Kirsty MacColl recorded the song the year after its release by Bragg, produced by her then-husband Steve Lillywhite

Steve Lillywhite

Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...

.. It was her biggest solo hit - reaching #7 in the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 and #8 in the Irish Singles Chart

Irish Singles Chart

The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...

.

Bragg's original version of the song had only two verses. MacColl thought the song was too short, and so Bragg wrote a further two verses for her, which she consolidated into one. Since MacColl's death, Bragg has included the additional verse in performances of the song as a tribute.

7" and picture disc

12"

Other versions

Melodic hardcore punk band Lifetime

Lifetime (band)

Lifetime is an American melodic hardcore/emo band from New Jersey. Lifetime was formed in 1990 and disbanded in 1997. In late 2005, they announced their reunion.-History:...

 covered the song for the 1994 compilation album Music Does a Body Good. The Groovie Ghoulies recorded a version of "A New England" for their 1996 album World Contact Day. The song also appears on Too Much Joy

Too Much Joy

Too Much Joy is an American alternative rock music group. The band formed in the early 1980s in Scarsdale, New York.-Members:The original members were Tim Quirk , Jay Blumenfield , Sandy Smallens and Tommy Vinton . During 1982-1983 Tommy LaRussa temporarily replaced Vinton as drummer...

's album ...Finally (1996).
The song has been covered acoustically by Jamie T

Jamie T

Jamie Alexander Treays , known by his stage name Jamie T, is an English singer/songwriter from Wimbledon, South London.-Early life:Jamie Alexander Treays, was born in Wimbledon, South-West London...

 (2006), Jonah Matranga

Jonah Matranga

Jonah Rzadzinski Matranga is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist who has released a variety of solo material under his own name and onelinedrawing, and has previously been part of the bands Far and New End Original and Gratitude...

 (2006) and The King Blues

The King Blues

The King Blues are a punk band from London, England, credited for fusing ska and folk together with influences from punk rock and hardcore punk. Tariq Ali described the band's sounds as 'rough, radical music that should unsettle the rulers of this country. A new generation of musicians are...

.

The song was sung by Mackenzie Crook

Mackenzie Crook

Paul Mackenzie Crook is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Gareth Keenan in The Office and Ragetti in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.-Life and career:...

 and Gemma Arterton

Gemma Arterton

Gemma Arterton is an English actress. She played the eponymous protagonist in the BBC adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and starred in the feature films St Trinian's, the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, Clash of the Titans, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Tamara...

 in the 2008 film Three and Out

Three and Out

Three And Out is a 2008 British comedy film directed by Jonathan Gershfield. It premiered in London on the 21 April 2008 and was released in the UK and Ireland on 25 April 2008.-Plot:...

whilst walking home together from a pub in the Lake District

Lake District

The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...

after mistaking a satellite for a shooting star in the night sky.