Novello no va

The annual insult to the memory of Ivor Novello, The Ivors songwriting awards, has announced its shortlist. That the committee have a cloth ear or a desire to flatter has been hinted at in previous years, but with nominations for Madonna's sorry Sorry and Rudebox - yes, Robbie Williams' Rudebox - in international hit of the year surely undermines the very point of the prizes. Why not just have a category called "Best effort by a famous person we'd like to come to the ceremony" and have done with? The whole thing stinks more than a GM-TV phone-in. The only good bits of Rudebox are the twenty-year old samples from Boops, and their appearance in the farrago only cheapens them.

We've never quite understood why a prize is given to the best "contemporary" song - does that mean the other prizes are for the best old-fashioned song? Still, it's the only award which has a decent shortlist - wherever you stand on Winehouse's reading of it, Rehab is a hell of a song and Over and Over probably sounds more like 2006 than anything else on the list. So it'll probably wind up going to Yeah Yeah.

The nominations in full, with the usual link to leap if you'd rather:

BEST SONG MUSICALLY & LYRICALLY

Elusive
Writer: Scott Matthews
Performed By: Scott Matthews
UK Publisher: Universal Music Publishing

Sophia
Writer: Nerina Pallot
Performed By: Nerina Pallot
UK Publisher: Chrysalis Music Ltd

When The Sun Goes Down
Writer: Alex Turner
Performed By: Arctic Monkeys
UK Publisher: EMI Music Publishing


BEST CONTEMPORARY SONG

Over and Over
Writers: Joseph Goddard / Alexis Taylor / Felix Martin
Performed By: Hot Chip
UK Publisher: Warner Chappell Music

Rehab
Writer: Amy Winehouse
Performed By: Amy Winehouse
UK Publisher: EMI Music Publishing

Yeah Yeah
Writers: Nick Bridges / Jon Pearn / Nathan Thomas / Luciana Caporaso / Nick Clow
Performed By: Bodyrox Ft Luciana
UK Publisher: Notting Hill Music / Universal Music Publishing / EMI Music Publishing

BEST ORIGINAL FILM SCORE

Casino Royale
Composer: David Arnold
UK Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Ice Age The Meltdown
Composer: John Powell
UK Publisher: EMI Music Publishing

Severance
Composer: Christian Henson
UK Publisher: Air-Edel Associates Ltd


BEST TELEVISION SOUNDTRACK

Broadcast: Hotel Babylon
Composer: John Lunn / Jim Williams
UK Publisher: Bucks Music Group

Broadcast: Shiny Shiny Bright New Hole In My Heart
Composer: Alex Heffes
UK Publisher: EMI Music Publishing

Broadcast: The Virgin Queen
Composer: Martin Phipps
UK Publisher: BDi Music Limited


PRS MOST PERFORMED WORK

I Don’t Feel Like Dancin'
Writers: Sir Elton John / Scott Hoffman / Jason Sellards
Performed By: Scissor Sisters
UK Publisher: HST Management Ltd / Universal Music Publishing / EMI Music Publishing

Put Your Records On
Writers: Corinne Bailey Rae / John Beck / Steve Chrisanthou
Performed By: Corinne Bailey Rae
UK Publisher: Global Talent Publishing / Good Groove Songs

Sorry
Writers: Madonna / Stuart Price
Performed By: Madonna
UK Publisher: Warner Chappell Music


INTERNATIONAL HIT OF THE YEAR

I Don’t Feel Like Dancin'
Writer/s: Sir Elton John / Scott Hoffman / Jason Sellards
Performed By: Scissor Sisters
UK Publisher: HST Management Ltd / Universal Music Publishing / EMI Music Publishing

Rudebox
Writers: Robbie Williams / Danny Spencer / Kelvin Andrews / Sly Dunbar / Robbie Shakespeare / William “Earl” Collins / Bill Laswell / Edmund “Carl Jr” Aiken
Performed By: Robbie Williams
UK Publisher: BMG Music Publishing / Chrysalis Music Ltd / Universal Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music

Sorry
Writers: Madonna / Stuart Price
Performed By: Madonna
UK Publisher: Warner Chappell Music