A New England

Bragg wrote and recorded it for his debut, with Oliver Hitch producing at Chappell Music in London in February 1983. The opening lines come from Paul Simon's Leaves That Are Green, from Simon and Garfunkel's 1966 album Sounds of Silence. Bragg has said the song began when he saw two satellites flying alongside each other and, searching for romantic inspiration, had to make do with space hardware. He told a BBC interviewer he stole the melody from Thin Lizzy's Cowboy Song. Pitchfork's Stephen M. Deusner called it apologetic.

Bragg never released it as a single, but Kirsty MacColl saw him live in 1983 and spotted its potential. Her version, produced by her husband Steve Lillywhite, entered the UK chart in 1985 and reached 7, with 8 in Ireland. Bragg's original had only two verses, so he wrote a further verse for her, and the chorus line about looking for another girl became a question. MacColl told Smash Hits that his version was like a busker doing a really good Beatles song. Since her death Bragg has sung the extra verse in his own performances as a tribute.

Live

A live version recorded at the Union Chapel in London on 5 June 2013 runs 3:41 and is on the 2013 reissue of the debut. At the NME Awards in 2008 Bragg sang it in a duet with Kate Nash, who played her own Foundations.