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?
17. Oyl Int Road - Everly Pregnant Brothers
The Everly Pregnant Brothers are a Sheffield institution and one of their biggest hits is about long-lost city centre landmark the Hole in the Road. Oyl Int Road, sung to the tune of the Waterboys' The Whole of the Moon, takes listeners of a certain age on a trip down memory lane, with lines like: "Well you walk down from Fargate/With the wind in your hair/You come down escalators/Cause they didn't have no stairs." The lyrics also reminisce about the Hole in the Road's famous fish tank, though the band are not too misty eyed, acknowledging 'them fish didn't look nice'. Photo: National World
18. The Dream Synopsis - The Last Shadow Puppets
The Last Shadow Puppets are an English supergroup consisting of the Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner and Miles Kane, James Ford and Zach Dawes. The Dream Synopsis finds Alex reminiscing about his Sheffield past and looking to the future. It includes the lines 'you’d got a leaning tower of pint pots in your hand/you can carry much more than I can', which is perhaps him looking back to his days working at the lost Boardwalk music venue. The chorus describes how 'a wicked gale came howling up through Sheffield city centre, there was palm tree debris everywhere and a Roman colosseum'. It's unclear whether the palm tree debris and colosseum are merely figments of Alex's imagination or refer to actual memories of his Sheffield days. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images