
Lovers Town Revisited It's that summer of the evening Get ready and roll the…
Lovers' Town All the lies they told us in the classroom Wouldn't fit…
Loving You Too Long Love is a fire that burns, Love is a wheel that…
M For Me Take the M for me and the why for you Out…
Man in the Iron Mask When he drops you off, I will not say Who was…
MANSION ON THE HILL There's a place out on the edge of town, sir Rising…
MBH I hate you, When I see you on the street, Acting hard,…
Milkman Of Human Kindness If you're lonely, I will call If you're poorly, I will…
Mother Of The Bride The Reverend Mother went and got me a drink She came…
Moving The Goalposts I put on my raincoat to make it rain And sure…
mr love %26 justice Mr. Love and Justice, please, tell me what am I…
Must I Paint You A Picture It's bad timing and me We find a lot of things…
My Flying Saucer My flying saucer, where can you be Since that sad…
My Thirty Thousand Paul Robeson, he's the man That faced the Ku Klux Klan On…
My Youngest Son Came Home Today My youngest son came home today His friends marched with him…
Mystery Shoes I don't know Where are they from Who knows? What can I say?…
Myth of Trust I woke up this morning To find that we have outlived…
Never Buy The Sun Someone's hiding in the bushes with a telephoto lens While t…
Never Cross a Picket Line Five hundred men sacked for refusing To ever cross a picket…
Never Had No One Ever When you walk without ease On these very streets where You w…
New England I was twenty one years when I wrote this song I'm…
New Spell What is that sound? Where is it coming from? All around W…
Nicaragua Nicaraguita Oh Nicaragua Nicaraguita most beautiful flower of my love …
No One Knows Nothing Anymore Deep down in the underground, atoms spinning round and round…
North Sea Bubble I went out drinking with Thomas Paine He said that all…
Northern Industrial Town It's just a northern industrial town The front doors of the…
Nothern Industrial Town It's just a northern industrial town The front doors of the…
NPWA I grew up in a company town And I worked real…
O Freedom The policemen broke my door down Dragged me from my bed I…
On a Good Day Strange as it may seem, I once had my football…
Only Bad Signs He answers the phone, So I know you're not alone. I'll fin…
Ontario You don't need my Christmas cards You already have my heart …
Ought to Be Satisfied Now You jacked me up and you run me down You nagged…
Over You This street is named for flowers It's barren, hot and gray …
Party Of God In a busy street, a man sits down Oblivious to the…
Piccadilly Rambler I'm the Piccadilly Rambler The streets are my pillow Up Shaf…
Power In A Union There is power in a factory, power in the land Power…
Price I Pay My friend said she could see no way ahead And I…
Qualifications With my qualifications, woo-hoo-hoo With my qualifications, …
Raglan Road On Raglan Road on an autumn day I saw her first…
Reason To Believe If I listened long enough to you Id find a way…
Remember the Mountain Bed Do you still sing of the mountain bed we made…
Revolution You say you want a revolution Well you know We all want…
Richard Richard belongs to Jayne And Jayne belongs to yesterday How …
Rotting On Remand I stood before the judge that day As he refused me…
Rule Nor Reason The wind sways the trees and the raindrops on the…
Rumours of War There were soldiers marching on the common today They were t…
and many more tracks by Billy Bragg.
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Bisquick
@LKeet6 Well therein lies the political utility of nationalism/patriotism, right? Its nebulousness is precisely what allows it to be defined by the hegemonic ruling class and its justifying ideas, regardless of how contradictory they are. And as some guy noted,
“The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas, i.e. the class which is the ruling material force of society, is at the same time its ruling intellectual force. The class which has the means of material production at its disposal, has control at the same time over the means of mental production, so that thereby, generally speaking, the ideas of those who lack the means of mental production are subject to it. The ruling ideas are nothing more than the ideal expression of the dominant material relationships, the dominant material relationships grasped as ideas.” - some guy (Marx, to not be pointlessly facetious)
Another thing about that nebulousness is that it is most fervently/ideologically anchored (ie mapped onto a material reality, however much distorted that perception is beforehand) when it is defined against an "other", Schmittean friend/enemy aesthetic bs. I think John Foster Dulles (psycho SecState under Eisenhower, brother of Allen Dulles 1st CIA director) in elaborating his demonic arcon instrumentation of this shit gets at the root of this:
"In order to bring a nation to support the burdens of maintaining great military establishments, it is necessary to create an emotional state akin to war psychology. There must be the portrayal of an external menace. This involves the development to a high degree of the nation-hero, nation-villain ideology and the arousing of the population to a sense of sacrifice. Once these exist, we have gone a long way on the path to war."
Which is ultimately why I would argue, if one is from a colonial power (entirely different if it is a rallying flag of unification for resistance against said colonial power, like Cuba/Vietnam for example), this kind of patriotism/nationalism is more firmly/historically rooted in that class domination usually justified with brazen racism of some kind. Actually, another loudmouth of the ruling elite in the form of LBJ comes to mind in emphasizing this point:
“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.”
I'm recalling Michael Parenti tried to make the argument that such a reclamation of nationalism/patriotism is possible somehow, but I forget what it was exactly. BTW, forgive all my US biases here lol, but I'm also recalling historically the CPUSA in the early 20th century famously attempted to appeal to such a sense of national pride/unity to escape the fomenting red scare clamor with a giant US flag/giant bust of Lincoln lol...needless to say, didn't work out well. But one could argue it was just the execution, idk, personally it seems to me to be a rhetorical impossibility as it is always so much more easily co-opted by a storied historical palimpsest that instead of reconciling with history, as Ash points out a few times, just says it's "good, actually". Or something.
Which is all to say, have to agree with that Einstein guy, when asked "Do you look upon yourself as a German or as a Jew?" , responding,
"It is quite possible, to be both. I look upon myself as a man. Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind."
Yer auld da
None of the things he wants to be proud of require patriotism or benefit from being tethered to an imaginary “space we call England”.
It’s utterly incoherent to define the country as simply the ‘geographical space called England and everything that happens in that space’, and then treat it as a discrete agent that can ‘do something positive’ or ‘do something negative’ that we can choose to be proud or ashamed of according to the “values the country is supposed to have”.
You can’t have it both ways - just like you can’t argue for an inclusive definition of English identity while insisting that the execution of Charles I or an agreement between King and Barons signed in 1215 is “who we are".
You are not ‘taking territory’ away from the right with this stuff, you are ceding it to them! Accepting one of their most effective reactionary innovations as a positive and necessary component of identity.
It’s one thing to love the people, language, landscape and culture we grew up with, but as Ursula Le Guinn asked, “what is the sense of giving a boundary to all that, of giving a name and ceasing to love where the name ceases to apply?”
Adam Zero
This is the direction I want things to go as an economic leftist. Drop the divisive race-oriented stuff, drop the 'white' from the 'white working class' and be proud of the Britain we forge from the working class up.
Our culture is not defined by what elitists did a century ago - no more than what it is today.
Do the elites in power represent our culture? No.
We have a local 'corner culture' here in Britain. The pub, the bookies, the church, the office and the neighbour's wall - these are the places where our culture was cultivated by everyday men and women and it is where it remains today.
Regain this perspective and Labor becomes a party every hard-working man or woman will recognise and vote for again.
Chuck Abbate
I'm watching intently here in the states. As a longtime union member, the resurgence of union activism gives me heart. Working people are fed up with crumbs from the jet setters.
John Ellis
We are the underground stream brother, it’s real never think that it’s over & done. Things are remaking themselves everywhere.
Hari Owen
@Huw Patt How immensely profound Huw bach - whatever it means???
Huw Patt
... they are
deckchair gamblers
who heed only
those in play
Michael O'Neill
Great interview. I've always been a fan of Billy. He talks about progressive patriotism. I saw a tangible example of Billy's patriotism at this year's Cambridge Folk Festival. He was on stage as England Women's Football team became European Champions. He was very emotional and got the whole crowd to sing 'Jeusalem' A memorable moment. He grew up in Barking. I was born in Barking. He's a West Ham United fan, so am I . He spoke of Ford's Dagenham factory. My dad worked there for a time so did some of our neighbours. Our first home as a married couple was in nearby Dagenham. Long live Billy Bragg the Bard of Barking.
Robbie Spence
Shame he doesn't get Cancel Culture though
Iolair Muinn / Malachy Bromham
I was at the Cam folk fest gig this year, too! It was really powerful.
Colin Luhrs
Great interview - a true reminder of the importance of caring for each other and working towards a fairer more inclusive world.
OddBox
I always find the 'inclusive' aspiration a bit puzzling when referring to aspects or makeup of a Country.
Inclusive to who? and In what way is Britain not inclusive? What barriers are there to inclusion? If you're referring to race, even the bloody Tories have a brown PM. There's no higher bar than PM, so what on Earth are we talking about here?
Adam Zero
Country*