Billy Bragg a Judas?
Article published: Wednesday, October 1st 2008
Manchester musician Al Baker considers Billy Braggs new musical direction and looks at the art of political song writing asking: is it uncool for song lyrics to be political these days?
I dont mind being labelled a political songwriterwhat upsets me is being dismissed as a political songwriter mused folk hero turned flag-waver Billy Bragg in a recent Guardian interview. His new album, Mr. Love and Justice, is a self-confessed attempt by Billy to throw off the shackles that come with being seen as a purely political musician.
Weve seen this before, most famously with Bob Dylan, and it left me wondering why songwriters go to such great lengths to free themselves from that particular label? The answer appears to be a fear of typecasting. An album of, say, love ballads released by a political songwriter will probably be received as well as a tense political thriller starring Noel Edmonds as Kofi Annan.
Politics and music are seen by many to be a distasteful mix the one a matter for the head, the other for the heart. We have a wariness of art with a message and I can only say fair play of course it isnt for songwriters, or anyone else, to tell you what to think. However, it is a misconception that political music is necessarily preachy, and certainly it would be a mistake to think that non-preachy music is always (if ever) apolitical.
Firstly, it is definitely true that the best political songs are those with the least preachy language. Good political music is subtle without being vague, and good political lyrics must also be good lyrics in their own
right. I could go further and say that all music is political. I am myself a writer of political songs, but I will freely admit that if youre after an understanding of our countrys politics, no scathing social commentary
I can write will meet your needs as well as whatever casually misogynistic, hateful tripe is spewing out of the PA systems of any club in this city. Art is a product of artists, and artists are a product of their environment. It is debatable exactly how far this maxim can be taken, but it is true that all art, and especially popular art, is in a sense more political than would be a bastard child of Bill Hicks and Joan Baez.
So, with this in mind, the temptation to cry Judas at Billys attempt to wrench himself free of the lefty pigeon hole that has been his nest for so long must be resisted. Try as they might, neither he nor anyone else can write songs devoid of politics.
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