Some cheeky scallies have written a song about my home town, Didsbury. It’s not all true, honest!
Is there a song taking the piss out of your neck of the woods?
Some cheeky scallies have written a song about my home town, Didsbury. It’s not all true, honest!
Is there a song taking the piss out of your neck of the woods?
Ha ha, I actually know someone who was involved in this, though he emigrated to Australia just after he did it.
In terms of my neck of the woods, actually there is a rather good little tune about it:
Yeah, a reasonable tune, but I hoped it was going to take a swipe at more of our fair city!
You’ll have to tell me your connection with the Didsbury song at some point.
Also meant to say, am not aware of songs directly about the bit of the world in which I grew up, but this fantastic little tune is about a bus that runs through it….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlBeSlDLxlA
Yeah, beats the hell out of me why there was such an outcry over the proposed demolition of Ringo’s house in the Dingle but when they changed the 147 route to the 47 – not a word. And now even the 47′s gone, I think. It’s like that Niemoller poem, First They Came For The Rizlas.
I would guess that America’s 96th…no wait..97th…hold on…98th…largest city might have inspired more songs per capita than just about any other.
Just like another more famous group who sang about the city where they love the governor (boo boo boo), these guys were actually from Florida. It’s got an interesting sort of ska rhythm with a guitar riff that’s closer to Memphis, Tennessee (the song *and* the city).
(It took me years to find this song before finally someone uploaded it to Youtube. Love the references to “homemade wine” and “turnip greens.”)
It’s always weird hearing about the US namesakes of our cities. This provides no flavour (or flavor) whatsoever of the UK version!
i’ve telt this before, but when Watford & Grimsby were in what was then div IV they drew each other in the league cup. Just before the game, a dj announced that he had a pre-release version of Elton’s new album and thought it nice to share a track with us over the tannoy. Written by south lincs lad Taupin, it was all about flat caps, whippets, mushy peas and called ‘Grimsby’ .. it was not well received.
At the end, the DJ said we shouldn’t boo because the man himself was here as he could easily tell by the pink rolls royce registration REG I, or somesuch, in the car park. Leaving the ground it was hard not to notice that more than a few pennies had been scraped along the bright pink paintwork .. it was not in good nick at all
A week later, we had to play again mid-week in the actual league. As kick off approached, a sudden sound as a helicopter descended to the centre circle. Out pops Elton in floor length fur coat. The helicopter flies away and he picks up a mike. ‘Right you bastards, lets see you get the paint of that bugger’
Never heard the song since and never nominated it for RR for some reason
Interestingly enough, the song did get a UK major label release. Maybe because of the ska beat, maybe because of the title, but Capitol Records apparently believed they could make a few quid off it.
There lots of songs about Tokyo and Mr P and I even did a He Said – She Said with some of our favourites.
I live in Meguro neighbourhood of Tokyo and it is a very nice mixed residential and business area. The name of the neighbourhood comes from the Meguro river that passes through the area. It is quiet has a lot of green spaces and parks but it is very central. with really good transport links.
It is popular location for artists, musicians and writers to live and work and the there is a very posh part which has some embassies and the Crown Princess lives in that part.but mostly it is just a nice and has an arty type of feel to it.
It is also a famous spot in Tokyo for viewing cherry blossom as the Meguro river is lined with cherry tress and it is really beautiful when the sakura season is here. My apartment is close to the river and I can see the river from my balcony which is nice.
I do not know any songs making fun of Meguro but singer songwriter Miwa lives in Meguro and she wrote a really lovely song called Megurogawa ( Meguro River ) which is a nostalgic love song about walking along the river and remembering times together with a lover.
Miwa – Megurogawa
It’s not really home (you had to drive up the A12 to get to us), but the nearest I can get is Billy Bragg A13 Trunk Road To The Sea
Bish, Carole and DaddyPig may care to join me for the beginning of the journey?
The only song I know about Huddersfield is, actually, quite sweet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TmWk2eoNXA
My home town is Bristol, and the person who springs to mind is the (now deceased) Fred Wedlock. “Bristol Buses” springs to mind, although possibly not politically correct, for which I apologise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0-OO7eWGX0
There were other songs in similar vein, sung in Bristolian, e.g. Thee’s gotten where thee casn’t back’un, ‘asn’t?”) which was about an unfortunate driving incident in Paris (“Twas in the Place Pigalle, Got stuck in a back alley, … and they Parisites all shouted out real hearty: Thee’s gotten where thee casn’t back’un, ‘asnt? Thee’s gotten in a right old mess some’ow. Tha’ didn’t aught ta be in there tha’ disn’t – what ‘bis gonna do about it now? Thee’ll cop a packet if thee casn’t fix it, ‘cos a copper always pops up from somewhere – ah, thee’s bin and gotten where thee casn’t back’ ‘un, hasn’t? How bis gonna get ‘im outta there?”
And others too painful to mention – not even on Youtube!
Sorry, punctuation all to cock but if you need a translation, just ask. (Didsbury sounds quite posh in comparison).
Oh, and there’s “Virtute and Industrial” as well (Nelson Street was the dole office): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUQIr4hh7Ps
What She Said on The Smiths’ Meat is Murder refers to a tattooed boy from Birkenhead, which I assumed was our webbie until I got to know him better. No [visible] tattoos, and we can assume from the mouthwatering, juicy recipes he posts that he’s all in favour of meat and would have sued if mentioned on that album.
Duffy’s Rock Ferry was set in the little corner of Birkenhead I lived in until last month, and where webbie and I meet for coffee. But that’s, well, Duffy.
Elvis Costello sharpened his chops in Birkenhead bars, but I don’t know if any of his songs are set/about here. Half Man Half Biscuit have lots with local references, but like those of another local songwriter, Paul Heaton of Housemartins/Beautiful South fame, they’re semi-novelty.
And this topic needs something weighty. Meaty, even, if you’ll permit. Paul Kennerley wrote some hefty gems for Emmylou Harris, but not about his hometown.
So lets go ultra ultra local with singer-songwriter Dean Johnson, who is writing a musical about heralded WWI poet and local boy Wilfred Owen? (Johnson is/was also behind a drive to have Birkenhead city hall rechristened in tribute to the late John Peel, another local. Johnson has written some of it already, which can be sampled here: http://www.deanjohnsonmusic.co.uk/bulletsvids.html
(I tried to work in OMD and Lily Savage, but they didn’t fit the flow. The heck with them, then)
It’s probably not news to many of you that Good Shoes wrote a song about my (and their) home town.
Morden
They do make it sound more like the mean streets than it is for most of us.