Joe Elliott, lead singer of one of the Steel City’s most famous exports, Def Leppard, once reportedly said Sheffield was a ‘great place with great people’ but that 'there’s nothing in Sheffield to write songs about’.
While he was right on the first two counts, he’s been proved wrong countless times on that final assertion, with many of Sheffield’s most successful acts taking inspiration from their home city in their lyrics.
Sheffield has also been a muse for many artists not lucky enough to hail from among its seven hills, who have still chosen to reference it in their music, from Elton John to Stormzy.
How many of these songs namechecking Sheffield or its streets and suburbs have you heard, and are there any we’ve missed off our list that you’d recommend?
1. Coles Corner - Richard Hawley
If there's one artist who best embodies Sheffield, it's surely Richard Hawley. He has taken inspiration from his home city when penning countless classic songs over the years and his music can currently be heard in the acclaimed play Standing at the Sky's Edge, about life at Park Hill. One of his best known songs is Coles Corner, which takes its name from the junction of Fargate and Church Street in Sheffield city centre, where the old Cole Brothers department store once stood. The lyrics don't mention Sheffield by name but it brilliantly evokes the city in lines like: "Cold city lights glowing/The traffic of life is flowing/Out over the rivers and on into dark." Photo: Chris Etchells
2. Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured - Arctic Monkeys
The Arctic Monkeys have also mined their home city extensively for musical inspiration. Fake Tales of San Francisco famously name-checks Hunter's Bar but we've opted for the slightly less well-known Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured, which includes the lines: "It's High Green, mate/Via Hillsborough, please" After all, High Green is where the chart conquering quintet, who formed the band at Stocksbridge High School, hail from. Photo: Chris Etchells
3. The Crookes Laundry Murder (1922) - The Crookes
The Crookes loved Sheffield so much they even named themselves after one of its more picturesque suburbs. One of their songs, The Crookes Laundry Murder (1922), is about a notorious crime in said suburb. Its lyrics include the haunting lines: "Take me back to 1922. Let echoes of the past bleed through/And find before your eyes, an ashen scene unfold." Photo: Submitted
4. The Sheffield Song - The Supernaturals
Glaswegian band The Supernaturals are probably best known for their indie anthem Smile. It's not clear what inspired the title of their lovesick tune The Sheffield Song but perhaps it was a doomed romance in the Steel City. Its lyrics include the cutting lines: "And I can't help comparing the two of you/It's like a Formula 1 with a Subaru." Photo: Dan Burn-Forti