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.
Levi Stubbs
Billy Bragg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She bought herself a mobile home
So at least she could get some enjoyment
Out of being alone
No one could say that she was left up on the shelf
It's you and me against the World kid she mumbled to herself
When the world falls apart some things stay in place
She ran away from home on her mother's best coat
She was married before she was even entitled to vote
And her husband was one of those blokes
The sort that only laughs at his own jokes
The sort a war takes away
And when there wasn't a war he left anyway
Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong
Are here to make everything right that's wrong
Holland and Holland and Lamont Dozier too
Are here to make it all okay with you
One dark night he came home from the sea
And put a hole in her body where no hole should be
It hurt her more to see him walking out the door
And though they stitched her back together they left her heart in pieces on the floor
When the world falls apart some things stay in place
She takes off the Four Tops tape and puts it back in its case
When the world falls apart some things stay in place
Levi Stubbs' tears
The lyrics to Billy Bragg's song "Levi Stubbs" tell the story of a woman who has faced many struggles in her life. She was in a serious accident and used the money she received from it to buy herself a mobile home so she could enjoy being alone. She was a strong person who refused to be considered a failure simply because she was not married, telling herself that it was "you and me against the world." Despite her tenacity, she still faced the pain of a difficult marriage to a man who never took her seriously and left her even when there wasn't a war. The story takes an even darker turn when her husband came back from the sea one night and physically assaulted her, leaving her heart shattered even after she was stitched back together.
Throughout the song, the chorus repeats the phrase, "When the world falls apart some things stay in place," with Levi Stubbs' tears running down his face. This is likely a reference to the Four Tops song "Standing in the Shadows of Love," which features Levi Stubbs as the lead singer. By focusing on the tears of a singer who uplifted her during her toughest moments, the song highlights the power of music to provide solace and support in difficult times. Overall, the lyrics to "Levi Stubbs" paint a portrait of a woman who has faced great challenges, but still holds onto hope and an appreciation for the important things in life.
Line by Line Meaning
With the money from her accident
After she got money from an accident, she bought herself a mobile home so she could enjoy her time being independent
So at least she could get some enjoyment
She could at least take pleasure and happiness from her life
Out of being alone
By living independently she could prevent herself from feeling lonely
No one could say that she was left up on the shelf
No one could accuse her of not being independent and doing nothing in her life
It's you and me against the World kid she mumbled to herself
She declared that she was up against the world alone to motivate herself to stay strong and be independent
When the world falls apart some things stay in place
Even when situations go awry, certain things remain unchanged
Levi Stubbs' tears run down his face
Levi Stubbs was crying because life is unpredictable and fragile
She ran away from home on her mother's best coat
She left her home while wearing her mother's expensive coat
She was married before she was even entitled to vote
She got married before she had the legal right to vote in elections
And her husband was one of those blokes
Her husband was the kind of person who didn't take anything seriously
The sort that only laughs at his own jokes
He was the type of person who found his jokes funny and laughed at his own jokes
The sort a war takes away
He was the sort of person who would be taken away or affected by a war
And when there wasn't a war he left anyway
When there was no war, he left her anyway and didn't care how that left her feeling
Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong
Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong are both musicians who strive to make things right that have gone wrong
Are here to make everything right that's wrong
They are working to fix what has gone wrong and alleviate suffering
Holland and Holland and Lamont Dozier too
Holland and Holland, as well as Lamont Dozier, are musicians who can make things better
Are here to make it all okay with you
They want to make everything okay for those who are suffering or struggling
One dark night he came home from the sea
One night he returned from the sea on a dark and ominous night
And put a hole in her body where no hole should be
Her husband shot her in a place inappropriate for violence
It hurt her more to see him walking out the door
It hurt her more to see him leaving her like that
And though they stitched her back together they left her heart in pieces on the floor
Although her physical injuries were fixed, her emotional damage couldn't be healed
She takes off the Four Tops tape and puts it back in its case
She puts away her Four Tops cassette tape and gives up on a certain kind of happiness
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BILLY BRAGG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@omniversiddhialterdestiny
With the money from her accident, she bought herself a mobile home
So at least she could get some enjoyment out of being alone
No one could say that she was left up on the shelf
"It's you and me against the world, kid," she mumbled to herself
When the world falls apart, some things stay in place
Levi Stubbs' tears run down his face
She ran away from home in her mother's best coat
She was married before she was even entitled to vote
And her husband was one of those blokes
The sort who only laughs at his own jokes
The sort a war takes away
And when there wasn't a war, he left anyway
When the world falls apart, some things stay in place
Levi Stubbs' tears run down his face
Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong
Are here to make everything right that's wrong
Holland and Holland and Lamont Dozier too
Are here to make it all okay with you
And one dark night he came home from the sea
And put a hole in her body where no hole should be
It hurt her more to see him walking out the door
And though they stitched her back together, they left her heart in pieces on the floor
When the world falls apart, some things stay in place
She takes off the Four Tops tape and puts it back in its case
When the world falls apart, some things stay in place
Levi Stubbs' tears
@georgekaplan8942
Billy Brag est au rock engagé ce que Ken Loach est au cinéma indépendant. On y retrouve la même urgence, le même constat désabusé de la société ou les invisibles sont sacrifiés sur l’autel du capitalisme.
La conscience politique de Billy Bragg selon ses dires il la doit à Margaret Tatcher… « C’est elle qui a fait de moi un socialiste. Mon éducation politique date de mars 1984 et la grève des mineurs a servi de révélateur. »
Musicalement, Billy Bragg c’est aussi et surtout plus de trente années de carrières et des collaborations prestigieuses avec des artistes comme Johnny Marr (The Smiths), Michelle Shocked, Wilco ou encore R.E.M.
A l’écoute de Levi Stubbs' Tears et de ses magnifiques paroles, on se rend à l’évidence que tout seul, juste avec sa guitare il assure comme un dingue et qu'il n'a pas besoin d'artifice pour toucher au coeur. Pour être tout à fait juste on mentionnera aussi la prestation de Dave Woodhead à la trompette qui est de toute beauté.
Si vous avez encore des doutes, quand un artiste écrit et chante :
« Norman Whitfield and Barratt Strong
Are here to make right everything that's wrong
Holland and Holland and Lamont Dozier too
Are here to make it all okay with you »
C’est qu’on a obligatoirement affaire à quelqu’un de bien !
@kncisko
I saw this video once on a telly in 1987, instantly fell in love with it, and then I spent next 6 years trying to find an album with it, which was not an easy task in socialist Yugoslavia. I eventually did find it in Italy in a small record store in Bologna. Now, almost 35 years later, I still love it like the first time I heard it.
@robotjunkie3764
What a great story ,thank you xxxxx
@ErnestTheElephant
What a great story, my late step dad introduced me to Billy and strengthened my love in punk. I hope you still have the album! What a treat! :)
@duellingscarguevara
I saw in on tv in Australia, taped it onto a top loading vcr (the 1/2 hr tape, that came with the recorder, we had just got).
@kncisko
@Cain 01 I do!
@nickchap
Good for you. Enjoy pal
@apples091
This spoke to me as a 15 year old boy growing up in the North East of Ireland in the 80s. I’m 50 now and like to turn the lights out, lie down and let this invade my soul.
@richarddonovanpapp2587
Well said
@eleonoradini2371
You have no idea what this song meant to me in a small town in Italy when I was 22. It's really amazing how a singer and a song of a distant country could touch my life...
@grahammccready2647
can we have a moment for just how good billy's playing is.