Song · Billy Bragg
“Waiting For The Great Leap Forward” by Billy Bragg
“Waiting For The Great Leap Forward” by Billy Bragg appears on 14 radio countdowns from 8 stations between 1988 and 2023. Its best result is #20 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1989). In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #165 alternative song of 1988 and #2,022 alternative song of all time.
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Billy Bragg put "Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards" out on Go! Discs on 30 August 1988, a single sent ahead of his album Workers Playtime, and he brought company. Martin Belmont, Bruce Thomas, Cara Tivey and Mickey Waller all play on it, as does Wiggy, Bragg's roadie of many years, who co-produced the track with Joe Boyd. Michelle Shocked and Phill Jupitus are among the backing singers. It's folk punk with the doors flung open and the whole pub invited in.
Turn it over and there were two more: Bragg re-recorded his own "Wishing the Days Away" with Tivey and took on the Flying Burrito Brothers' "Sin City" with Hank Wangford, John Porter and Kenny Jones producing both.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 25 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1988 | 50 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 20 | Triple J | Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1989) | 100 |
| 1990 | 58 | Triple J | Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1990) | 100 |
| 1991 | 477 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) | 1002 |
| 1991 | 57 | Triple J | Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1991) | 100 |
| 1994 | 267 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) | 500 |
| 1996 | 236 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) | 498 |
| 1999 | 96 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) | 500 |
| 2002 | 1139 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2009 | 69 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Essential Songs | 913 |
| 2019 | 726 | WYEP | WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 | 1017 |
| 2019 | 726 | WYEP | WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 | 1099 |
| 2020 | 1584 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2023 | 831 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s | 850 |
Also listed as: Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards; Waiting for the Great Leap Forward; Witing for the Great Leap Forward.
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