Accomplished singer-songwriter and vocal activist Billy Bragg’s latest song was the result of a spark of inspiration lit while trying to process the multiple tragedies spawned from the ongoing occupation of Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
“City of Heroes” was written and recorded in just 24 hours, and served as a creative response to the internationally reported and captured on video murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents. The two violent deaths, which occurred just a few days apart, led Bragg to craft a song that channels the overwhelming mix of emotions born from witnessing these needless deaths, played thousands of times on screens across the globe.
The murder of Alex Pretti was horrifically shocking,” Billy Bragg says in a statement. “All the more so as we are still reeling from the images of the murder of Renee Good. That these crimes can be committed in broad daylight, on camera, and yet no one is held accountable only adds to the injustice.”
Recorded, engineered, and mixed by Jamie Parker at Echo Town Studio in Dorset, England, “City of Heroes” serves as a stirring protest anthem that sonically underlines the power of resistance in the face of fascism.
“When they came for the immigrants, I got in their face / When they came for the refugees, I got in their face / When they came for the five-year-olds, I got in their face / When they came to my neighbourhood, I just got in their face.”
At its core, “City of Heroes” is a tribute to the strength, determination, and perseverance of Minneapolis residents, who continue to peacefully protest while constantly working to protect their fellow neighbors.
“I wrote this song as a tribute to the bravery of the people of Minneapolis,” explains Bragg. “Knowing that these trigger-happy ICE thugs operate in their midst, they are still willing to put themselves in harm’s way to defend their community. Their resistance is an inspiration to us all.”
The track comes to a close with a powerful final message and gut-punching lyrical oath: “I will bear witness to terror / I will bear witness to tyranny / I will bear witness to murder / I will bear witness to fascism.”
Listen to “City of Heroes” below:
