Song of the Free Press
Like a number of Leon's period songs ("Ballad of the Gentleman and the Docker"; "Never Mind the Slugs") this composition first arrived in rudimentary form, but would be revisited some years later for overhaul and improvement by its creator. The original 1968 version contains three verses of eight lines, but by the time it was recorded in 1986, its length had roughly tripled, with the chorus becoming longer each time it is sung.
The song of course deals humorously with the British newspaper industry, its jingoistic style and the usually sordid ways it reports and distorts events. In its final form, Leon weaves the titles of two papers into the lyric ("We are the press, the great free press, Guardians of the national interest / we Express all that is best..."). A highlight of the LP, Bringing the News from Nowhere, the song was also a perfect choice for the B-side of Leon's single, "Ballad of a Spy Catcher" the following year.
In 2004, Leon returned to the song for another re-make, changing it around once again. This version sticks reasonably closely to the 1986 recording, but has several lyrical changes to update its content to issues relevant to the day (for example, the lefty loonies are now "pc" rather than "trendy", and the good strikes are in China rather than Poland). This new version also benefits from Fiz Shapur's keyboard providing a simulated string section.
The song of course deals humorously with the British newspaper industry, its jingoistic style and the usually sordid ways it reports and distorts events. In its final form, Leon weaves the titles of two papers into the lyric ("We are the press, the great free press, Guardians of the national interest / we Express all that is best..."). A highlight of the LP, Bringing the News from Nowhere, the song was also a perfect choice for the B-side of Leon's single, "Ballad of a Spy Catcher" the following year.
In 2004, Leon returned to the song for another re-make, changing it around once again. This version sticks reasonably closely to the 1986 recording, but has several lyrical changes to update its content to issues relevant to the day (for example, the lefty loonies are now "pc" rather than "trendy", and the good strikes are in China rather than Poland). This new version also benefits from Fiz Shapur's keyboard providing a simulated string section.
"This is a hopeless attempt to bite the hand that feeds me." - LR (Look Here (songbook), 1968)
"This is an updated version of the song though a few of the lines date back to my satirical period in the early 1960s when I was making a futile attempt to be the new Pope (Alexander Pope, that is, not the Pope)." - LR (Turning Silence Into Song (sleevenotes), 2004)
"This is an updated version of the song though a few of the lines date back to my satirical period in the early 1960s when I was making a futile attempt to be the new Pope (Alexander Pope, that is, not the Pope)." - LR (Turning Silence Into Song (sleevenotes), 2004)
Recordings
Version 1 (1986) Substantially re-worked from the original composition
Version 2 (2004) Second recording, with further changes
- Bringing the News from Nowhere
- Ballad of a Spy Catcher B-side of the single
Version 2 (2004) Second recording, with further changes