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Billy Bragg
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Artist · chart history · #209 in alternative artist polls · #292 in indie & aaa artist polls

Billy Bragg

Solo artist Barking United Kingdom

Billy Bragg is an artist from Barking. Billy Bragg has 104 chart appearances on 60 radio countdowns from 18 stations on RockLists, spanning 1983–2026. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Sexuality”, which appears on 32 lists with a best position of #17. The station that charted Billy Bragg most often is CD101 (Columbus, OH), with 29 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1991.

104appearances
60countdowns
14songs charted
18stations
0#1 finishes
1983–2026years

Billy Bragg, born in Barking in 1957, is a man with a guitar, a blunt, unvarnished voice and a head full of ideas, and he has spent his career proving that the political and the personal belong in the same song. His music borrows from folk, from punk and from the long tradition of protest singing, and his lyrics swing between love and left-wing politics, sometimes in the same verse.

Life's a Riot With Spy vs Spy, in 1983, introduced him with "A New England", a bruised, stubborn little song that sounds like it was bashed out in one go. Brewing Up With Billy Bragg in 1984 brought "Between the Wars" and "The Saturday Boy", and Talking With the Taxman About Poetry, in 1986, had "Levi Stubbs' Tears" and "Greetings to the New Brunette". Workers Playtime followed in 1988 with "She's Got a New Spell".

Don't Try This at Home, in 1991, is his most generous-sounding record yet, and "Sexuality" is a bouncing, joyous pop song, as catchy as anything he has written. William Bloke, in 1996, added "Brickbat" and "Northern Industrial Town", and in 2016 he received the Spirit of Americana Free Speech Award.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

Songs by Billy Bragg on radio countdowns

#SongStrengthListsBest#1sPeak year
1 Sexuality
1,533		 32 #17 – 1991
2 You Woke Up My Neighborhood
765		 16 #51 – 1991
3 A New England
741		 13 #7 – 1983
4 Waiting For The Great Leap Forward
676		 14 #20 – 1988
5 Greetings to the New Brunette
442		 10 #38 – 1986
6 Levi Stubbs Tears
187		 5 #24 – 1986
7 Between The Wars
98		 2 #13 – 1984
8 Brickbat
78		 1 #12 – 1996
9 The Saturday Boy
44		 1 #29 – 1984
10 NPWA
42		 2 #597 – –
11 She's Got A New Spell
38		 2 #1271 – –
12 You Woke Up My Nieghbourhood
31		 1 #1385 – –
13 Northern Industrial Town
28		 1 #37 – 1995
14 I Keep Faith
7		 2 #870 – –

Albums with charting songs

Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.

Year-end chart timeline

Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.

83 84 85 86 88 91 95 96

Every countdown appearance

Year#SongCountdown
2026 978 Greetings to the New Brunette WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time
2025 878 I Keep Faith 893 Essential Songs of The Current: 2005 to Now
2025 661 NPWA WYEP Best Songs of the 21st Century (So Far)
2024 191 Greetings to the New Brunette WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years
2024 780 A New England WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years
2023 77 A New England WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023
2023 521 Sexuality The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s
2023 575 Greetings to the New Brunette The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s
2023 831 Waiting For The Great Leap Forward The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s
2023 859 You Woke Up My Neighborhood The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s
2023 607 A New England The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places
2022 771 Sexuality The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s
2021 770 A New England 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s
2020 1584 Waiting For The Great Leap Forward WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time
2019 288 A New England KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time
2019 672 Greetings to the New Brunette WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019
2019 672 Greetings to the New Brunette WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019
2019 726 Waiting For The Great Leap Forward WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019
2019 726 Waiting For The Great Leap Forward WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019
2016 199 A New England WYEP 913 Countdown 2016
2014 1368 Sexuality CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014)
2014 1415 You Woke Up My Neighborhood CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014)
2013 1328 Sexuality CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013)
2013 1355 You Woke Up My Neighborhood CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013)
2011 1296 Sexuality CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011)
2011 1300 You Woke Up My Neighborhood CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011)
2010 1242 Sexuality CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)
2010 1247 You Woke Up My Neighborhood CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)
2009 1208 Sexuality CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)
2009 1215 You Woke Up My Neighborhood CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)
2009 56 A New England WYEP 913 Essential Songs
2009 69 Waiting For The Great Leap Forward WYEP 913 Essential Songs
2009 155 Greetings to the New Brunette WYEP 913 Essential Songs
2009 676 Sexuality WYEP 913 Essential Songs
2009 597 NPWA WYEP 913 Songs That Matter from the Last Decade
2009 870 I Keep Faith WYEP 913 Songs That Matter from the Last Decade
2008 1188 You Woke Up My Neighborhood CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)
2008 1195 Sexuality CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)
2007 1236 You Woke Up My Neighborhood CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)
2007 1255 Sexuality CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)
2007 631 Levi Stubbs Tears WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time
2007 702 Sexuality WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time
2006 295 Artist ranking WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Artists (2006)
2005 686 You Woke Up My Neighborhood CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2005 886 Sexuality CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2004 686 You Woke Up My Neighborhood CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2004 886 Sexuality CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2003 686 You Woke Up My Neighborhood CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)
2003 886 Sexuality CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)
2003 1978 She's Got A New Spell CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)
2002 686 You Woke Up My Neighborhood CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)
2002 890 Sexuality CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)
2002 410 A New England Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 836 Sexuality Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 1139 Waiting For The Great Leap Forward Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 1271 She's Got A New Spell Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 1385 You Woke Up My Nieghbourhood Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2001 322 Sexuality WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001)
2001 686 You Woke Up My Neighborhood CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2001 890 Sexuality CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2000 322 Sexuality WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000)
2000 685 You Woke Up My Neighborhood CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)
2000 885 Sexuality CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)
1999 96 Waiting For The Great Leap Forward WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999)
1999 335 Sexuality WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999)
1999 422 A New England WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999)
1999 685 You Woke Up My Neighborhood CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 834 Sexuality CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 293 Sexuality CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999)
1999 469 A New England CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999)
1996 12 Brickbat John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1996
1996 236 Waiting For The Great Leap Forward WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996)
1996 270 Sexuality WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996)
1995 37 Northern Industrial Town John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1995
1994 242 Sexuality WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994)
1994 267 Waiting For The Great Leap Forward WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994)
1991 48 Sexuality KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1991
1991 17 Sexuality 91X Top 91 Songs of 1991
1991 51 You Woke Up My Neighborhood 91X Top 91 Songs of 1991
1991 24 Sexuality Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1991
1991 23 Sexuality CFNY Top 91 Songs of 1991
1991 22 Sexuality Studio Brussel De Eindafrekening 1991
1991 29 Sexuality John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1991 (the 'Phantom Fifty')
1991 96 A New England CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition)
1991 417 Levi Stubbs Tears CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition)
1991 477 Waiting For The Great Leap Forward CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition)
1991 22 Sexuality Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1991)
1991 57 Waiting For The Great Leap Forward Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1991)
1991 75 Levi Stubbs Tears Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1991)
1991 57 Artist ranking Live 105 Top 105 Artists of All-Time (1991)
1990 58 Waiting For The Great Leap Forward Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1990)
1990 59 Greetings to the New Brunette Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1990)
1990 82 Levi Stubbs Tears Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1990)
1989 20 Waiting For The Great Leap Forward Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1989)
1989 38 Greetings to the New Brunette Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1989)
1988 25 Waiting For The Great Leap Forward John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1988
1988 356 Greetings to the New Brunette Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988)
1988 145 A New England WLIR Top 200 Songs of All-Time (1988)
1986 24 Levi Stubbs Tears John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1986
1986 41 Greetings to the New Brunette John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1986
1985 40 Between The Wars John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1985
1984 13 Between The Wars John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1984
1984 29 The Saturday Boy John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1984
1983 7 A New England John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1983

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