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.
The Boy Done Good
Billy Bragg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I was always the last one, the last to get chosen
When my classmates picked their teams
I guess that was the way it stayed in every game I played
Life just tripped me and clattered and kicked me
Till you picked me from the parade
Now I feel like I've won the cup every time that we
Make love
Band play
The boy done good, the girl done better
The seasons turn and we're still together
The sky is still blue and tomorrow is another day
You weren't that kind of a girl who likes her studs to
Be covered in mud
Taking you to the pictures was a regular fixture
For one of life's eternal subs
I tried hard acting tough, but I just can't stand the
Taste of that stuff
Like some macho park player I got in the way of
In some grudge match against his club
But I'm happier how I am today now I've put my
Boots away
I guess I'll never get picked to play my song on match
Of the day
"The Boy Done Good" is a song about love that has helped the singer to conquer his insecurities and to change his life. The lyrics describe how the singer used to feel like the underdog in everything he did, especially in sports, where he was always the last one to be chosen. Life used to beat him down until he met his lover, who picked him from the parade and made him feel like a winner. The song's title contrasts the singer's previous sense of failure to the present, where he has achieved a sense of success through his relationship.
The song extends beyond football, becoming a metaphor for life, where the singer compares his struggles to other people's battles against larger problems such as war, terrorism, and poverty. Through the lyrics, Billy Bragg highlights the power of love, the possibility of personal growth and overcoming difficulties.
Line by Line Meaning
Strange as it may seem, I once had my football dreams
At some point in my life, I had aspirations of becoming a football player.
But I was always the last one, the last to get chosen
However, I was never a popular pick during team selection for games.
When my classmates picked their teams
Whenever it was time to pick teams, I was usually left for last.
I guess that was the way it stayed in every game I played
My lack of popularity during team selection continued throughout every game I ever played.
Life just tripped me and clattered and kicked me
Life had a way of knocking me around and treating me roughly.
Till you picked me from the parade
Until I met you, and you chose me to be with, everything felt like a struggle.
Now I feel like I've won the cup every time that we
But now that I'm with you, being intimate feels like I've won a huge prize.
Make love
Being physically and emotionally close to you is something that makes me feel incredibly happy.
Forty-five minutes each way, at halftime I hear a brass
We have a routine where we spend forty-five minutes (one half of a football match length) together, and during halftime, we enjoy music played by a brass band.
Band play
The music they play is comforting and enjoyable for us.
The boy done good, the girl done better
We both have achieved success in our individual ways, while acknowledging that you have done better than me.
The seasons turn and we're still together
Despite the passage of time, we remain together and committed as a couple.
The sky is still blue and tomorrow is another day
The future remains full of possibilities, and the present is always bright and optimistic.
You weren't that kind of a girl who likes her studs to
You aren't interested in dating an athlete who gets dirty from playing sports.
Be covered in mud
You prefer to engage in more intellectual and artistic pursuits.
Taking you to the pictures was a regular fixture
Going to the cinema for a movie date is something we often do together.
For one of life's eternal subs
I seem to be the constant substitute player in the team of life.
I tried hard acting tough, but I just can't stand the
I used to have a facade of being a tough guy, but now I know that I hate the taste of arrogance.
Taste of that stuff
I dislike the taste of machismo and aggression.
Like some macho park player I got in the way of
I don't want to be like one of those macho players in the park who try to intimidate others.
In some grudge match against his club
I have no interest in getting into a rivalry against any particular team or club.
But I'm happier how I am today now I've put my
However, now that I have put my sports equipment away, I feel much more content with myself.
Boots away
I don't miss the days when I used to play football.
I guess I'll never get picked to play my song on match
I know that I might never be selected to play music for televised football games.
Of the day
But that's okay, because my priorities and passions have evolved to other things.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BILLY BRAGG, JOHNNY MARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind