Billy Bragg - The Saturday Boy 

"I never made the first team, I just made the first team laugh" probably the greatest ever song about first love!

My best friend, who's been in out of mental institutions for decades, always has this song in mind when we meet up. Whenever we get together we sing it loud and proud, word for word, note for note - including Dave Woodhead's trumpet solo.

The honesty of this song aches as much listening to it now as 30 years ago when I heard it for the first time. Universally true and beautiful.

Heard this when I was 14/15, I'm now 40. Loved it then, love it a bit more now.

I'm 16 again when I hear this - brilliant take on young life. My love still unrequited !!

Billy absolutely NAILED it. I'm getting "Unrequited" tattooed on my forearm. Beautiful, Beautiful song.

A flugelhorn. Who would have guessed. And what a story-teller! This song is superb.

The greatest song about heartbreak ever recorded

But I never made the first team, I just made the first team laugh In my opinion still one of the most genius lines ever in a song ....

This was the first BB song I ever heard. Got it off a mixed tape that a friend of a friend at college made in 1987. Love at first listen.

This Song Is Just Amazing, Its A Song You Can Just Play And Play And Play, Which I Have Been Doing For The Last 20 Years!

Been back here, many times.

This remains one of my favorite songs after all these years. I can still feel that melancholy every time I hear this. I love "unrequited". My other favorite word is "Hiraeth". Such a beautiful song.

That trumpet at 1:34 just kills me.

Bash 'em out Bragg's beautiful pean to long lost love.

It is incredible to return to my local lad and my teenage years again. ❤ 😊

Billy tells OUR story

It's sad how many misconstrue this song!? It just reminds me of all those(mostly failed) attempts at love when I was in single figures/moving on to the early double digits. So painful but, looking back, so amazingly beautiful ❤️❤️

Just so cool and so good... a little smile appears on me everytime i listen to this...the trumpet is just an extra big smile....great songwriter x

It's the last line that's the killer line for me.

Dismantling, disturbing, sexy piece of a song from a broken hearted kid who accidentally happens to be a great poet!

Perfect combination of lyrical genius and melancholy melody

Spot on take on first love. Simply brilliant.

My 2nd fav song in the whole world, only beaten by Waiting for the great leap forwards!

Nobody does unrequited love and lost love quite like Billy Bragg

best song ever

a love song for lovely people

the goddamn Trumpet.

Wikipedia page on Unrequited love bring me here And this song now defines me This is so me

Anyone remember learn to play in a day the Billy Bragg way? With pull out record!

1993b first hearrd this,. thanks chris close.

Greatest love song ever.

Still waiting

I'll never forget the first day I met her That September morning was clear and fresh The way she spoke and laughed at my jokes And the way she rubbed herself Against the edge of my desk She became a magic mystery to me And we'd sit together in double History twice a week And some days we'd walk the same way home And it's surprising how quick A little rain can clear the streets We dreamed of her and compared our dreams But that was all that I ever tasted She lied to me with her body you see I lied to myself 'bout the chances I'd wasted The times we were close Were far and few between In the darkness at the dances in the school canteen Did she close her eyes like I did As we held each other tight And la la la la la la la la means I love you She danced with me and I still hold that memory Soft and sweet And I stare up at her window As I walk down her street But I never made the first team, I just made the first team laugh And she never came to the phone She was always in the bath I had to look in the dictionary To find out the meaning of unrequited While she was giving herself for free At a party to which I was never invited I never understood my failings then And I hide my humble hopes now Thinking back she made us want her A girl not old enough to shave her legs

pure unrequited love!

"I never understood my failings then". Wow.

This is beautiful truly 🙏

No every word, awesome.

I don't think there's a better description of 90's male loneliness than this song.

Great song

He's a Poet and a Storyteller

My favorite Love Song!

And lalalalalalalala...

Between 1971 & 1976,I was Diane Shore's Saturday Boy. It's just I never had the bottle to ask her for a date. Ach Shame...as they say in 🇿🇦!.

There has never been a better song written about love. Fight me.

This song is me 14,15. Gets me every time. Although I'm happily married, I still think about the girl Billy is singing about. Probably my first love.

quality tune

ah Lord Have Mercy...the memories

I absolutely agree that "I never made the first team - I only made the first team laugh" is a brilliant poetic couplet and it made me laugh out loud when I first heard it, but "between Marx and marzipan in the dictionary, there was Mary" from Billy's "The Short Answer" off Workers Paradise is IMO the best single line ever in any song - it makes you think ..and then the joke hits .. a true bard from Barking.

Legend 👋👋

Fanx. My cats are dicks like this. I miss those years, and I own the vinyl and cd of this song, and all the rest of them. Old folks can't find stuff in a hurry. lol

I remember this song struck out a chord from the rest of the album (brewing up) when i was experiencing pretty much the same thing. Wonder what songs the pimply kids of today identify with..

Excelente

Catherine Bird where are you now, I was your Saturday boy.

Brilliant. From here on out I'm only listening to artist's who do solo performances, with the exception of an auxiliary French Horn accompaniment. That means I have two songs to listen to...

Been there.

There is no love like first love....

my life story

Fucking sublime. And so true.

Means I love you

😊😊😊😊😊

Bill's known for politics and current affairs . . .but *no-one does love songs like Bragg. I *was/still am that Saturday Boy 30 years on . ..married 18yrs, 2 wonderful children . . .but this tune takes me back to being gangly unsure dopey(virginal ) 14y/o.

Don't agree with his politics but this is poetry.

My unrequited one was Susan Jagger. I had about as much chance as a teacup in a storm!

wasn't this on Talking with the Taxman? I know it so well it must be....... but am asking thanks

Not only me a Saturday boy ! phew

Sorry it is actually my life's story...

do people even do double history any more ?

still.......

7,088 views? Are you fucking joking?

'she always came to the phone, she was never in the bath' (my story is always worse)

1:34

likewise

In the end it took me a dictionary to find out the meaning of unrequited....

catherine where are you.

0:53

In the end it took me a dictionary To find out the meaning of unrequited While she was giving herself for free At a party to which I was never invited We’ve all been there Billy.

a template for levi stubbs

A girl not old enough to shave her legs............. n have her belly button pierced

What a shame Billy decided socialism is best moved forward by living as far from the working class as could.

I love this song but this is disgusting - 'while she was giving her self for free!'