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."placeholder image
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."

11 times Sheffield has starred in song lyrics and titles, from Arctic Monkeys and Pulp to The Human League

By Robert Cumber
Published 21st Feb 2023, 00:01 GMT

Sheffield is a city brimming with musical talent, which has given the world brilliant bands from The Human League to the Arctic Monkeys and Pulp.

Joe Elliott, lead singer of one of the Steel City’s most famous exports, Def Leppard, once reportedly said that 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 his last 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.

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?

Pulp's lyrics draw heavily on Jarvis Cocker's formative years in Sheffield and the city is referenced in songs like Babies, which mentions Stanhope Road, in Intake, and Wickerman, which takes listeners on a musical tour of the lead singer's native city, from The Leadmill and The Moor to Broomhall. But for sheer number of Sheffield place names you can't beat the 8m32s opus Sheffield: Sex City, which sees the band at their seedily seductive best. It opens with a long list of neighbourhoods read out in a breathy whisper, including Pitsmoor, Wincobanks and Ecclesall.

5. Sheffield: Sex City - Pulp

Pulp's lyrics draw heavily on Jarvis Cocker's formative years in Sheffield and the city is referenced in songs like Babies, which mentions Stanhope Road, in Intake, and Wickerman, which takes listeners on a musical tour of the lead singer's native city, from The Leadmill and The Moor to Broomhall. But for sheer number of Sheffield place names you can't beat the 8m32s opus Sheffield: Sex City, which sees the band at their seedily seductive best. It opens with a long list of neighbourhoods read out in a breathy whisper, including Pitsmoor, Wincobanks and Ecclesall. Photo: Yui Mok

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Sheffield's Reverend and the Makers are riding a wave at the moment, on the back of their acclaimed album Heatwave in the Cold North. Their most famous single, however, is still Heavyweight Champion of the World, which reached the top 10. It includes the lyrics: "At school, he used to dream about being Bruce Lee/But the need for chops in the Manor Top/Ain't all that great you see."

6. Heavyweight Champion of the World - Reverend and the Makers

Sheffield's Reverend and the Makers are riding a wave at the moment, on the back of their acclaimed album Heatwave in the Cold North. Their most famous single, however, is still Heavyweight Champion of the World, which reached the top 10. It includes the lyrics: "At school, he used to dream about being Bruce Lee/But the need for chops in the Manor Top/Ain't all that great you see." Photo: DEAN ATKINS

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A second entry for Crookes on our list, this time courtesy of Sheffield legends The Human League. While it may not have reached the heights of Don't You Want Me, instrumental track The Bus to Crookes is still a catchy tune and somewhat surprisingly not the first song on this list to be inspired by Sheffield's public transport network.

7. The Bus to Crookes - The Human League

A second entry for Crookes on our list, this time courtesy of Sheffield legends The Human League. While it may not have reached the heights of Don't You Want Me, instrumental track The Bus to Crookes is still a catchy tune and somewhat surprisingly not the first song on this list to be inspired by Sheffield's public transport network. Photo: Daniel Martino

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Gomez hail from Southport and their infectious indie classic Whippin' Piccadilly is about a day out in Manchester, but it does include the line: "Finally made our way back to the train, rolling into Sheffield tonight."

8. Whippin' Piccadilly - Gomez

Gomez hail from Southport and their infectious indie classic Whippin' Piccadilly is about a day out in Manchester, but it does include the line: "Finally made our way back to the train, rolling into Sheffield tonight." Photo: Submitted

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