It is my considered opinion that no-one will ever write a love song as wonderful as Billy Bragg’s The Saturday Boy. How can you possibly compete with lyrics like these:
She danced with me and I still hold that memory
Soft and sweet
And I stare up at her window
As I walk down her street
But I never made the first team,
I just made the first team laugh
And she never came to the phone
She was always in the bath
In the end it took me a dictionary
To find out the meaning of unrequited
While she was giving herself for free
At a party to which I was never invited
Billy Bragg has written some great songs – Saturday Boy being among the best. “Milkman of human kindness” is also very good. My favourite band ever are Dubstar (who not many people have heard of) – they covered BB’s St. Swithin’s Day on their first album, Disgraceful. A lot of their songs are very emotive – very much inspired by the likes of BB / Morrisey / etc. A lot of information about them can be found at http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~neilh/The times that we all hoped would last,like a train they have gone by so fast,& though we stood together at the edge of the platform,we were not moved by them…
I haven’t listened to much Dubstar, but I like what I’ve heard. I particularly remember their song “Not So Manic Now”.
dave, I’m not a pedant by nature, but your line”I had to look in the dictionary” should be”In the end it took me a dictionary”I remember this ’cause it’s a classic BB moment, when you get the feeling he’s straining his ‘nads off to get that line out; and in my ‘umble opinion, he does :)
Actually I agree with you about that line, but those lyrics were cut and pasted from the BB web site – so it’s them that got it wrong not me :)
“pick up your feet fall, in move outWere going to a party way down South”amazing how even after so many years still relevent