Poll shows York inspires memorable songs (From York Press)

Poll shows York inspires memorable songs

8:51am Saturday 4th February 2012 in News By Nadia Jefferson-Brown, nadia.jeffersonbrown@thepress.co.uk

FOR CENTURIES, cities and towns have been used as inspiration for memorable songs with some proving more influential than others.

In a new poll, York has staked its claim as being one of the most musically inspiring cities.

PRS For Music took the top 30 towns and cities throughout the UK by population (excluding London) and compiled its findings after using its extensive database which contains more than ten million songs.

In a surprise result, Glasgow across the border topped the league with the most number of songs – 119 – crediting the city name within the song title, followed by Edinburgh with 95, then Birmingham (89), Liverpool (67), Manchester (63), Belfast (60) and York (59).

Folk song The Lady Of York has been played and rearranged for many years and was originally written as a warning to well-to-do young girls not to enter into relationships with servants.

Guy Fletcher, chairman of PRS For Music, said: “Songwriters feed off their inspiration and this could be anything from a feeling or an object or place.

“It seems that a number of songwriters have taken Glasgow into their hearts and felt it was right to produce a piece of work about their feelings towards the city. “It’s great to see two Scottish cities, both Glasgow and Edinburgh, having such an effect on our members.”

PRS For Music is a not-for-profit organisation which represents the rights of 85,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in the UK, ensuring creators are paid whenever their music is played, performed or reproduced.

• A number of the tracks mentioned in the PRS For Music poll are not widely known, yet were inspired by the city of York. Have you heard of these tracks and know their origins or others featuring York in the title? If so, email newsdesk@thepress.co.uk

York inspired tracks

1: The Lady of York, arranged by David Sproule
2: Brothers In York, written by Musa Mmbob
3: The Siege Of York, written by Edward Huws
4: Destination York, written by Guy Michelmore
5: Cape Of York, written by David Massey