# Billy Bragg

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-bragg/498399>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 1, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-bragg/498399 "2009-06-01T19:47:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-bragg/498399/21 "2009-06-02T20:16:52Z")

</div>

> [@villa](#):
>
> I love the relationship stuff too, so much angst in there, without being self indulgent.
> 
> But some of the political stuff still sends a shiver down my spine. The Internationale (as an album, not a song) never grows old for me.The version of the Red Flag on it is fantastic.

_Tender Comrade_ is one of those shiver songs for me. That and The Waterboys’ \*Red Army Blues \*are my two favourite Russia-in-WWII songs. OK, those are the \*only \*Russia-in-WWII songs I know, but even if I knew others, they’d still be it.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-bragg/498399/22 "2009-06-02T20:27:15Z")

</div>

I guess I should go back and re-listen to _The Internationale_ - I remember kind of writing it off when it was released, and when I got the box set re-issues I didn’t bother to give it a listen. I’ll try and remedy that tonight.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-bragg/498399/23 "2009-06-02T20:31:27Z")

</div>

“I dreamed I saw Phil Ochs last night” is great. “The Red Flag” is a really good reworking. I don’t like the version of the Internationale, because I think he sold out a lot of the power of the original English lyrics.

“Marching Songs of the Covert Battalions” always brings a smile to my face.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-bragg/498399/24 "2009-06-02T20:58:06Z")

</div>

> [@woodstockbirdybird](#):
>
> They (Billy and Robyn) also did a few shows with R.E.M. under the name “Bingo Hand Job” in the early 90s, which was fun. The Bingo Hand Job live version of “Tom’s Diner” is on the b-side of some _Out of Time_ single - “Radio Song”, maybe.

I’ve got a (casette, yowza!) bootleg of two of those gigs. They do an amazing cover of John Prine’s “Hello in There” (Billy screws it up at first :D) and also a pretty awesome version of “My Youngest Son Came Home Today.”

Glad to see some Billy love here. 🙂 Sadly, I have only seen him live once, but it was a great time.

PS. Should mention “Northern Industrial Town” as one of his later gems, since no one has brought it up yet.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-bragg/498399.md?page=1)