[peel] A new England

[John Gray]

If I remember rightly, when Kirsty MacColl recorded it, BIlly Bragg wrote an extra verse for her.

JG


On 22 May 2012, at 05:38, aadam jacobs wrote:

> 
> 
> Thanks for setting me straight.
> 
> From: MARK LUETCHFORD <M.Luetchford@...>
> To: "peel@yahoogroups.com" <peel@yahoogroups.com> 
> Sent: Monday, May 21, 2012 5:29 PM
> Subject: Re: [peel] A new England
> 
>  
> Kirsty did record it in 84 a year and took it higher in the charts than the big nosed bastard ever did. But  Mr Bragg penned it (now it appears with a little help from Mr Simon) and released it on his first LP/EP - Lifes a Riot with Spy vs Spy in 1983.
> 
> Mark
> 
> From: aadam jacobs <aadamjacobs@...>
> To: "peel@yahoogroups.com" <peel@yahoogroups.com> 
> Sent: Sunday, 20 May 2012, 18:08
> Subject: Re: [peel] A new England
> 
>  
> I was pretty sure that Kirsty MacColl wrote "A New England."
> I'm too stuck to check the record credits.
> 
> From: John Gray <jt.gray@btinternet.com>
> To: peel@yahoogroups.com 
> Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2012 6:52 AM
> Subject: Re: [peel] A new England
> 
>  
> Sorry, I was responding to your remark about the Wedding Present.  I agree - Billy Bragg lifted the lines without permission, and as you say, it's unlikely to be have been Paul Simon personally who objected.
> 
> JG
> 
> On 20 May 2012, at 12:43, Mike Parker wrote:
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>> i disagree, if bragg had felt a degree of homage he would have contacted paul simon first before using the lyrics without consent and lets be honest profiteering from it allegedly, who`s going to be pleased about that? paul simon might have been amused by it rather like bono was over the u2/negativland saga but ultimately if your not on your own record label then its your management team that call the shots which they did in the case of paul simon..
>> 
>> From: John Gray <jt.gray@...>
>> To: peel@yahoogroups.com 
>> Sent: Sunday, 20 May 2012, 12:16
>> Subject: Re: [peel] A new England
>> 
>>  
>> Plagiarism? Such a hurtful word!  Tribute, perhaps?  Homage?
>> 
>> John Gray
>> On 20 May 2012, at 10:30, Mike Parker wrote:
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>>> i wonder if the wedding present[nice bloke, shame about the songs] were guilty of shamefull plagarism also; if so i think we need to be told.
>>> 
>>> From: John Gray <jt.gray@...>
>>> To: peel@yahoogroups.com 
>>> Sent: Sunday, 20 May 2012, 9:41
>>> Subject: Re: [peel] A new England
>>> 
>>>  
>>> I remember hearing him explain once how he thought they were great opening lines for a song, and didn't think anyone would mind if he used them - then he got a letter from Paul Simon's lawyers!  He didn't say how things were resolved though.
>>> 
>>> john Gray
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On 19 May 2012, at 22:32, lorcan58 wrote:
>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> I'm sure most of you already know this but I never realised that Billy Bragg's iconic opening lines:
>>>> 
>>>> I was 21 years when I wrote this song
>>>> 22 now but I won't be for long
>>>> 
>>>> were actually lifted from a 1967 Simon & Garfunkel song "The Leaves That Are Green". You can listen to the original here:
>>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeTMPyLP5YM
>>>> 
>>>> Mind you, I always wondered how he aged a year between the first and second lines...
>>>> 
>>>> Lorcan
>>>> 
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