A New England


"A New England" is a song written and recorded by Billy Bragg, included on his album Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy, released in 1983. It became a hit single when covered by Kirsty MacColl the next year, and remains a signature song from the early years of Bragg's recording career.

Background and composition

The opening lines of the song are identical to the opening lines of Paul Simon's song "Leaves that Are Green", which appears on Simon and Garfunkel's 1966 album Sounds of Silence. During a concert in Winnipeg, Canada on 27 September 2006, Bragg stated that Simon and Garfunkel had a strong influence on him and that he took the line from their song intentionally.
Bragg has said that the song had its origins in seeing two satellites flying alongside each other. Searching for romantic inspiration, he had to make do with "space hardware". He told a BBC interviewer that he "stole" the melody from Thin Lizzy's "Cowboy Song".

Kirsty MacColl version

Kirsty MacColl recorded the song the year after its release by Bragg, produced by her then-husband Steve Lillywhite. It was her biggest solo hit, reaching number 7 in the UK Singles Chart and number 8 in the Irish Singles Chart.
Bragg's original version of the song had only two verses. MacColl thought the song was too short, and so Bragg wrote a further two verses for her, which she consolidated into one. Since MacColl's death, Bragg has included the additional verse in performances of the song as a tribute.
The recording of "A New England" was the first collaboration between MacColl and her husband Steve Lillywhite on one of her own solo recordings.

Background

MacColl first discovered Bragg in 1983 when she went to see one of his live performances. One of the songs Bragg played was "A New England", which MacColl immediately identified as having hit potential. MacColl told Smash Hits in 1985: "I always thought "New England" would be great with loads of harmonies, it's such a good melody. Billy does it in a very rough way, and it's like a busker doing a really good Beatles song." She added to Gilbert Blecken in 1994: "I knew the song was fantastic, but version was just the skeleton of the song, so I wanted to dress it up."

Track listing

7-inch and picture disc

12-inch