Sat on the banks of the River Calder, cradled by the Pennine Hills, the unique Yorkshire town of Hebden Bridge has long attracted and inspired artists. So, it’s no surprise that there are a fair few songs about Hebden Bridge.
Small English towns that are full of character can often encourage a flow of music, words and melody from writers. So, let’s delve into some songs about Hebden Bridge.

Hebden Bridge Love Song

“If it was never new, and it never gets old, then it’s a folk song.” said the protagonist of the 2023 Coen Brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis, offering up that timelessness is a signature quality of a good folk tune. Hebden Bridge Love Song by Martin Frances is one of the songs about Hebden Bridge that is true to this form. The lamenting lyrics tell the story of a beauty that catches the writer’s eye, gets lost in a crowd and is never to be seen again. It could have been written equally about a maid at a medieval fair, or a 21st century vintage clothes shopper who emerges from Lucy & The Caterpillar and disappears into the busy Saturday market. Its folk credentials are solidified by the technique of juxtaposing lyrics of heart wrenching sadness with an up-tempo fingerpicked guitar to soften the blow.

You – The Second Of Our Songs About Hebden Bridge.

Following on a similar vibe, You by Ben Calvert is a modern day folk song about Hebden Bridge, telling a story of someone yearning to make amends. Wanting to resolve past wrongs towards a lover and to declare his undying love, the writer takes a train to Hebden Bridge, to wear his heart lies. Once there, he’s overwhelmed, not knowing what to do. He returns home, having not made contact. Then the next day, he watches a series of posts from afar on Instagram, which show his love’s new flame slowly making his way to Hebden Bridge. While it mirrors Hebden Bridge Love Song in its tragedy of love that is lost, the mournfully delivered lyrics of this song about Hebden Bridge are confessional, painful, and brutally honest: the kind of words that you might expect to be written and kept in a personal journal and kept under lock and key, rather than released as a song.

Did Half Man Half Biscuit Write Songs About Hebden Bridge?

Though this English band with a cult following are from the relatively nearby town of Birkenhead, the answer is “No”. While they didn’t write songs about Hebden Bridge, the town is on their radar as they mention it in their quirky and enlightening Half Man Half Biscuit A-Z. They did write New York Skiffle though, which namechecks Greenwich Village, a suburb of The Big Apple that share’s Hebden’s bohemian ambience.

Ben Calvert Songs On Spotify and Bandcamp

You’ve heard one Ben Calvert song here, and you can hear all the songs from this Bohemian Jukebox artist on Spotify. Or even better, buy actual vinyl and CDs on his Bandcamp page today.