Gonna write a classic, gonna write it in an attic
Over at The Hearing Aid (a well recommended local music blog) we find a link to a band called The Will To Rally (who I think I heard a bit of last week at the Rainbow, but I was well gone by then). They have a song there called ‘I Heart Birmingham’ in which I can’t rightly tell whether they’re being sarcastic in the chorus or the verses.
This song reminded me about something I’ve long been musing, does Brum need some kind of anthem? I think it’d be smashing.
I think it would be great to have a song that we all loved and could sing, that helped us feel all warm and together inside – these don’t just come out of nowhere tho’, people have to write them. There is a danger, if they’re badly written for them to become laughable – just like this Stoke-on-Trent ‘theme tune’. That said it is possible for songs to cross the divide from fairly trite to meaningful for a body of people – as Flower of Scotland (only from 1967) has.
Obviously this is the sort of thing that can’t come from a council, or any community groups – but Birmingham does have its fair share of great songwriters. If only Stephen Duffy could be nudged into it – I guess he isn’t working with Robbie Williams any more (new Lilac Time album
It’s not exactly the same thing, but I’ve always wanted there to be a band who make a deliberate effort to mythologise Birmingham & The Black Country in the way The Clash did with west London.
Chinook‘s “Birmingham New Street” is a good start.
[...] Birmingham: The Anthem Published November 19, 2007 Uncategorized Tags: anthem, Birmingham, Brighton, Brighton the Musical, Terry Garroghan B:iNS suggests Birmingham needs it’s own anthem. [...]