England, Half-English | ||||
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Studio album by Billy Bragg and the Blokes | ||||
Released | 4 March 2002 [1] | |||
Recorded | June 2001 | |||
Studio | Monnow Valley Studio, Rockfield, Wales; Street Level, London; Roundhouse Studios, London | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 42:58 | |||
Label |
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Producer | Grant Showbiz | |||
Billy Bragg and the Blokes chronology | ||||
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Singles from England, Half-English | ||||
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | (64/100) [4] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Austin Chronicle | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B− [7] |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Neumu.net | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | (5/10) [10] |
Playlouder | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | (7/10) [4] |
Stylus Magazine | F [14] |
Uncut | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Yahoo! Music UK | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
England, Half-English is a 2002 album by English political singer-songwriter Billy Bragg and the Blokes, and a song from that album. The song is about racism in England and the anti-immigration feelings and racist abuse of asylum seekers fuelled by the tabloid press, particularly the Daily Mail . The song uses examples such as the lions on the English football team's shirts, Britannia and the English patron saint, St. George (from Lebanon), the hyphen in Anglo-Saxon and the nation's favourite dish (curry) to convey his message that everything about English culture is shaped and influenced by the waves of immigration that have taken place in the past.
The title is taken from England, Half English, a 1961 collection of essays and articles by Colin MacInnes, which includes a 1957 article called "Young England, Half English" about the influence of American pop music on English teenagers.
The album peaked at number 51 on the UK Albums Chart in March 2002. Its first single, the double A-side "England, Half English" / "St. Monday", reached number 98 on the UK singles chart the same month. "Take Down the Union Jack", a song from the album that protests against the monarchy, Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee and argues for English and Scottish independence, reached number 22 in the UK Singles Chart in May 2002. [16]
Adapted from album liner notes. [17] [18]
All tracks composed by Billy Bragg; except where indicated
Credits adapted from album liner notes. [17] [18]
Stephen William Bragg is an English singer, songwriter, musician, author and political activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His music is centred on change and activist causes.
Must I Paint You a Picture? The Essential Billy Bragg, is a three CD collection of Billy Bragg's greatest hits and B-sides, released on October 28, 2003. It consists of a double album and a disc of ten extras. Subscribers to Billy's website voted on their favourite tracks and these votes were used to compile the CD collection.
The Internationale is a 1990 album by Billy Bragg. Originally released on Bragg's short-lived record label, Utility Records, it is a deliberately political album, consisting mainly of cover versions and rewrites of left-wing protest songs. Although Bragg is known for his association with left-wing causes, this release is unusual; most of Bragg's recordings balance overtly political songs with social observation and love songs.
Mermaid Avenue is a 1998 album of previously unheard lyrics written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, put to music written and performed by British singer Billy Bragg and the American band Wilco. The project was the first of several such projects organized by Guthrie's daughter, Nora Guthrie, original director of the Woody Guthrie Foundation and archives. Mermaid Avenue was released on the Elektra Records label on June 23, 1998. A second volume of recordings, Mermaid Avenue Vol. II, followed in 2000 and both were collected in a box set alongside volume three in 2012 as Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions. The projects are named after the song "Mermaid's Avenue", written by Guthrie. This was also the name of the street in Coney Island, New York, on which Guthrie lived. According to American Songwriter Magazine, "The Mermaid Avenue project is essential for showing that Woody Guthrie could illuminate what was going on inside of him as well as he could detail the plight of his fellow man". It was voted number 939 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd Edition (2000).
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Ian Patrick McLagan was an English keyboardist, best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
Don't Try This at Home is the sixth full-length album by urban folk artist Billy Bragg, released in September 1991. It reached #8 on the UK Albums Chart.
Workers Playtime is a 1988 album by Billy Bragg. Originally released on the Go! Discs label, it is his fourth release but third full-length album. It was reissued on compact disc in September 1996 on the Cooking Vinyl label before being remastered, expanded and reissued in 2006 on Cooking Vinyl in the UK and on the Yep Roc label in the United States.
William Bloke is the seventh album by alternative folk artist Billy Bragg, released in September 1996, five years after his last studio album. It peaked at number 16 on the UK Albums Chart. The album's only single, "Upfield", reached number 46 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1996. The album's title is a pun on the 18th-century English poet William Blake.
Volume 2 is a box set by political folk singer-songwriter Billy Bragg, released in 2006.
Ian A. Anderson is an English magazine editor, folk musician and broadcaster.
Best of British is the third solo album by British keyboardist Ian McLagan. It was his first in nearly twenty years. Recorded in his adopted hometown of Austin, Texas, with his "Bump Band," then consisting of vocalist and keyboardist McLagan, drummer Don Harvey, bassist Sarah Brown, and guitarists Gurf Morlix and "Scrappy" Jud Newcomb, it featured twelve songs by McLagan, two previously released on his 1985 extended play, Last Chance to Dance.
The Woody Guthrie Foundation, founded in 1972, is a non-profit organization which formerly served as administrator and caretaker of the Woody Guthrie Archives. The Foundation was originally based in Brooklyn, New York and directed by Woody Guthrie's daughter Nora Guthrie.
Mr Love & Justice is the twelfth studio album by folk-rock musician Billy Bragg, and the second to be recorded with his backing band The Blokes. The title is taken from the 1960 novel by Colin MacInnes.
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Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions is a 2012 box set of albums by Billy Bragg & Wilco, all of which feature songs consisting of previously unheard lyrics written by American folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie set to newly created music. It was released by Nonesuch Records on Record Store Day to commemorate Guthrie's 100th birthday.
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Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad is a 2016 album of field recordings made by British singer Billy Bragg and American musician Joe Henry as they performed in waiting rooms and trackside at railway stations on a journey between Chicago and Los Angeles in March 2016. The project was conceived after Henry produced Bragg's thirteenth studio album Tooth & Nail at his home studio in South Pasadena. It was released on the Cooking Vinyl label on 23 September 2016. The project is named after a lyric in the traditional folk song "Midnight Special".
Bridges Not Walls is an extended play by singer-songwriter Billy Bragg, compiling six songs released as downloads as a physical CD in 2017. It was released as a Mini-LP on November 3, 2017, and includes the new song "Full English Brexit". It was described in Record Collector as "a solid gold illustration of an always inspiring singer-songwriter finding inspiration in the actions of others."
The Million Things That Never Happened is a 2021 studio album by the English singer Billy Bragg. The title track refers to various social events that could not take place due to lockdowns in the COVID-19 pandemic.
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