''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 Opposition to immigration, also known as anti-immigration, has become a significant political ideology in many countries. In the modern sense, immigration refers to the entry of people from one state or territory into another state or territory ...

feelings and racist abuse of

asylum seeker An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and m ...

s fuelled by the tabloid press, particularly the '' Daily Mail''. The song uses examples such as the lions on the

English football team The England national football team has represented England in international football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by The Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in England, which is affilia ...

's shirts,

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

and the English

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

, St. George (from

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

), the hyphen in Anglo-Saxon and the nation's favourite dish (

curry A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included. There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in trad ...

) 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 Colin MacInnes (20 August 1914 – 22 April 1976) was an English novelist and journalist. Early life MacInnes was born in London, the son of singer James Campbell McInnes and novelist Angela Mackail, who was the granddaughter of the Pre-Rap ...

, which includes a 1957 article called "Young England, Half English" about the influence of American pop music on English

teenagers Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the t ...

. " 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 The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in May 2002.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Billy Bragg; except where indicated #"St. Monday" – 3:04 #"Jane Allen" (

Ian McLagan Ian Patrick McLagan (; 12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) 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 i ...

, Martyn Barker,

Lu Edmonds Robert David "Lu" Edmonds (born 9 September 1957) is an English rock and folk musician. He is currently, as of 2018, a vocalist and saz and cümbüş player in the Mekons and the lead guitarist for Public Image Limited. Edmonds reportedly p ...

, Ben Mandelson, Billy Bragg & the Blokes) – 3:58 #"Distant Shore" (Ian McLagan, Martyn Barker, Lu Edmonds, Ben Mandelson, Billy Bragg & the Blokes) – 2:30 #"England, Half English" (Ian McLagan, Martyn Barker, Lu Edmonds, Ben Mandelson, Billy Bragg & the Blokes) – 2:29 #"NPWA (No Power Without Accountability)" (Billy Bragg & the Blokes) – 5:31 #"Some Days I See The Point" – 4:59 #"Baby Faroukh" (Billy Bragg, Ian McLagan, Martyn Barker, Lu Edmonds, Ben Mandelson) – 3:06 #"Take Down The Union Jack" – 3:20 #"Another Kind of Judy" – 3:44 #"He'll Go Down" – 3:21 #"Dreadbelly" (Ian McLagan, Martyn Barker, Lu Edmonds, Ben Mandelson, Billy Bragg & the Blokes) – 3:33 #"Tears of My Tracks" – 3:53 ;Bonus disc The 2006 reissue included a bonus disc with the following tracklisting: #"

Billericay Dickie "Billericay Dickie" is a song by Ian Dury, from his debut album ''New Boots and Panties!!''. It is narrated by a bragging bricklayer from Billericay, and is filled with name-checks for places in Essex. The song is based around naughty rhymes such a ...

" – 4:46 #"Mansion on the Hill" – 4:20 #"Glad And Sorry" – 4:08 #"He'll Go Down" (demo) – 3:31 #"Yarra Song" – 3:33 #"You Pulled The Carpet Out" – 2:38 #"Mystery Shoes" – 3:09 #"Tears of my Tracks" (demo) – 3:20 #"Take Down The Union Jack" (band version) – 3:22 #"England, Half English" (7" remix) – 3:56 #"1 2 3 4" – 2:05 #"Dry Bed" (band version) – 3:19 #"Danny Rose" – 2:27 #"She Smiled Sweetly" – 2:50

Personnel

*Billy Bragg – guitar, vocals ;The Blokes * Ben Mandelson – various string instruments *

– Hammond organ, piano *

– various string instruments *Martyn Barker – drums, percussion *Simon Edwards – bass guitar

References

External links

* {{Authority control Billy Bragg albums 2002 albums Albums produced by Grant Showbiz Elektra Records albums Cooking Vinyl albums