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.
England Half English
Billy Bragg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm half English too
I'm a great big bundle of culture
Tied up in the red, white and blue
I'm a fine example of your Essex man
I'm well familiar with the Hindustan
'Cause my neighbors are half English too
And so am I you know
I had a plate of Marmite soldiers
Washed down with a cappuccino
And I'll have a veggie curry about once a week
The next day a fry it up as "Bubble 'N' Squeak'
'Cause my appetite's half English
And I'm half English too
Dance with me
To this very English melody
From Morris Dancing to Morrissey
All that stuff came from across the sea
Britannia she's half English
She speaks Latin at home
St. George was born in the Lebanon
How he got here I don't know
And those three lions on his shirt
They never sprung from England's dirt
Them lions are half English
And I'm half English too
Le-li Umma le-li-ya, le-li Umma le-li-ya
Le-li Umma le-li-ya, le-li, bledi g'desh akh! le-li-ya
Oh my country
Oh my country
Oh my country
What a beautiful country you are
In "England Half English", Billy Bragg explores the complexities of identity and culture, both personal and national. He declares that his mother was half English, and therefore, so is he. However, his identity is not defined solely by his nationality. Rather, he is a "great big bundle of culture" encompassing both English and other cultural influences. He identifies as an Essex man and mentions his knowledge of Hindustani, highlighting the rich diversity that exists in his community.
The second verse of the song delves into food as a representation of culture. Bragg describes his breakfast as half English, consisting of Marmite soldiers (toast with a spread made from yeast extract) and a cappuccino. He also enjoys curry and bubble and squeak, a traditional British dish made from leftover potatoes and vegetables, mashed together and fried. His appetite is therefore both English and influenced by other cultures.
In the chorus, Bragg invites the listener to dance to an "English melody", which he defines as encompassing everything from the traditional folk dance of Morris Dancing to the iconic music of the Manchester band, The Smiths. This highlights the musical influence that has flowed into and out of England throughout history.
Throughout the song, Bragg touches on the idea that England and English culture are not pure or entirely original but have evolved through interactions with other cultures. He cites St. George, the patron saint of England, as an example, noting that he was born in Lebanon, a nod to the fact that the national mythos of countries often rely on mythical or imaginary elements. He also references the three lions on the England football team's emblem, which he notes did not originate in England but were imported from Normandy by Richard the Lionheart.
Overall, "England Half English" is a celebration of the mixed and ever-evolving nature of English culture, highlighting how the nation's identity has been shaped by influences from both within and without.
Line by Line Meaning
My mother was half English
My mother was of mixed descent, English and something else
And I'm half English too
I, as her child, inherit my mother's identity, being of mixed English descent
I'm a great big bundle of culture
I'm a mix of different cultures and traditions
Tied up in the red, white and blue
My English identity is a core part of who I am
I'm a fine example of your Essex man
I embody the traditional stereotype of an Englishman from Essex
I'm well familiar with the Hindustan
I have knowledge of and an interest in Indian culture
'Cause my neighbors are half English too
I have grown up surrounded by and influenced by other people of mixed English heritage
My breakfast was half English
I had a breakfast which included English staples
And so am I you know
My ancestry and cultural influences are reflected in who I am as a person
I had a plate of Marmite soldiers
I ate toast with Marmite, a popular English spread
Washed down with a cappuccino
I drank a cappuccino, a European coffee drink
And I'll have a veggie curry about once a week
I enjoy eating vegetarian Indian food regularly
The next day a fry it up as 'Bubble 'N' Squeak'
The following day I may eat an English dish made of leftover vegetables and potatoes from the previous day's meal
'Cause my appetite's half English
I enjoy both English and non-English foods
Dance with me
Join me in experiencing and celebrating English culture
To this very English melody
To the tune of an English song
From Morris Dancing to Morrissey
From traditional dancing to modern music, both from England
All that stuff came from across the sea
Even though these things are considered typically English, they have foreign origins
Britannia she's half English
The personification of England is of mixed heritage, like me
She speaks Latin at home
Even though English is the language of England, it has strong Latin influences
St. George was born in the Lebanon
The patron saint of England was not actually born in England, but in the Middle East
How he got here I don't know
It's unclear how and why the story of St. George became so important to English identity
And those three lions on his shirt
The symbol of English football is not actually a native animal
They never sprung from England's dirt
Even though they are a symbol of Englishness, lions are not native to England
Them lions are half English
The symbol of English football is of mixed heritage, like me
Le-li Umma le-li-ya, le-li Umma le-li-ya, Le-li Umma le-li-ya, le-li, bledi g'desh akh! le-li-ya
These are lyrics from a popular Arabic song that have been included to demonstrate the cultural mixing that exists in modern England
Oh my country, Oh my country, Oh my country, What a beautiful country you are
This is a patriotic statement, appreciating England for its cultural diversity and unique history
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BILLY BRAGG, SIMON EDWARDS, MARTYN BAKER, IAN MC LAGAN, BENJAMIN NORMAN MANDELSON, LOUIS EDMONDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind