VALENTINES DAY special

Valentines Day is only three days away, and what better way to celebrate it than with....
a bittersweet love song? Ha, ha.........

Today's tune is by UK native Billy Bragg, whom you;re probably already familiar with. With this song, he mixes pursuits of the heart and the head.

This is a special tune in Mr. Bragg's canon, as it includes the stellar talents of Smiths' guitarist Johnny Marr----his beautifully tuneful guitar lines are heard all over the song, much like his work that made the Smiths records the catchy things that they were----as well as the backing vocal talents of the late Kirsty MacColl, who made quite a few wonderful records of her own before unfortunately getting killed by a boat motor that was where it shouldn't be a few years back. [More about her in the future.]

And....Mr. Bragg's back catalog is getting reissued by YepRoc! Records in the U.S. this month [in the original album + bonus disc format], which makes this even more timely.

The song? Well.....suffice to say, if you've ever had your heart broken, been divorced, or just plain lost someone, it should strike a chord with you.

Back to more obscure stuff next time. Happy Valentine's Day.

---Treblephone

Billy Bragg - Greetings To The New Brunette

[Bragg]

Shirley,
It's quite exciting to be sleeping here in this new room
Shirley,
You're my reason to get out of bed before noon
Shirley,
You know when we sat out on the fire escape talking
Shirley,
What did you say about running before we were walking?

Sometimes when we're as close as this
It's like we?re in a dream
How can you lie there and think of england
When you don't even know who's in the team

Shirley,
Your sexual politics have left me all of a muddle
Shirley,
We are joined in the ideological cuddle

I'm celebrating my love for you
With a pint of beer and a new tattoo
And if you haven't noticed yet
I'm more impressionable when my cement is wet

Politics and pregnancy
Are debated as we empty our glasses
And how I love those evening classes

Shirley,
You really know how to make a young man angry
Shirley,
Can we get through the night without mentioning family?

The people from your church agree
It's not much of a career
Trying the handles of parked cars
Whoops, there goes another year
Whoops, there goes another pint of beer

Here we are in our summer years
Living on icecream and chocolate kisses
Would the leaves fall from the trees
If I was your old man and you were my missus

Shirley,
Give my greetings to the new brunette