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.
Nothern Industrial Town
Billy Bragg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The front doors of the houses open into the street
There's no room for front gardens
Just a two-up, two-down
In a northern industrial town
And you can see the green hills 'cross the rooftops
And a fresher wind blows past the end of our block
Into a northern industrial town
And there's only two teams in this town
And you must follow one or the other
Let us win, let them lose
Not the other way round
In a northern industrial town
And the streetlights look pretty and bright
From the tops of the hills that rise dark in the night
If it weren't for the rain, you might never come down
To your northern industrial town
And on payday they tear the place down
With a pint in your hand and a bash 'em out band
Sure they'd dance to the rhythm of the rain falling down
In a northern industrial town
And there's plenty of artists around
Painters, steal cars, poets, nicked guitars
'Cause we're out of the black and we're into the red
So give us this day our daily bread
In a northern industrial town
But it's not Leeds or Manchester
Liverpool, Sheffield nor Glasgow
It's not Newcastle-on-Thyne
It's Belfast
It's just a northern industrial town
Merry Christmas, war is over
In a northern industrial town
Billy Bragg's song "Northern Industrial Town" takes a detailed look at an unnamed working-class city that could be located anywhere in Northern Britain, and reflects on the lives of the people who live there. The first verse describes the narrow streets with houses opening directly onto the road and the lack of front gardens. This highlights the inherent cramped conditions experienced by those living in the town, and the lack of any personal space. The song then moves on to describe the townscape a little further, with the contrast between the industrial buildings and the rolling hills beyond the city serving as a stark reminder of the harsh urban environment these people inhabit.
Next, the song turns its attention to the two main football teams in the town, creating a sense of tribalism and a "them versus us" mentality. This sort of division can often be found in small communities and is indicative of the strong and somewhat insular local identity that is often formed as a result of living in such an environment. The song then moves on to describe the beauty of the city at night, with the streetlights creating a picturesque scene from the top of the hills. But this scene is shattered by the harsh reality of the rain and the destruction that occurs on payday. All of these elements combine to create a haunting portrayal of a modern industrial town.
One of the main themes of the song is the struggle for daily survival in harsh conditions. This is exemplified by the final verse, where Bragg refers to the "artists", including poets, musicians, and painters, who make their way in the town through theft and other means. This gives a glimpse into the underbelly of the town, where people struggle to make ends meet and express themselves in a world where opportunities are limited.
Overall, "Northern Industrial Town" adeptly depicts a relatively unknown place that serves as an archetype of many manufacturing cities in Northern England. The lyrics are evocative and emotional, highlighting the struggles of the people living in such a location.
Line by Line Meaning
It's just a northern industrial town
The song's narrator describes the location as a place with a closely-knit community and an industrial focus. The location doesn't hold any unique value or importance in the grand scheme of things.
The front doors of the houses open into the street
The singer describes the layout of the houses in the town as being different from other places, in that the houses don't have front yards or separate entrances.
There's no room for front gardens
The town is densely populated and situated in a small area which leaves no room for residents to have front gardens.
Just a two-up, two-down
The houses' structures are small, with only two rooms upstairs and downstairs.
And you can see the green hills 'cross the rooftops
The setting is industrial, but there's still an opportunity for natural beauty with green hills in the distance.
And a fresher wind blows past the end of our block
Despite being in an industrial area, there's still a possibility of fresh, cool winds that come from the end of the block.
In the evenings the mist comes rolling on down
There's a sense of atmospheric effects, which happens in the evenings due to the industrial activities taking place in the town.
Into a northern industrial town
The mist and its reflective nature characterize the industrial town and serve as a metaphor for how industrious the town is, controlling everything within it.
And there's only two teams in this town
There are only two possible sports teams in the town, and you must choose between one or the other to support.
And you must follow one or the other
There's no alternative; you must choose one team over the other as part of the town's sports community.
Let us win, let them lose
The team you choose to support must always win over their opponents, constantly competing against the other team.
Not the other way round
There's no room for supporting the other team and wanting them to win instead of your own. Winning is everything in the town.
And the streetlights look pretty and bright
The streetlights, despite the town's industrial nature, are aesthetically pleasing and enhance the town's visual appearance.
From the tops of the hills that rise dark in the night
The hills' darkness is meaningful as it demarcates the town from the surrounding areas in the evenings.
If it weren't for the rain, you might never come down
The town's weather patterns are markedly persistent with rain being an everyday occurrence. Once people travel to the top of the hills, they might not want to come back down if not for the rain pushing them back down.
To your northern industrial town
The industrial town is not far from the surrounding areas, but the rain makes it less accessible for people to visit.
And on payday they tear the place down
The town is rough and tough, but on payday, people let loose and engage in rough activities out of excitement or frustration with alcoholic drinks and often destructive live music.
With a pint in your hand and a bash 'em out band
Residents of the town celebrate their pay by indulging in drinking and listening to a harsh-sounding, but upbeat, live music genre.
Sure they'd dance to the rhythm of the rain falling down
Even when celebrating, there's a continual sense of the surrounding industrial influence, as the rain falls on the party-goers as they dance.
In a northern industrial town
The song's title is repeated throughout, partly as a reminder that no matter what the artist describes about the town, it's still an unremarkable northern industrial town.
And there's plenty of artists around
The town's art scene may not be as famous as other cities; skilled artists with varying talents are present.
Painters, steal cars, poets, nicked guitars
The variety of artists in the town ranges from painters to musicians, hooligans who steal cars or instruments that have been stolen and then repurposed for their own music.
'Cause we're out of the black and we're into the red
The town's economy is at a lower level, and people are financially struggling to make ends meet, and maybe even going into debt trying to turn things around. In spite of this, however, the town is thriving in its own way.
So give us this day our daily bread
A line taken from the Lord's Prayer, the community prays for better opportunities or chances as they try to make a living for themselves, given the fact that they have limited opportunities in their current town.
But it's not Leeds or Manchester
Although situated in the north, the town is not as renowned as other northern towns or cities like Leeds or Manchester.
Liverpool, Sheffield nor Glasgow
The town is not as well-known as other northern cities such as Liverpool, Sheffield or Glasgow.
It's not Newcastle-on-Thyne
The town is not Newcastle-on-Tyne a famous industrial town/ city in the UK.
It's Belfast
The town is situated in Northern Ireland's capital city, Belfast.
Merry Christmas, war is over
A line from John Lennon's song of the same title, which conveys happiness though it may not seem fitting as the town is industrial, struggling and the song portrays it to be quite grey and cramped.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BILLY BRAGG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind