Red Lights, Rehab And A Rudebox

This year’s Ivor Novello Awards appear to have taken on a seedier side.

One of the most-tipped nominations is about a girl working in a red-light district, another describes a singer’s refusal to seek treatment for her drinking, and another has Robbie Williams rapping about a "Rudebox."

Lines such as "I’ve seen him with girls of the night/ And he told Roxanne to put on her red light/ They’re all infected but he’ll be all right/ Cause he’s a scumbag" have made Arctic Monkeys’ "When The Sun Goes Down" one of the favorites to collect the award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically, the top award given by the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters.

Amy Winehouse’s single "Rehab," a song that details the bibulous singer’s enjoyment of alcohol and her refusal to seek treatment for her drinking, is up for best contemporary song, the TimesOnline reported.

Robbie Williams’s rap track "Rudebox" is nominated for international hit of the year, a category that sees it competing with Sir Elton John, nominated as co-writer of the Scissor Sisters’ "I Don’t Feel Like Dancin," and Madonna’s "Sorry," which was penned by British songwriter Stuart Price.

Williams has won four Novellos during his career, including songwriter of the year in 1999, with collaborator Guy Chambers, for "Angels."

The ceremony for the 52nd Ivor Novello Awards is at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, on May 24th.