Compared to other UK cities like London, Manchester and Glasgow, Birmingham’s musical legacy is often overlooked. Let’s not forget, though, that the Second City is responsible for some of the country’s greatest musical artists—including Black Sabbath, Duran Duran and UB40, to name a few. Still, there are only a handful of truly great songs that are about Birmingham, and these are our favourites…
‘Birmingham Blues’ by Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra, aka ELO, who John Lennon famously called “son of the Beatles”, are probably best known for their mega-hit ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ from the multi-platinum-selling album ‘Out of the Blue’. But also off that LP, listeners can hear Brummie frontman Jeff Lynne’s lament to missing Birmingham.
‘Birmingham (Anthem)’ by Lotto Boyzz
By mixing Afrobeats, dancehall, R&B, and rap, Lotto Boyzz created an unofficial “Anthem” for Brum that’s still being played in clubs today, nearly a decade later. ‘Birmingham (Anthem)’ has more than eight million plays on YouTube. Catch me on “Broad Street on the weekend” singing “Bir, Birmingham, man are from Birmingham.”
‘I Can’t Find Brummagem’ by Jon Wilks
If you don’t know why Birmingham is called Brum, it’s because Brummagem is an old variant local name for the city. In this traditional folk interpretation from the early 1800s, Jon Wilks has given the music hall classic a modern update for our age.
‘Streets of Sorrow / Birmingham Six’ by The Pogues
While the first part of this political song by the Irish folk punks The Pogues relates to the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the second part is a demonstration of support for the Birmingham Six. In 1975, six men from Northern Ireland were falsely sentenced to life imprisonment for the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings.
‘Mrs Back-To-Front and the Bull Ring Thing’ by Go Kart Mozart
Go-Kart Mozart’s debut album features a shot of Birmingham’s Bull Ring Centre shortly before it was redeveloped into the Bullring. On ‘Mrs Back-To-Front and the Bull Ring Thing’, Lawrence (who also fronted such Birmingham acts as Felt and Denim) pays tribute to the shopping centre—going as far as to call Birmingham “the city with a smile”.
‘Handsworth Revolution’ by Steel Pulse
The debut album and title track by British reggae band Steel Pulse are named after the Birmingham neighbourhood of Handsworth, where the group are from. ‘Handsworth Revolution’ was released to critical acclaim, and the band would later join Bob Marley on a European tour.
‘Handsworth Riots’ by Pato Banton
Another Birmingham reggae song dedicated to Handsworth, this time, Pato Banton reflects on the 1985 riots in Handsworth: Following the arrest of a black man in the area and a police raid on a local pub, racial tensions boiled over, and a large-scale protest grew into a full-blown riot that resulted in police clashes.
‘Birmingham School Of Business School’ by The Fall
Birmingham Business School was established in 1989, but can trace its history back to 1902, which would make it the oldest business school in the United Kingdom. But The Fall’s Mark E. Smith has decided to take aim at the “jumped up prats” of Birmingham Business School and ‘The Big Heart of England’. He even mocks Birmingham’s failed bids to host the Olympic Games—“bidding again and again.”
‘Bodies’ by The Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols’ ‘Bodies’ is about “a girl from Birmingham. She just had an abortion. She was a case of insanity. Her name was Pauline; she lived in a tree.”
‘It’s a Brum Ting’ by Friendly Fire Band
‘It’s A Brum Ting’ was originally commissioned by Birmingham Archive for its multi-genre tribute record to Brum, ‘On Record’. It wasn’t until the BBC started using it for their Commonwealth Games coverage that it gained huge exposure.
‘Brave St Andrew’ by The Streets
The Streets don’t make many references to Birmingham, but on the opening track of ‘Original Pirate Material’, ‘Turn The Page’, Mike Skinner outs himself as a Brummie (“The hazy fog over the Bull Ring/The lazy ways the birds sing”). It took 23 years for him to release ‘Brave St Andrew’, where he tells the world he’s a “blue”.
