Song · Kirsty MacColl
“A New England” by Kirsty MacColl
From the EP The Real MacColl (1990)
“A New England” by Kirsty MacColl appears on 8 radio countdowns from 4 stations between 1991 and 2024. It was first released in 1990 on the EP The Real MacColl. Its best result is #286 on the Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,319 alternative song of all time.
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Billy Bragg wrote "A New England" and put it on Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy in 1983, but Kirsty MacColl is the one who carried it into the charts. She recorded her version the following year with her then-husband Steve Lillywhite producing, and it climbed to number 7 in Britain and 8 in Ireland, the biggest solo hit she ever had. It later found a home on her EP The Real MacColl.
The song itself is a magpie's nest. Bragg lifted its opening from Paul Simon's "Leaves That Are Green", admitted he pinched the tune from Thin Lizzy's "Cowboy Song", and traced the whole idea to watching a pair of satellites travel side by side while hunting in vain for something romantic to write about.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 304 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) | 1002 |
| 1999 | 663 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) | 1002 |
| 2004 | 465 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 500 |
| 2005 | 399 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 500 |
| 2006 | 286 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) | 500 |
| 2009 | 739 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Essential Songs | 913 |
| 2024 | 950 | WYEP | WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years | 1049 |
| 2024 | 773 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs | 850 |
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