Billy Bragg - A New England (Live on The Tube, 1983)
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- During the lockdowns I unearthed boxes of video tapes and memorabilia dating back to the earliest years of my career. Over the past months, I’ve been going through them all to pull out clips and photograph objects that illuminate the last 40 years. As the release of my Roaring Forty record approaches, I’m going to be posting the best of what I’ve found, progressing through my career from 1983 to the present day. Each post will be linked to a song from my catalogue as well. I hope you enjoy them.
This first clip comes from my very first TV appearance in October 1983, performing A New England live on the Tube. See if you can spot the moment when I inadvertently catch sight of myself on a nearby monitor and, realising I’m on national TV, almost lose my composure.
The Roaring Forty Spotify playlist - bit.ly/407rQNt
The Roaring Forty releases pre-order - bbragg.lnk.to/...
#BB40 #TheRoaringForty 1
41 years old and still as fresh today .
What a tune!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good on ya Billy, still sticking up for us Londoners and people of this nation. Spread the LOVE!
'It's wrong to wish on space hardware' is one of the cleverest lyrics you will ever hear.
My favorite lyric or all time. Love that whole verse.
I saw Billy in New Orleans in 1982 when he was opening for Echo & the Bunnymen. I did not expect him to eclipse anything the Echomen did. I stood in front of the bandstand captivated. I bought his album The Milkman of Human Kindness the next day. I'm 76 now and I still love him and have read his books. Who knew that I would consider him a "soul-brother?"
love him
Can't eclipse echo absolutely not.
Johnny Marr talked on Questlove's podcast that the Smiths loved Billy Bragg opening for them. Just a guitar and a voice and engaged with the audience andgot them "antsy" in Johnny's words. Said it made them sound bigger when they came out with drums and bass.
I was 21 years when I first heard this song, I'm 22 now, but I won't be for long... Which is a bit odd as it has been 40 years apparently...
Maybe I lost track of time somewhere... Mate, with things as they are now, I think we need you and your music more than ever.
Beautiful absolutely beautiful,the voice of an angry young man that'll never get old❤
An amazing artist and human being! A true working class hero!
There’s a guy down my local open mic pub who always plays this, great song with super lyrics.
There's a guy down the chip shop swears he's Elvis but that's a whole other story
We’ve got a New England and it’s bloody horrible
Well shit don’t blame Billy he just wanted another girl
More Barber Shops ✂💈 to choose from and a greater choice of World Cuisine 🍛
This song hits so hard!
Absolutely NOTHING tops Billy. You want punk? He’s harder. You want rock? He’s more melodic. You want folk? His poetry is better. Dude can crush ANYTHING, and it’s all revolutionary if your eyes are open…. ❤️
He's a kind sensible leftie and a wonderful poet. I wish there were more like him.
@@colinwilson4609 As a Barking working class lad in the early 80s, his left wing politics were pretty unique down that way. It was ICF/BNP territory.
@@colinwilson4609never heard the words sensible and leftie together.
You' ll hear that for sure before you die .
Timeless!
a total legend not many can solo perform and write songs like this they need a plethora of talent behind them.
You cannot imagine what that song meant to me when I was (way) younger. Still touches me. Thank you so much for having written this.
Believe me, I can imagine...
I saw him on MTV and wrote him a letter in 1985 asking about tour dates near Los Angeles. I was too young for the clubs, but still have his letter. ♥
I remember this
One of my favorite songs. It's wrong to wish on space hardware!
Mr Bragg I saw you play live for the first time at a GLC festival in 1984, at the time I turned to my friends and said "God Bless Him!". 40 years later this comes up in my CZcams feed and all I can think again is "God Bless You!" If any UK government wanted to restore some much needed honour to our "Honours System" they would knight you! Arise Sir Billy, you are a gentleman and a fabulous emotive wonderful songwriter and human being....
I was at that GLC festival on the South Bank.
Immediately after Billy, a young woman came on to the stage to plead for a worthy cause.
She lost the audience completely because of her opening line...
"Never mind those sexist songs..."
The entire crowd walked away.
First song I heart when my best friend has died
My all time favorite Billy Bragg song. So stripped down, so very punk!
The perfect rock & roll song.
I adore Billy Bragg so this takes me back! Never grows old 💜
this song sort of gives me hope in the long run. i'm no longer 21, had a few perilous relationships which became bitter breakups and but like the chorus states i'm not wanting to change the world, just another girl to love. its somewhat rich to think in this often loveless world, but here's to hoping. great song, and Kirsty Mccol's version is great too.
Brilliant I remember watching this on the Tv and feeling so inspired by it. Great song
I miss The Tube.
Hell, I'd vote for him.
Saw this crazy guy way back in 81/82, Can't remember the exact year but it was at Penns Landing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Along with a few other new bands, Duran Duran, Squeeze, and Split Endz. All for just $6. They were the times.
CHEEAAZZZ JUST BRAGGIN
I remember this. Friday night at quarter past five until seven. Billy always at his best when it's just him and an electric guitar.
Wonderful and unforgettable, thanks and love
Billy, this is absolutely fantastic, what a great find in the archives. I clearly remember the first time I heard 'A New England', driving in my friend's mother's 1979 Buick with it blasting on the tape deck. I think we rewound it about 4 or 5 times and I was a fan for life. Here you are 40 years later, and you sounded every bit as fanstastic when I saw you in Toronto in November. Cheers!
Billy is playing in my home town of Port Fairy this weekend and I can’t be there. Spewing.🎶🎶🎶
Beautiful song.
Just a guitar and a voice - but what a voice (this is reality, he needs no room)
His voice is shite
Saw you yesterday at Port Fairy, you can still belt it out 40 years later, looking forwards to seeing three more times this week in Melbourne, 34 years since I first saw you in Melbourne with Weddings Parties Anything at Her Majesty's Theatre on St Patrick's Day 1989
An all-time great track. Just wonderful to have this early live vid of BB. Thank You
Damn that was perfect, thank you for sharing
Salud from San Diego.
Love this guy!!!! My favorite artist
Is what a beautiful performance
Great cut from the archives
First two lines were lifted word for word from Paul Simon's 'Leaves that are Green'.
Always incredible.
Since there's an ad for Billy Bragg's 40th anniversary as a musician, i'd better say in 1983, i couldn't even conceive of 2023. 🎉 Thank goodness we both still around
I could, but I thought we’d be living in something close to a solarpunk/library-of-things society by now. Im disappointed about living in this “future”, but at least we still have great music like this to get us by.
just listened to your radio 4 21 years enjoyed thanks
39 years before I got to see my hero. Glasgow 2022. God bless you Billy
21 years of living and nothing means anything to me(Motown Junk- Manics- 91)-
Saw this as it happened, went out soon after and bought Life’s A Riot With Spy Vs Spy, still in my box in 2024 and love it as much as I did the day I picked it up
A friend saw him play in olden times. She said before he went on he was walking around outside playing with an amp strapped to his back. I wish I kept the button he gave her that she gave me.
Great times
Thanks for posting this!
First time hearing this guy, won't be hearing it again
Great song and great performance! Congrats mate!
Good to spot Muriel Gray there too.
Well done, Billy
much 💕
The Tube was so good. Must be weird looking back and not having the whole audience singing it for you. My brain autopilots to "When he drops you off.. "
One of my fav's of Billy's 🥳🍹👋👋
hes so fuckin beautiful
Greetings from Perth, Western Australia.
Had respect for billys' music in the 90s.
Myself, brother & sister went to his tour here in Perth probably 10 - 13 years ago.
He was telling crowd "get with the programme' & vote for same sex marriage.
Look how that's turned out...
Just saying.
Modern-day Chaucer. 🙏
Breath of fresh in UK...like Rober Wyatt was or Otway...personally Clash should have BB front them before its too late...
Billy plays a strong chop, oh very nice tone if you will
watch this at the time when I was 14, he is brilliant
tight... just like what hes was singing about.. in the 80s at least
Billy Bragg is a parasite i love Skrewdriver !!!
❤
When Billy Bragg actually still had something important and vital to say 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Yeah
I was 20 years old when i heard this song.. blimey 40 years ago. The love songs from riot/brewing up still linger. Oh and the politics ofc =^^= but - A Lover Sings should have been front and centre for the Roaring 40!
The Arbiter.
Yeah. I'm still looking for " a new England ". Not much success though 😢
When I saw this in 83 I fell in love with BB, picked up the guitar. It was 30 years before I discovered the lyrics to the 1st verse were lifted from a Paul Simon song. I've never felt more let down.
Don't get me started on "La la la la la la la la la means I love you."
I love la la la don't you ruin it for us 😁
@@trudytaylor1365 sorry, but you must hear 'La la means I love you" by the Delfonics
@@krypton2k what do you mean?
So he's not allowed to reference the song him and his school peers would have been slow dancing to at the school disco ? Everyone else knew he was talking about The Delfonics except you it would seem.
And Simon & Garfunkel were one of his earliest influences. He's never hidden the fact he thought it was a nice touch to open the song with one of Simon's lines because Bill was actually 21 at the time.
why you told in memories in your performance in the GDR (Eastern Germany) so bad?
Great song... the pitch of the vocals wouldn´t make the gold ticket in UK idol though..
Back when people got paid for being shite.
Is that a t-60?
I wish, I wish you’d care
Anyone else notice the random points of hesitation?
😩😭🤎🧡💛
Champagne Socialist
Girls don’t look too impressed
You look nervous mate!
Who would've thought that decades after releasing this song, Billy would pretend that he doesn't know what a 'girl' is.
I love finding out Billy Bragg is based from transphobes
crawling
SELL OUT
Shit in the 80’s still shit…
Promo SM 🤩
Very wonderful is very awful. Wonderful is already a superlative. I hate teaching Brits how to be what they pretend to be, i.e., cheaters-cheaters-cheaters par excellence, but to quote Alan Brien, LRB 6 September 1984, "I had to explain that 'nice' in educated Britishspeak did not mean just 'adequate' or 'competent' or 'mildly pleasing' but was a vigorous term of praise."
What a silly lad.
🤣🤣he is trying to love bomb you. Weird
This sucks.
I got to see him at PRB this year this past weekend. Also walked pass him as he went up to the pool deck to set up for his show! Such an honor!! 🤘
IVE ALWAYS HATED THIS W⚓️FOR RUINING AT STYLE COUNCIL GIG AT THE IPSWICH CORN EXCHANGE IN 1984