Songs about Nottingham

[Oztalgian 3,271]

Many cities in the world have songs that are easily identified with that city. Liverpool, London and Newcastle in the UK, New York and San Francisco in the US but is there a song, apart from the theme to Robin Hood that people anywhere would immediately recognise as Nottingham? I can't think of one and what about any other famous city songs?

[katyjay 5,090]

By The Time I Get to Phoenix

 

Wichita Lineman

 

24 Hours from Tulsa

 

Chattanooga Choo Choo

 

 

[benjamin1945 16,139]

Good choices Katy.........

[katyjay 5,090]

Scarborough Fair.

 

Galveston.

[loppylugs 8,427]

Been to Chattanooga.  Guess the choo choo wasn't there the day I was.  Nice enough city as cities go. 

[Jill Sparrow 10,304]

@loppylugsIf you've got a trifle to spare, can I have it? Love trifle!

[loppylugs 8,427]

No trifle, Jill.  Can spare you a dog biscuit if Jake allows it. 

 

Just thinking about the Wichita Lineman.  'Nottingham EMEB underground cable splicer,'  doesn't have quite the same ring to it does it? 

Doesn't rhyme with much either.

[Beekay 5,134]

Surely LL., the lineman referred to was something different than telegraph/electric cables. I always understood to mean a patrolman or some such, whose job it was to check that truckers weren't carrying overloads or contraband.

[Stuart.C 491]

Exhibits no1 and no2,

 

 

[loppylugs 8,427]

You could both be right.  As an old electrician the term 'overload' immediately triggered an image of powerlines to me.  So I always thought of a guy driving around desert roads looking at powerlines.

[Hey Arnold 88]

Dirty old town...

Written by Ewan MaColl, and made famous by the Dubliners, about Salford summing up the soot and grime from the mills and the dirty canals 

[Beekay 5,134]

Roger Whitaker, "I've gotta leave old Durham town"

[Cliff Ton 10,458]

The ultimate Nottingham song must be this masterpiece by Dick James. Takes me back to the early days of b/w telly.

 

 

[Oztalgian 3,271]

Yes and Forest being led out of the tunnel by Bobby McKinlay.

Of course Maid Marian got very upset when she found out that Robin Hood was riding Trudi Glen (listen carefully to the words)

[Dark Angel 138]

  For some reason previous post not working so try again with same song, different video.

 

https://youtu.be/PKa0NmYBKKA

[DJ360 6,721]

 

[DJ360 6,721]

 

[Oztalgian 3,271]

DJ 360 Nottamun town is such depressing song regardless of which version you listen to, a bit like Nottingham?

Totally unexpected, never heard a swing version of Robin Hood before, not too bad.

 

[Dark Angel 138]

4 hours ago, Oztalgian said:

Great song, just the one mention of Nottingham.

   The video I tried to post contained still photographs of locos on Kirkby shed & a Midland General bus, alas for whatever reason it wouldn’t let me.

[Beekay 5,134]

D.A., an interesting link to that Dave Goulder song, "Turntable". It gave up other Y.T. videos about trains and memorabilia. I enjoyed trawling around listening to the music. Thank you.   B.

[DJ360 6,721]

6 hours ago, Oztalgian said:

DJ 360 Nottamun town is such depressing song regardless of which version you listen to, a bit like Nottingham?

Totally unexpected, never heard a swing version of Robin Hood before, not too bad.

 

 Yes it's interesting. I think it does say something about Nottingham. A massive generalisation of course, but whilst Nottingham folk are generally just as friendly and helpful as any... they do seem to project a sort of reserve, or wariness. It's difficult to describe, but it's sort of opposite to the unquestioning openness which  say, Scousers are famous for.

 

If you have the BBC Sounds app, look up 'Mark Steele's in Town' in the comedy section. His programme from Nottingham is hilarious. His main premise is the 'contrarian' nature of Nottm folk, which he mixes with stuff about the Left Lion, Maid Marion Way and other disasters. Well worth a listen.

 

The Ambrose swing version of Robin Hood. There are a whole raft of recordings of that version from the 1940s. The one I was looking for was the one by Geraldo and his Orchestra, which I used to have. It might be in the loft still..but I can't find it on YouTube 

[Jill Sparrow 10,304]

When I was a child, our neighbours three houses along were Mr and Mrs Smith. Mrs Smith was a West Yorkshire lass who had married a Nottingham lad. They had two children of my sister's age and older.

 

Mrs Smith always said she thought Nottingham people were peculiar. They always expected something in return for whatever they did. Yorkshire folk, she claimed, were not like that. Indeed, we had to be careful with Mrs Smith. She was a talented dressmaker and she ran up several dresses for me, as a child, together with dancing costumes because my mother didn't know one end of a needle from the other, despite being the daughter of a tailoress! Mrs Smith always did a good job but would never accept any payment for her efforts. She could become quite aggressive, if pressed, and would point out that Yorkshire folk were not like Nottingham people! She was a feisty little woman but she had a heart of gold...and she's by no means the only person from outside Nottingham whom I've heard cast similar aspersions.

[Rob.L 1,088]

And then there’s Jake Bugg, capturing the spirit of Clifton.

I drink to remember, I smoke to forget
Some things to be proud of some stuff to regret
Gone down some dark alleys in my own head
But something is changing, changing, changing

I go back to Clifton to see my old friends
The best people I could ever have met
We skin up a fat one, hide from the Feds
And something is changing, changing, changing

So I kiss goodbye to every little ounce of pain
Light a cigarette and wish the world away
I got out, I got out, out alive and I'm here to stay

So I hold two fingers up to yesterday
Light a cigarette and smoke it all away
I got out, I got out, out alive and I'm here to stay

He's down in the kitchen drinking White Lightning
He's with my momma, they're yelling and fighting
It's not the first time they're praying for silence
But something is changing, changing, changing

[loppylugs 8,427]

I think it was a yorkshire saying I heard years ago.   "Never do owt for nowt."   Then,  "If tha does owt for nowt,  do it for thasen." 

[Jill Sparrow 10,304]

It's known as The Yorkshireman's creed, Loppy. Just a bit of black humour against themselves. Those I've met have always been generosity itself!